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.

Which one and why? They’re two that I have often found to be true - and helpful.

Comparison is the thief of joy or whatever it says. I think it’s maybe because it’s always chucked out on here and totally over used! I just find it irritating to read 😂

Agree. It should be ‘your friends doing better in life than you, is the thief of joy’ (which I think is a paraphrasing of something Mark Twain once said!)

Fair enough! But I really do find it to be true and a good reminder. I say it quite a bit to DD who’s definitely at the stage of putting herself and her achievements down because other people do better than her.

Agree, I knew it would show up on this thread and was ready to eye roll 🙄. I’ve never heard anyone say it irl, it’s just a smug mn cliche to me, like “get your ducks in a row” or “hands op grip”. Trite and supercilious comments that the poster thinks is a pearl of wisdom.

It’s like plaiting fog.
One I say to my 18 year old DS quite often “if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll keep getting the same results”
one I read on here that really hit home and changed the way I am at work is “don’t set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm” I was burning myself out trying to make my boss look great and after reading that thought. Fuck it, if he looks shit a few times, he’ll learn.

My dad’s saying - “never make anyone as wise as yourself” (being Irish the sense might be lost in the UK but it’s essentially don’t divulge too much about yourself).

I agree. Slightly alarmed a teacher would be teaching children to lie and say what pleases people, rather than the truth. Children need to be empowered to call things out, particularly if it involves harm or illegal behaviour.

‘Shake a bridle over a Yorkshireman’s grave, and he shall arise to steal a horse’

That one dates to the 1700s. Basically saying people from Yorkshire are thieves. I read it in an acient book of English proverbs nearly 30 years ago and it’s stayed with me ever since.

Don't compare your inside with other people's outside.

Or "fuck off to the far side of fuck, then just keep going" first seen on MN and made me lol.😆

It’s actually “fuck off to the far side of fuck and when you get there, fuck off some more”.

Not a fan I’m afraid, more mn smugcuntery in my opinion.

Is that you, Donald? No, not that one, the other, Donald Rumsfeld who made a speech that was pilloried but to me made total sense! This version of his speech is something I used when I was teaching and mocks were approaching, it's a good start to revision planning! There are also the things you don't know you know.

Don't know if it's been said already but 'If he/she had a brain he/she would be dangerous.'
Deep pockets but short arms, I've heard it applied to Yorkshire people and Scots!

Was year 3 and it fitted the cohort dynamic of having to be right at the expense of someone else’s feelings.

Never compare someone else’s showreel with your cutting room floor.

Short arms and deep pockets, to describe someone being tight.

What you permit, you promote

its from step parenting. The thought that not-your-child, not-your-problem. Leaving parenting to the bio parent to avoid the step child backlash. AKA nacho parenting

I think it's like "pick your battles" or choosing the hill to die on. Most of the time, especially someone you love, it's not worth it.
We get so caught up in trying to prove our point, for what exactly 🤷‍♀️ definitely not for peace and harmony! It can cause such a rift, the outcome is probably worse!

Don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm

You think you're fly but you can't walk on the ceiling.

I'm not keen on this phrase, either.
It's a weird way to look at the world, as if 'right' and 'kind' are in some way alternates or comparables. You can be right and be kind. You can be wrong and unkind.
I'm not keen on #BeKind: it takes away critical thinking and assertiveness; it encourages people to be doormats.

My DM would say, that I could make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Most people have heard of the word 'micturition', but only in its diminutive.

Micturition means urination; so 'taking the mickey' is a direct equivalent - both in etymology and in understanding - of 'taking the piss'.