Phrases that hit the nail on the head

[Arlanymor]

Having looked at the thread about phrases/words/terms that people hate - what about the ones that just feel spot on?

I heard this earlier today in relation to the modern obsession with celebrities doing crazy things for clout to keep themselves 'relevant' and in the spotlight...

"The attention economy".

Yes! Spot on! Great term for those who monetise meaningless content for maximum exposure on social media - behaviour that pays dividends in the attention economy.

I remember someone once saying of Clare Short: “every time she wrestles with her conscience, she comes out on top”

The tide wouldn't take her out,(ugly)
Champagne tastes on a lemonade budget,
As useful as an ashtray on a motorbike
Showing up with one arm as long as the other(not bringing a gift when its the done thing)

"Over skyerne er himlen altid blå" (Danish idiom)

"Above the clouds, the sky is always blue" - i.e. even when times are difficult there is always something better out there

Just been out for lunch with DM. She said she can eat 2 more spuds than a pig. 😂
Then talking about a nosy neighbour “her nose won’t rust”

“her nose won’t rust”

Love this one! 🤣

It means character shows in the company you choose to mix with. Which is very true.

Sorry ETA you obviously meant the second quote.It's the first line from "The Go-Between" by L P Hartley, a wonderful book set in the pre WW1 period.

It means you cannot judge the past by the mores and social norms of the time in which you live. Each time and action must be judged by the standards of its age.

I heartily recommend both the book and the film to anyone who doesn't know them.

If you are right, the person whose feelings are hurt needs to get over themselves and it's wise to learn that early.

You can of course be kind in your rightness.

#BeKind as the ultimate good. This is exactly the wrongful thinking that sees women standing up for abusive transwomen and shafting other women's rights.

It's right to not feed your own ego at the expense of others' feelings sometimes, of course, but be kind as the ultimate good? No.

Even Jesus got cross sometimes, and sometimes that's exactly the right thing to do, whatever your value beliefs. If you don't stand for something, there's a real danger you'll fall for anything.

Being right is important, and if it isn't then scientific research is pointless, and education has no value.

Blowing out someone else's candle won't make yours shine any brighter.

“And I want a house by the sea, but we don’t always get what we want in this life…”

Heard an Italian one just last night: “conosco i miei polli” or “I know my chickens”, used when you are so familiar with someone's behaviour that you can predict what they will say or do.

It came up when I was discussing with my interior designer the decor of Lily Allen and David Harbour’s Brooklyn Brownstone. She said Billy Cotton might have said it about them - it seems mean in that context “He saw them coming”.

Looking for likes. Attention seekers on Facebook and suchlike.

I like one my children use - NPC (non-playable character from gaming) to mean a person who lacks individuality or critical thinking. It's so apt.

@InMyOpenOnioni know nothing about gaming but I love that.

If you are unable to micturate then you need to go to A&E. A GP can't deal with urine retention.

That’s mainstream now.

It’s totally about being kind in your righteousness. As I said the chn knew what it was about and how it related to their dynamic at the time.

What other people think of you is none of your business

If you're too self centred you don't see the big picture

A rich child often sits in a poor mother’s lap.
Danish proverb about the important things in childhood not costing anything.

I've never been sure what that means is it someone who looks rich but isn't because they can't afford pants? (ie putting on a good show) or is it someone who earned their fur coat by trading sexual favours? Or neither?

I’ve always understood it’s about lack of class.

There’s a Scottish equivalent of fur coat… which is “she’s a’ kipper and piannie” (piano). I always thought it meant that they had a fancy front room with a piano but survived on kippers and other cheap food. In other words it’s all a front.

Not a saying but read on here “unless someone is actively plotting my death I have no wish to know what anyone else thinks of me”. As I age I really relate to that.

It's something and nothing
Yorkshire corollary: It's neither nowt nor summat
Current: Meh (I think it means roughly the same?)

Or those who act like something they're not, expensive homes with no heating.

"Fur coat and no knickers" is a class. 😆 awful.

@RatsAss love the Scottish Kipper/piano.

“He’s going to to get a shut eye with a bang”, said about someone who’s about to get a big shock.