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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have completely misunderstood the meaning of some sayings?

843 replies

KermitTheToad · 18/11/2025 20:53

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!

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Leavesfalling · 20/11/2025 18:26

BunnyLake · 20/11/2025 17:51

I had never heard of picky bits before MN, never heard anyone say it in real life. I can see why it’s annoying though.

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The most egregious example is "picky bits tea". Which should be banned. Penalty?...Life with no hope of parole.

Ladygodalmighty · 20/11/2025 18:26

latetothefisting · 20/11/2025 13:30

But how have you "turned it into a descriptor of its own" when you're still using the same phrase to mean the same thing, just running the words together a bit more?

If a new person came into your family and you said "this room looks like a bombsisit" they wouldn't think "what the hell does that mean and start googling "what is a bonnsisit?" They'd realise you were saying "it looks like a bomb has a hit it" but just think you needed to enunciate a bit better!

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I think Soupsyspoons has changed it from a descriptive phrase to a noun. This place is a bomsitit or dump.

Leavesfalling · 20/11/2025 18:23

Ladygodalmighty · 20/11/2025 18:19

It's bad. Same as spendthrift. Squandering your wealth! Don't be a scattergood this Christmas and end up with lots of debt in the new year!😉

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Love it! Thank you. I shall be using it relentlessly from now on.

DarkEyedSailor · 20/11/2025 18:22

My most hated English teacher was called Mrs Scattergood. Absolutely nothing good about her.

Ladygodalmighty · 20/11/2025 18:19

Leavesfalling · 20/11/2025 13:13

Yes I agree. I like the word "scattergood" too but just to double check what it means as this thread reveals many of us are complete nitwits including me. Is it a good thing or bad thing to be a scattergood? Im thinking bad but can't be 100% now...

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It's bad. Same as spendthrift. Squandering your wealth! Don't be a scattergood this Christmas and end up with lots of debt in the new year!😉

BunnyLake · 20/11/2025 17:51

Leavesfalling · 20/11/2025 14:45

Oh thank you so much. Now I feel sick.

I see M&S have got an aisle dedicated to "picky bits" with a Picky Bits sign, which I avoid, often at great inconvenience to myself having to travel a further distance within store to get to the non picky part.

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I had never heard of picky bits before MN, never heard anyone say it in real life. I can see why it’s annoying though.

soupyspoon · 20/11/2025 17:30

latetothefisting · 20/11/2025 13:30

But how have you "turned it into a descriptor of its own" when you're still using the same phrase to mean the same thing, just running the words together a bit more?

If a new person came into your family and you said "this room looks like a bombsisit" they wouldn't think "what the hell does that mean and start googling "what is a bonnsisit?" They'd realise you were saying "it looks like a bomb has a hit it" but just think you needed to enunciate a bit better!

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No Im saying the word itself is not used always, 'it looks like a bombs hit it'

Its used, and has changed, to 'this is a bomsitit' (this is a bombs hit it)

That room is a 'bombs hit it'

The like is missing. Thats what Im describing.

CatHairEveryWhereNow · 20/11/2025 17:00

TellingBone · 20/11/2025 16:58

It does, or rather did. Seems to have acquired the added meaning of being angry, presumably because that's the image that some people conjure up from the phrase.

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Apparently it got confused at some point with spitting nails - which meant angry.

TellingBone · 20/11/2025 16:58

gottalottodo · 20/11/2025 16:48

I always thought ‘spitting feathers’ meant thirsty - I said it at work once and my colleague asked if I wanted to talk about it? Errr I’ll just have a Diet Coke thanks!

It does, or rather did. Seems to have acquired the added meaning of being angry, presumably because that's the image that some people conjure up from the phrase.

CatHairEveryWhereNow · 20/11/2025 16:58

Hopingtobeaparent · 20/11/2025 16:40

I had your same understanding too, dark hair, like James Bond!

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How I understood it - hair and eye colour and possibly olive/mediterranean skin tone.

Hollywood used it to describe Rudolph Valentino - and Mae West famoulsy used it to described Cary Grant.

Brunette - meaning brown or dark brown or more generally dark hair - had a freind use it to describe her and my brown hair - rest of group were blond or black haired - but rest of the group of people insisted it meant only black hair - not brown at all though half the group english was third or forth language rest of the native english people also thought it meant just black hair and there was no word for brown hair but brown.

Leavesfalling · 20/11/2025 16:50

Fraid not @HyggeTygge

If the M&S sign writer had only taken the time to read Mumsnet they would have known what an utter aberration this is to all right-thinking shoppers.

gottalottodo · 20/11/2025 16:48

I always thought ‘spitting feathers’ meant thirsty - I said it at work once and my colleague asked if I wanted to talk about it? Errr I’ll just have a Diet Coke thanks!

