Page 31 | To have completely misunderstood the meaning of some sayings?

KermitTheToad · 2025-11-18T20:53:28+00:00

I only found out today that the term Social Butterfly refers to someone who is outgoing and loves social events. I thought it meant you didn't like social events, as in you would fly away and avoid them. I also until recently thought that a Spendthrift is somebody who is frugal in their spending. I assumed that as thrifty meant not being wasteful, that Spendthrift meant being careful in what you spent. YANBU..I see where you are coming from. YABU.. You are a wally, go back to school!

realsavagelike · 18/11/2025 22:06

Butteredtoast55 · 18/11/2025 21:47

My pet hate is people referring to 'rest bite' instead of respite.
But then I thought for years that having a poker face meant your face was long and thin and straight like an actual poker so I'm in no position to judge.

😂Thanks for this!

LBFseBrom · 18/11/2025 22:04

You are a wally but your misunderstandings are funny so don't worry. They brought a smile to my face.

Linzloopy · 18/11/2025 22:03

A member of my family frequently uses "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" wrongly - she thinks it means something like "that proves it!"

I've told her that "proof" in the saying means "test", like the way you leave bread dough to "prove" to check the yeast is working and see if it’s ready to put in the oven, or see "proofs" of something that’s being printed to check it's right before the final printing, but she doesn’t believe me.

Lakecat · 18/11/2025 22:03

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Medicimama · 18/11/2025 22:03

Slow
Children
Ahead

Silverbirchleaf · 18/11/2025 22:01

Makeitstop2025 · 18/11/2025 21:12

Tall, Dark and Handsome. I always pictured that to mean a white man and that the "dark" was in reference to features such as black/brown hair or brown eyes. A friend told me that the dark was in reference to skin colour and that it basically meant a person of colour.

Before anyone comments that it shows my bias, I am a person of colour!

Me too. I pictured a dark haired man as well.

Also rapidly googling these phrases , starting with ‘spendthrift’.

Nanny0gg · 18/11/2025 22:01

jamcorrosion · 18/11/2025 21:20

Is that true?! I still to this day thought it was about hair/eye colour

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No, and it is

5128gap · 18/11/2025 22:01

I remember being very shocked when a well to do church lady said she'd been running round 'like a tit in a trance'.

Nanny0gg · 18/11/2025 22:01

StruggleFlourish · 18/11/2025 21:16

Lol, triffids! That's hilarious! And you think like me which is even more hilarious!

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That's not a triffid

That's Audrey

RisingSunn · 18/11/2025 21:59

TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot · 18/11/2025 21:53

I thought the saying "when the going gets tough the tough get going" meant when things are hard the so-called tough scarper. Actually it means they spring into action.

And "a friend in need is a friend indeed" I thought was a kind of sarcastically saying when someone needs something from you they act like a really good friend. Really it means if someone's your friend in your hour of need they're a true friend.

Ooohh! I have always wondered why a friend in need would make a good friend!😂

Lakecat · 18/11/2025 21:59

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LilyCanna · 18/11/2025 21:58

78e22387FFGH · 18/11/2025 21:44

A leotard giving you a wedgie 😂

It actually is another one from the Bible - when Queen Esther's cousin Mordecai had an enemy who made a huge stake to hang him on, and ended up being hung on it himself

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I used to imagine someone being hoisted up their own flagpole or something but it actually means blowing yourself up!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard

Hoist with his own petard - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard

Nanny0gg · 18/11/2025 21:58

Makeitstop2025 · 18/11/2025 21:12

Tall, Dark and Handsome. I always pictured that to mean a white man and that the "dark" was in reference to features such as black/brown hair or brown eyes. A friend told me that the dark was in reference to skin colour and that it basically meant a person of colour.

Before anyone comments that it shows my bias, I am a person of colour!

The friend was wrong

MyPeppyCat · 18/11/2025 21:58

My sister genuinely thought that guerilla warfare involved gorillas. And a French guy I worked with thought 'pain in the arse' was 'pen in the arse' which sort of comes to the same thing when you think about it.

Alwayswonderedwhy · 18/11/2025 21:56

Well you've just made me realise I didn't know what spendthrift meant either!

Suzy2shoes · 18/11/2025 21:54

I’m another who finds spendthrift confusing so I’ve looked it up:
The word "spendthrift" is a compound word formed from the verb "spend" and the noun "thrift," which originally meant "savings, profits, or wealth". The combination refers to a person who "spends" their "thrift" or wealth, a sense that became prominent in the early 1600s. The term was created to describe someone who wastes their fortune, replacing older terms like "scattergood" and "spend-all".

TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot · 18/11/2025 21:53

I thought the saying "when the going gets tough the tough get going" meant when things are hard the so-called tough scarper. Actually it means they spring into action.

And "a friend in need is a friend indeed" I thought was a kind of sarcastically saying when someone needs something from you they act like a really good friend. Really it means if someone's your friend in your hour of need they're a true friend.

AllJoyAndNoFun · 18/11/2025 21:52

Mistressofnone · 18/11/2025 21:50

The plant was called Audrey II I think @CurlyhairedAssassin

My mother always corrects me when I describe a man with rugby player sort of build as ‘stocky’. She says stocky means short & stout. So what is the word for a tall well-built but not overweight man?

Hot 😂

Mistressofnone · 18/11/2025 21:50

The plant was called Audrey II I think @CurlyhairedAssassin

My mother always corrects me when I describe a man with rugby player sort of build as ‘stocky’. She says stocky means short & stout. So what is the word for a tall well-built but not overweight man?

WithChips · 18/11/2025 21:50

SelfRaisingFlour · 18/11/2025 21:03

I didn't know that "prodigal son" meant he was wasteful not a golden boy.

Never heard the term spendthrift

My son once told me he didn't need to go outside because his hair was already fresh. He was about 5 though.

*edited to add I'm sorry I quoted someone, didn't mean to.

ClareBlue · 18/11/2025 21:50

AllJoyAndNoFun · 18/11/2025 21:42

😂my understanding is that it refers to the fact that if you were buying a horse you would look at its teeth to age it and not buy it if it was really old, but if someone was just giving you the horse then you wouldn't because it's a free horse.

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This is exactly what it means. It's the first thing you do when buying a horse as you can age them through their teeth.

AudHvamm · 18/11/2025 21:49

It took me years to work out that 'a stitch in time saves nine' meant fixing something small saves you from fixing a bigger hole later. I thought it meant saved as in salvation. Was never sure what was saved though, people? Cats? Breadsticks?

Theextraordinaryisintheordinary · 18/11/2025 21:48

You’re right about a ‘spendthrift’ being someone who’s frugal. Love that you thought that about a ‘social butterfly’. My friend’s son thought ‘peace and quiet’ was ‘a piece of quiet’.

Butteredtoast55 · 18/11/2025 21:47

My pet hate is people referring to 'rest bite' instead of respite.
But then I thought for years that having a poker face meant your face was long and thin and straight like an actual poker so I'm in no position to judge.

AppropriateAdult · 18/11/2025 21:46

HyggeTygge · 18/11/2025 21:36

I've probably gone on about this before but there's a MN post that always stuck in my head, about someone's young colleague who thought "three sheets to the wind" meant "really busy" ... telling colleagues/clients he couldn't help them as he was three sheets to the wind!

We also had a long thread recently about spitting feathers (and tangentially, spitting tacks).

Oh, this is amazing!

"I'd love to help you, Beryl, but I just can't manage it - I'm three sheets to the wind!"
"It's ten o'clock in the morning, Derek..."