To have completely misunderstood the meaning of some sayings?

I have only heard and used "carrot or stick" not 'and', which makes more sense (to me)

I’ve never thought the stick was for punishment. I think it’s just to hang the carrot off? 🤷‍♀️

Yes yes I know. But the great thing about a great author is that people can read into a book many layers of meanings. Eg Shakespeare. No one knows what he really meant about anything as we hardly know who he was.

The original donkey race it was or - one donkey was hit by a stick to motivate - other had a carrot out of reach.

Over time stick came to represent avoiding punishment as one style incentive and carrort ie reward other way to motivate.

In RL - people generally in modern work forces get offered rewards and threatened with punishments - both incentives being used for same task. Thus the metaphor been updated so and is used - because both motivators are being applied.

So no and is not wrong - if both reward and punishment are being applied.

Though I can see why there is some confusion now - when I never imaged any existed before this thread.

But if you could care less it means that you actually do care somewhat at this point in time.

Well yes-it's obvious because there is less to be done there must be some already happening!

I've just realised that I originally put "I couldn't care less instead of I couldn't care less"!

Obviously so incensed that I couldn't actually bring myself to type "I could care less"😂

Ahh that does make some sense.

That's the promised reward - carrot on stick just out of reach to motivate donkey but at end of race it should get the carrot ie future rewards.

The stick is the punishment - ie if donkey doesn't do well they get hit by the stick.

It's a metaphor for different forms of motivation - avoiding punishment being motiavting and actively promising rewards for effort.

Same here. Carrot and sticks are opposite motivators.

There is a separate metaphor of "dangling a carrot" which I think is being confused here.

Surely, it's carrot or stick? I've always thought the carrot is an inducement. A stick is punishment. So you can encourage someone by offering an inducement (the carrot) or you can force them by beating them with a stick.

I tend to think I could care less as just an American phrase.

It's like head over heels doesn't really make sense in English - used to be heels over head meaning somersaulting down a hill but was changed to flow better and due to misunerstanding as if you think about it heads are usually over heels and now usually means falling in love.

I saw an interview with Emily Blunt on USA chat show - she was explaining different usgae of quite. Quite good in USA is really good - in British English is just under good or okay.

In US English quite is an intensifier but in British English it's a mitigator -softens the adjective and that takes a while to catch on to.

Spicy and salty USA slang meanings are increasing ones I hear crossing over.

Sorry, donkeys get beaten with the stick if they are obstinate. If they are obedient they get to eat the carrot.

So is carrot and stick a carrot tied to a pics of string attached to a stick and whilst you’re on the donkey you’re dangling it just out of eating distance to make it move forward? That’s how I’ve always understood it

Way too old to have been at school when KS4 was a thing 😁

I've never said it

Yes I tried to explain it to someone once. That if you couldn't care less it means that you couldn't possibly care any less than you do currently i.e. not at all. But if you could care less it means that you actually do care somewhat at this point in time.

Blank face in response.

Except it's a known fact that his original manuscript was Catch 18 but his agent asked him to change it (due to another recently released novel with 18 in the title) so he and his publishers discussed alternative numbers until his editor came up with 22 because he liked the double digits - * *Ocean's 11 had been released the previous year so that was taken.

No I'm not correcting - was just adding to the list of horse-related sayings a pp had posted!

(I think someone got there before me though before I'd read the whole thread.)

But now someone could say "I don't like any wine" and receive the response "me either" in agreement which makes no sense to my old fashioned ears.

Old fashioned ears here as well!

Also-I couldn't care less instead of I couldn't care less!

I was going to say not fussed was one I hadn't encountered - but I have from IL it means they want to say no but someone feel it's not possible or rude to do so- so it's all tone and contextual but not something you can actaully ignore.

I don't think US English is as contextual - so not sure why so many meanings are flipping for them.

RobWord done a whole list of now problematic words

I've never heard it referred to as only inducemnet - and surpised that so many posters are confused- even google AI agrees with me so must be general concensus even on the internet.

I'm not confused.

Just pointing out that I hadn't heard it used that way!

I remember doing a drawing in junior school which was of a common saying, I did many hands make light work … I drew a light bulb with a load of hands around it … I was only 10 ish at the time 🤣

Yes! I was just about to post about nonplussed and how the US meaning is not just different but the opposite!

Similar one, I've noticed when people used to say they are "not fussed" about something they meant not bothered, did not mind either way. But it seems to be getting more common that people say it to mean they are "not keen" on something i.e. they DO mind and actively dislike.

Neither/either seem to have been blurred together too. I always thought neither referred to two options, both unsuitable for selection and either as two options which could both be suitable for selection. But particularly in US English, either now seems to be used to mean neither. So traditionally if my friend asked if I preferred red or white wine and I said "either" it meant I liked both. But if I said "neither" it meant I disliked both of the two options. But now someone could say "I don't like any wine" and receive the response "me either" in agreement which makes no sense to my old fashioned ears. Surely it should be "neither" or "I don't either".

Yes - exactly.

Not sure why so many posters seem to think differently.

So the origin of the metaphor is how I’ve always heard it used - the carrot representing motivation from positive reward and the stick representing motivation to avoid bad consequences. People sometimes talk about the carrot being more effective than the stick or a ‘carrot and stick’ approach where you give both positive incentives and threaten consequences for not doing something.

It refers to two options of motivation - punishment ie hit with a stick - or reward - ie carrot at end of the stick.

I've never heard it referred to as only inducemnet - and surpised that so many posters are confused- even google AI agrees with me so must be general concensus even on the internet.

AI Overview
The "carrot and stick" theory is a method of motivation that uses rewards (the carrot) to entice desired behavior and punishments (the stick) to deter unwanted behavior. This approach leverages both positive reinforcement, such as bonuses or promotions, and negative consequences, like demotions or threats of termination, to influence people to act in a certain way. It is widely used in management, politics, and other fields to achieve specific goals

That made me laugh as I drove past a sign that said plants crossing a while back and a little voice from the back seat said “mum can plants walk?” I knew exactly what she’d just read.