To have completely misunderstood the meaning of some sayings?

[KermitTheToad]

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!

I honestly don’t think it was that deeply thought out re the numbering. The actual meaning of the phrase is very well illustrated by Yosarian’s desperation to get out of the army by pretending to be crazy, but the officials saying crazy people won’t care to be that desperate. It’s been a very long time since I read it but I think that’s what the phrase was illustrating (you’d have to be sane to want to leave). I’ve used the phrase several times in real life.

Maybe because it's 22 whichever way you read it. Could apply to a few other numbers, 33, 88 etc., but 22 is as good as any.

I'm not sure I follow your point. He's labelled prodigal because he was prodigal - he took his share of his inheritance and went and blew it all. There is then redemption for him when he returns repentant to his father - but he's not called prodigal in reference to that part.

It’s like we ran out of words, so make the ones we do have multitask 😁

I always have to take a little breather before I say the word incense, just to make sure I don’t muddle it up with the other word 😬

I think the phrase means that you can't win either way. Both sides are equally bad. (You have to be insane not to fly. But if you say you are insane and pretend to be so to get out of flying, you are deemed to have to be sane to know that or do that)
Hence why 22 (intentionally or not) fits perfectly. IMHO.

They probably just thought a three syllable word sounded good next to Catch when they were thinking of a new number.

Yes, exactly. A no-win situation basically.

Still not sure that it had to be 22 though for any other reason than it sounded good.

This is one of the interesting things that happen when a phrase is used as a shorthand way of referring to a whole story or event. The parable in the Bible is about a son who asks for his inheritance early, gets it, leaves home and squanders the lot in a distant land. He ends up living in a pigsty and eating the pigs' food. Life is suddenly very grim but then he remembers he has a wealthy family and a comfortable life back home, so he goes home and says how sorry he is. His father is delighted and he is welcomed with open arms. The fatted calf is killed for a great feast. His sensible brother who stayed put and worked away on the family farm is (in my view, entirely understandably) pretty cross because his efforts have just been taken for granted.

(I have never understood this parable and it's one of the things that convinced me that Christianity and in fact religion in general is not for me. It's so manifestly unjust!)

Anyway. The Golden Child is described as prodigal and that word doesn't mean 'welcomed back into the fold', it means spendthrift , lavish, wasteful, sparing no expense etc etc. However, because people know the big lesson of the parable is that a sinner who repents will still be welcomed back they've come to believe that's what prodigal must mean.

Yes or a circular unwinnable argument. See my Plato comment on lies above (or wheoevr it was that made that conundrum up...happy to be corrected).

I think the dad was pretty unreasonable there! I dont think that's a helpful Bible story at all re tips on good behaviour.

I see a fusspot as someone who insists on sweating the small stuff. Micromanaging every tiny thing about their or other’s lives. Someone who can’t just chill.

That’s what I thought it meant and I’m a native English speaker?

I never liked or particularly understood that parable but I thought it was a way of explaining why the church would welcome with open arms, the members who had fallen away (or new ones), to the (probably) disgruntled faithfulls who were regulars (and presumably also regular payers into the collection?).

It's been a while since I did RE!

Neither do I! My parents took us to church and Sunday school every week so I must have been very young when I first heard that story. I always thought it was awful.

I recall Many Hans make light work was what we decided was the motto of the German electricians' Union, at about 10 years old!

I think you're right. When I was in my teens I had a German penfriend who turned out to be a fervent evangelical Christian. When I stayed with her she and her friend, who was similar, tried very hard to make me understand that entry to the Kingdom of Heaven depended entirely on faith. Good works were irrelevant. I had already decided I was an atheist but that conversation sealed the deal.

Was going to be 18 but another book with 18 was published the same year and 11 was floated but Ocean's 11 had came out the year before. Several numbers were floated but, as you say @BunnyLake it sounds good/apt

I thought that for the Prodigal Son the father represents God.

So those who repent & return will always be welcomed.

The feast is representative of His bounty.

Yep!In many different forums including professional setting over the years :D

One my DD used to sing 'Who built the Arc, No One ,No one' :D

So you were pronouncing it like Super Bowl?

I paraphrased but this is exactly how I understood epicentre… isn’t it a metaphor for something they has a core/centre/midpoint that then has wider repercussions in a sort of concentric way. It isn’t an epicentre, but I think it still works as a metaphor?

It means a friend who is your friend when you are in need.

😂😂 Brilliant but I am not judging! At 15 on holiday in Italy I described a lovely view as picture-skew .I had never heard, anyone say picturesque out loud and thought I was being awfully sophisticated 😂. 45 years on and my older sister still brings this up periodically!

My older DD, then an avid 8 year old reader, thought 2 of the characters in Harry Potter were called Nevilly and Hermy - own. She was shocked when she saw the first film 😂