Phrases and sayings you just don't understand

[Remieatscake]

Such as:

'Life isn't a bed of roses you know''
Well, yes I think it is really because roses have thorns - the tough bits of life but they also have the beautiful petals of the flower - the good parts of life...overly simplistic but you get my drift.....

''Oh, I slept like a baby'' - surely this is meant to mean I slept badly but people seem to say it wen they have slept well. Not a mum (yet) but I am an overnight nanny amongst other things so know that babies do not generally sleep well!

Will think of some more I'm sure but in the mean time anyone else think of sayings that don't really make sense?

and 'have your cake and eat it' is more like 'eat your cake and keep it'

I see it's already been mentioned, but my whole life I've never understood the expression "you cannot have your cake and eat it". I thought, what's the point of having cake if you don't eat it?

Relatively recently (as a consequence of another thread here where it came up) I managed to find out that "have" in this context effectively means "still have it after you've eaten it." Which is so blindingly obvious I don't understand why it needs to be in a saying.

Or who has got pregnant unexpectedly fast

“It’s black over Will’s Mother’s”

It’s cloudly over there.

@boringlyboring I had a box of chocolates once that didn't have a menu. misses the point
But yes it is a shit phrase that makes no sense.

I think a lot of the phrases that don't make sense today are misquoted or outdated. God knows why people still say them though 🤷🏻‍♀️

My contribution is Americans saying "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less." I know it's American so not entirely what OP meant, but it winds me up so much

'risk it for a biscuit'

Risk what?

I managed to find out that "have" in this context effectively means "still have it after you've eaten it." Which is so blindingly obvious I don't understand why it needs to be in a saying

You would think so , but haven't you met the person who spends money on all sorts of luxuries then cries poor when they can't pay their utility bills? Or the person who shags around, gets caught by spouse and dumped and expects to keep their marriage whilst cheating? Or the teen who wants to screw around on the internet all day but also wants to pass their exams?

So it's like - you can't have 100% leisure time AND get work done.
You can't have the single life AND be happily married.
You can't have a champagne lifestyle on beer wages.

...and so on...

'risk it for a biscuit' - you could be risking anything but the context makes it clear ... so:
If I pop out to the shop for a pint of milk I might miss my mum calling round ...
Ah, sure risk it for a biscuit.
It just means go for it. Usually light-hearted and only used when there isn't much risk involved.

When a famous person dies from an overdose and it's reported that "they choked on their own vomit". Well, who else's vomit would they choke on?????

Tighnabruaich Never thought of that before, but I will next time!

Thank you Lucky, I've only ever heard it used once and I didn't get it at all.

I never understand why they say, "gave birth to a beautiful baby boy (or girl". Have you ever heard of a woman giving birth to a toddler? Or a teen?

Tihnabruaich (I have a picture on my wall that was taken there) the one I don't get is when they say 'a dead body' - aren't all bodies dead? They'd say a man/woman/child whatever if they were alive.

"Don't risk it for a Swisskit" is an old 1970s advertising slogan for a biscuit. I think risk it for a biscuit might be the same mishearing as "chester draws".

@lookingelsewhere Have you ever heard of a woman giving birth to a toddler? Or a teen? grin

No but then I don't read the Daily Mail so I wouldn't expect to.

"The exception that proves the rule" wtf does that mean?

Whenever anyone talks about ducks in a row I get a mental image of a row of yellow plastic ducks like the ones you take in the bath!

misses point of thread entirely

@floraloctopus

Does the "Daily Mail" report on women giving birth to older children then?

Seriously, though, I've seen it in all sorts of publications and in BBC reporting. Also women using it themselves about themselves.

Does the "Daily Mail" report on women giving birth to older children then? wink

Nothing would surprise me

Yes, I've seen it quite often too.

@floraloctopus

Love your username by the way!

If there is an exception then it has to prove that the rule exists. You can't make an exception to a non-existent rule.

@Lookingelsewhere - thank you.

Don't risk it for a Swisskit" is an old 1970s advertising slogan for a biscuit

I'm betting "risk it for a biscuit" preceded the Swisskit ad and relied on the widespread understanding of "risk it for a biscuit".

It went further: I remember it as:"Risk it for a biscuit, willing for a shilling."

Human can have kittens though! Wonder how that came about - I think it means if you will be freaking out about something. "She'll have kittens when she hears about that.."