# Phrases you're surprised people aren't familiar with **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 20, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974 "2011-09-20T18:44:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/61 "2011-09-21T13:13:08Z")
> [@Gleena](#): > > Possibly as there are no June bugs in Australia? I thought June bugs were the same as Christmas beetles, but maybe I just made that up. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/62 "2011-09-21T13:46:06Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > I thought June bugs were the same as Christmas beetles, but maybe I just made that up. And there aren’t as many Christmas beetles around as there used to be. When I was a child, they’d swarm around the back porch. Now, you’d be lucky to see one or two. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/63 "2011-09-21T14:01:11Z")
“Screw the pooch.” “Twist in the wind.” I don’t think I’ve told this one here before. I think I may have been in the third grade, in the Girl Scouts. I had missed a meeting, where we were supposed to have been working on some project or something. The next week we all sat and listened to the leader talk for a while about whatever she usually droned on about, and then she said “OK, let’s split.” So I went home. The next week she said “Where did you go? We were dividing into our groups to work on our project.” I heard her say “Let’s split.” So I split. I was a very cool kid. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/64 "2011-09-21T14:01:19Z")
Whar time is it? _Quarter to nine_ In this digital word, a lot of young people can’t understand what that means. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/65 "2011-09-21T14:02:39Z")
1 good saying and we’re all like ‘flies round shit’ - but it makes us ‘as happy as a pig in shit’ - grew up with these sayings - any time I say fly round shit I usually get - never heard of - ‘wasps or bees rounds honey’ - yes. Both mean the same I suppose but its not as much fun to say 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/66 "2011-09-21T14:12:25Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > lock stock and barrel - Heard it plenty of times. Not sure what it means, but I’ve heard it. To get a little more specific, it’s about old-style firearms. A Revolutionary War-era gun consists of three main parts: the lock, which is the part that fires the gun (you may have heard the term “flintlock” for some muzzle-loaders; before that, there was “matchlock”. Today this part is called the “action”.); the stock, which is the wooden part you brace against your shoulder; and the barrel, which I’m pretty sure you’re familiar with as the part the bullet cruises through on its way toward the target. So, if you have the lock, stock, and barrel, you have the whole gun. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/67 "2011-09-21T14:16:40Z")
“Dog in a manger” is one I’ve had to explain a number of times after using it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/68 "2011-09-21T14:40:43Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I guess I killed two stones with one bird. A few weeks ago I overheard a woman tell her daughter “First we’ll \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ then we’ll \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, that way we can kill two birds with one stone.” The daughter looked apalled, and said “That’s so mean!” It was adorable. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/69 "2011-09-21T14:40:46Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > “Dog in a manger” is one I’ve had to explain a number of times after using it. Well.. ..would you mind explaining it just one more time? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/70 "2011-09-21T15:24:16Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > If you want to really confuse them, try my version: > > “Half of one, six dozen of the other” I once had a boss who said, on several occasions, “Half o’ six, two dozen of another.” And he honestly thought that was the expression. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/71 "2011-09-21T15:30:20Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I refer to reading glasses as “cheaters”, and gotten quite a few strange looks for that. No, “cheaters” are sunglasses. You can see other people’s eyes, but they can’t see yours. That’s cheating. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/72 "2011-09-21T15:38:38Z")
I referenced Rumsfeld’s old “there are known knowns, and known unknowns…” speech/poem yesterday and my suitemate had never heard of it. Barely recognized the name Rumsfeld. She’s maybe two years younger than I am, so it’s not like she’s too young to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Kingspades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@Kingspades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kingspades)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/73 "2011-09-21T16:11:05Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > “Skiddywumpus” (askew in some fashion) My mom likes to use “cattywumpus” to mean the same thing. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone else use even a variation on it before. Two jobs ago I used the expressions “under the weather” and “powwow” in two different emails. The first one I had to explain to a coworker from Ukraine; the second to a coworker from India\*. At least there was a mild language/cultural barrier there. Slight aside that more properly belongs in that “things you say incorrectly on purpose” thread: the Ukrainian coworker once expressed his frustration with a particular program we were using by writing “XXX is sucks.” “Is sucks” has since entered my and a number of my friends’ vocabulary (with “is rocks” being the opposite). ( \* Yep, I explained “powwow” to an Indian guy 🆒) ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/74 "2011-09-21T16:28:22Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Whar time is it? > > _Quarter to nine_ > > In this digital word, a lot of young people can’t understand what that means. I don’t believe that. I know kids are sorta dumb these days but everyone would know what this means. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/75 "2011-09-21T16:29:29Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > No, “cheaters” are sunglasses. You can see other people’s eyes, but they can’t see yours. That’s cheating. No, cheaters are reading glasses. > **[Corrective lens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_glasses#Reading_glasses)** > > A corrective lens is a transmissive optical device that is worn on the eye to improve visual perception. The most common use is to treat refractive errors: myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Glasses or "spectacles" are worn on the face a short distance in front of the eye. Contact lenses are worn directly on the surface of the eye. Intraocular lenses are surgically implanted most commonly after cataract removal but can be used for purely refractive purposes. > Corrective lenses a... ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/76 "2011-09-21T16:38:28Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Yes. My 8th-grade algebra teacher was from England. One day three “bad boys” came in late to class and she said sternly, “I know where \*you \*were–out in the parking lot with a fag in your mouth!” > > Pandemonium, as you can imagine, reigned. In 6th grade (Midwestern US), we had an exchange teacher from England. On the first day, she was teaching for awhile, then asked “Are there any queries?” Panemonium also reigned! ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/77 "2011-09-21T17:33:25Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Well.. > ..would you mind explaining it just one more time? It’s from an Aesop’s fable. The dog is sitting in a manger (a holder for cattle fodder) and thus depriving the ox of its food. The food is, of course, of no use to the dog. So if you’re holding onto something you can’t use although someone else could, you’re the dog in the manger. Especially if you’re specifically doing it on purpose, for spite. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/78 "2011-09-21T17:37:49Z")
My mother used to say “all around Robin Hood’s barn” to describe going someplace in a roundabout fashion, difficult to reach, etc. I have asked lots of people if they ever heard this and no one has. Did my mom make it up? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/79 "2011-09-21T17:44:51Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > My mother used to say “all around Robin Hood’s barn” to describe going someplace in a roundabout fashion, difficult to reach, etc. I have asked lots of people if they ever heard this and no one has. Did my mom make it up? No. But I heard it as Robinson’s barn. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974/80 "2011-09-21T17:46:10Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > My mother used to say “all around Robin Hood’s barn” to describe going someplace in a roundabout fashion, difficult to reach, etc. I have asked lots of people if they ever heard this and no one has. Did my mom make it up? No, that’s traditional. Certainly not common in North America, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youre-surprised-people-arent-familiar-with/596974.md?page=5)