good one!

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man, that sounds like a list of my less successful pickup lines!  
 (Are your legs tired?  'Cause they've been carrying you around all day!)

One of my favorites came from the movie Space Odyssey 2010.  The American was teaching the Russian some common phrases, and while learning the Russian got them backwards, and I thought it was quite funny in context:

Easy as Cake  and  A Piece of Pie.

Speaking of butchered phrases, I was once informed by a fellow associate that an operating procedure was 'as simple as 1,2,3 buckle my shoe'.  Rhyming scheme aside, that is just an akward statement.

Your posts in this Forum provide a lot of amusement/laughs for me. Thanks.

Buy a dictionary, keep it nearby and USE it. Webster's New World Dictionary of American English is recommended, and Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

I often say that {insert some statment here} is "like comparing apples to Volkswagons" and watch for the delayed reaction.  People have very small comfort zones sometimes.

David

I must say that I once read about a comparison between apples and Volkswagons.  Legitimate comparison since both items were being launched from a trebuchet.  Made for a dramatic comparison.

Used it a couple of times and got looks that were even stranger than normal.  Some people have no imagination.

More examples.... combined figures of speech!

"It sounds like that project you're working on is going down the toilet in flames."
"No, we don't have a plan for the meeting... we're going to be shooting from the seat of our pants today."
"I know things don't seem to be going well with this negotiation, but don't worry... I've got an ace up my hole."
"Don't worry about that right now, we've got lower hanging fish to fry."

shooting from the seat of our pants?

I'll have to remember that one.

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I'v got to say, I like "I'v got an ace up my hole", but then I'm just a crass engineer.

Regards
pat

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

There is some logic behind those statements cited by jstickley, from a correlative stand-point; Hypothetically, if one were to actually shoot the ace in their hole from the seat of their pants, the individual may figuratively attest that the ace did indeed......
(hope that wasn't going too far)

Didn't go too far. I didn't even get it.

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I've used these sorts of mixed-metaphors for effect on occasion.

They usually (if the audience is still awake) get the requsite giggle and nod.... Also nothing says "I can take a joke" like when you make fun of yourself....

A new personal favorite from this thread is:

"Sounds like your project is going down the toilet in flames"

Tats gotta really tell someone you think that it's a doomed project.



I don't really get it either, (shayne31), don't explain thou, I'd rather not go there....

nick

Fair enough electricpete, upon review, I'm not sure I get it anymore either.  Oh well, so much for being clever.

My favorite mangled figure of speech is...

...after all this isn't rocket surgury!

Surgery?

maybe related to augury?

TTFN

I saw that I had misspelled surgery in the milliseconds that passed like hours between clicking the "Submit Post" button and the screen vanishing. Is there no way to edit a post here?

Anyway, I'll probably spell something wrong again soon so I'll always remember to wear my safety shorts when I'm here.

Yep this is the place for nomex underware....

Nomex® ?

For the record I do not want to know where shayne31's ace is going nor what it is shot from.

Another interesting twist on these idioms is that they may have regional meanings, not always the same.

A friend of my wife gave her a nice gift, a silver platter, and said to her, "Now don't you save this for good".  My wife, somewhat taken aback, said "Of course I will keep this ever".  However, what the friend meant was "Use it everyday, don't save it for just special occasions."

I resemble that statement!

jimbo,
You get paid  for this?!  And well you should or hope you do as it's a great site in every sense of the word.  Thought I would split a gut.  Now I'm feeling guilty 'cause been a while since I contributed.

My Mom was a nurse and along with some nurse friends they had their "Thursday group" for outings. Her friend, Barns, an immigrant from England to USA was striving to learn the US slang and on one occasion during a drive exclaimed about a man walking, "oh, look at that noisy shirt."  For those of you not familiar with American slang, we would say, "loud shirt" which probably sounds equally absurd to you.

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

On the news last night, I heard, "If it smells like a duck and looks like a duck, it must be a duck."

I always thought the saying was, "If it sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck."

Ray Reynolds
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

Madmango,

You're right, the saying is:

"If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck."

(I've never smelt anything specific about ducks)

nick

Yeah... I've never gotten close enough to one to be a judge about things like that.

Ray Reynolds
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

When my son was about four years old he made a comment about someone being a "sad hunter". It took a few seconds to realize that he meant "not a happy camper"...