OSTMusTisNT · 20/11/2025 16:47

Proberly

RescueMeFromThisSilliness · 20/11/2025 16:44

diddl · 20/11/2025 16:27

Deeply unfair towards the loyal, honest, hardworking, trustworthy sons, yet we are supposed to believe it is a Good Thing when GoldenBalls returns and gets handed the lot on a plate.

I think it depends on if you take it literally or see the feast as a representation of good things that await when you return to God.

I still don't much like that interpretation either to be honest. It seems you can be as feckless as you like, and end up being welcomed back with open arms and treated just as well, if not better, than the people who have been good all along.

Hopingtobeaparent · 20/11/2025 16:40

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!

I had your same understanding too, dark hair, like James Bond!

diddl · 20/11/2025 16:27

Deeply unfair towards the loyal, honest, hardworking, trustworthy sons, yet we are supposed to believe it is a Good Thing when GoldenBalls returns and gets handed the lot on a plate.

I think it depends on if you take it literally or see the feast as a representation of good things that await when you return to God.

ABeerInTheSunshineMakesMeHappy · 20/11/2025 16:17

emmetgirl · 18/11/2025 22:30

But spendthrift comes from the word thrifty which means careful with money so its meaning should be quite clear 🤷‍♀️

Except it means the opposite !

HyggeTygge · 20/11/2025 16:14

Leavesfalling · 20/11/2025 14:45

Oh thank you so much. Now I feel sick.

I see M&S have got an aisle dedicated to "picky bits" with a Picky Bits sign, which I avoid, often at great inconvenience to myself having to travel a further distance within store to get to the non picky part.

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Omg, no, please, no, tell me you're kidding?!

MissDoubleU · 20/11/2025 16:04

RescueMeFromThisSilliness · 20/11/2025 16:01

I've never been all that much of a fan of that parable, to be honest. 😁

Deeply unfair towards the loyal, honest, hardworking, trustworthy sons, yet we are supposed to believe it is a Good Thing when GoldenBalls returns and gets handed the lot on a plate.

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Agreed!! I hate it so specifically because my mum used to use it towards me when I went “off the rails” as she put it. We’ve been NC for 15 years, here’s to many more 😂

RescueMeFromThisSilliness · 20/11/2025 16:01

MissDoubleU · 18/11/2025 22:40

In context the prodigal son was a bit of the golden boy. He’s the son that ran off and didn’t care for his family, did his own thing, spent all his money and lived a lavish selfish life of hookers and blow. Then, on returning to his father was welcomed back with such open and loving arms the father killed the fattened calf and threw a feast. The sons slaving away at the family business all those years didn’t ever get a feast, but the whore meister prodigal got a damn fattened calf. 100% golden child.

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I've never been all that much of a fan of that parable, to be honest. 😁

Deeply unfair towards the loyal, honest, hardworking, trustworthy sons, yet we are supposed to believe it is a Good Thing when GoldenBalls returns and gets handed the lot on a plate.

sweetpickle2 · 20/11/2025 15:37

Crying my eyes out at some of these! Or should I say, balling my eyes out, as I often see on here (which just sounds painful).

See also: chester drawers and sneak peak.

RescueMeFromThisSilliness · 20/11/2025 15:28

I always used to think that the John Lewis motto of 'Never knowingly undersold' meant that they would charge as high a price as they could get away with.

Whereas it actually means that if a competitor's price is lower, they will match it.

Thing is though, I reckon I was right the first time!

Leavesfalling · 20/11/2025 15:23

Friendlygingercat · 20/11/2025 15:00

Many interesting sayings have come down from military usuage📧

Keep your powder dry – remain prepared and ready to act

Bite the bullet – endure something painful or unpleasant

Charlie Foxtrot - a chaotic or disastrous situation

Friendly fire – an army hitting its own forces

Its not rocket science – not very difficult to do or understand

Going over the top
In the trenches
In the line of fire
In my sights (that's Richard Armitage although Ive recently found out he may not be that interested in ladies otherwise he would be knocking at my door(

LadeOde · 20/11/2025 15:18

'Crocodile tears' as in its all crocodile tears! - Pretentious tears, insincere grief.

'The wisdom of Solomon, has nothing to do with the age of Methuselah' - Wisdom is not necessarily tied to age.

' Rain does not fall on one roof alone' - Trouble will come to everyone eventually.

'The child who refuses to allow his mother sleep, will himself not see sleep'.- If you are determined to create problems/trouble for your neighbor, you yourself will have no peace of mind.

TattyBluebell · 20/11/2025 15:14

Nope, you're not being unreasonable at all! I totally get it and I do exactly the same! xxxx

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