# Really weird phrases that you never think about **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357 "2008-12-02T16:41:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/21 "2008-12-02T22:40:19Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > “And how!” as emphatic agreement always made me scratch my head in perplexity. Never heard outside of the US. I first heard it on the Simpsons and didn’t have a clue what it was meant to mean in the context. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/22 "2008-12-03T03:44:31Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I confused my husband once with something similar. He was getting something out of the bottom of the fridge, and I reached in over him to get the water pitcher, and said “Head’s up!” to tell him that I was passing over his head and to watch out. Speaking of which, up is a stupid word. [Check out all these usages.](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/up) How can two letters mean so many different things? > [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Never heard outside of the US. I first heard it on the Simpsons and didn’t have a clue what it was meant to mean in the context. That’s because you were drunk! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/23 "2008-12-03T03:57:37Z")
When I was in high school, a young lady of my acquaintance pointed out that “Believe it or not!” doesn’t make nearly as much sense as “Believe it, or don’t.” I’ve used “Believe it, or don’t.” ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/24 "2008-12-03T04:22:33Z")
“Now, then…” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/25 "2008-12-03T07:59:41Z")
DUCK! I can just see someone new to English looking up to see the bird that is causing all the excitement. In the sentence, “It is raining”, what noun does the pronoun ‘it’ stand for? “Make me!” What? You want me to build you a clone? ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/26 "2008-12-03T08:05:52Z")
> [@AllWalker](#): > > That’s because you were drunk! I was NOT! I was tripping on ecstasy ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/27 "2008-12-03T09:59:14Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Because things that aren’t buildings can’t burn down, but they can burn up. Sounds about right, the way I’d show the difference between the two is that I’d use burnt ‘down’ when; - “There was a huge fire at the industrial park last night, six warehouses were burnt down” I would use burnt ‘up’ when talking about a fuel source being exhausted; - “The fire’s out, looks like all that spilled petrol burnt up” ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/28 "2008-12-03T16:28:02Z")
Another one that always made me wonder: “Go to the bathroom,” or just “go” to imply elimination (as opposed to actually going to the room with the toilet to do your business). For that matter, how did “come” get its sexual meaning? ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/29 "2008-12-03T16:30:46Z")
I like to say “not to mention”, and then leave a silence. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/30 "2008-12-03T17:59:45Z")
I hardly ever think about the phrase “and then the parrot exploded”. It’s a good one to work into conversations where the other person is rambling on and on unchecked. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/31 "2008-12-03T20:27:37Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > “I could care less” somehow now means the same as “I couldn’t care less”. I’m always mildly irked at people who criticize “I could care less” because it makes more sense to say “I couldn’t care less”. People, it’s an expression, it doesn’t have to make literal sense! ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/32 "2008-12-03T22:24:15Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I’m always mildly irked at people who criticize “I could care less” because it makes more sense to say “I couldn’t care less”. People, it’s an expression, it doesn’t have to make literal sense! But in this case its the exact opposite of the literal sense. Like yelling “GO” to the driver at a red light. ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/33 "2008-12-03T22:39:22Z")
> [@Rich\_Mann](#): > > In the sentence, “It is raining”, what noun does the pronoun ‘it’ stand for? It’s impersonal, I believe. Personal subjects don’t tend to accompany verbs relating to the weather. Also, in regards to “could/couldn’t care less”, I’ve decided to cut through the ambiguity and say “care very little”. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/34 "2008-12-03T22:43:17Z")
The warning “heads up” never makes sense to me? If there’s a falling object, shouldn’t we be putting our heads _down_ so that it doesn’t hit us in the face? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/35 "2008-12-04T00:43:21Z")
“You want I should . . .” I strongly suspect this is a transliteration from Yiddish, but I don’t know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/36 "2008-12-04T00:55:43Z")
I could care less… except I am already at the bottom of my caring scale. At least that is how I have always interpreted it (ok, not literally that way), but the idea being that I so don’t care that were it possible to care less I could care less. ---
**Author:** ![MizTina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MizTina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizTina)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/37 "2008-12-04T02:12:15Z")
‘on up out’ and ‘fixin’ I am from the south, so fixin’ is just part of my everyday talk instead of ’ getting ready to’. But some people still look at me odd when I say I’m fixin’ to go to the store. On up out, I never really realized I said it or how odd it was to others until I hollered at a kid to “Get on up out that road before you get hit by a car.” After someone asked me why the three words, I just got the stupid ‘huh’ look on my face. Now I notice I use it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/38 "2008-12-04T03:38:23Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > When I was in high school, a young lady of my acquaintance pointed out that “Believe it or not!” doesn’t make nearly as much sense as “Believe it, or don’t.” > > I’ve used “Believe it, or don’t.” ever since. My husband always says “believe it or else,” adding a new dimension of threat. One time I actually said, “Or else what? You’ll pop me in the nose.” Genuinely confused, he asked what he should have said instead. “Believe it or not” had apparently never occurred to him. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/39 "2008-12-04T04:10:11Z")
“To get used to something” is one I’ve never been able to explain well. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/40 "2008-12-04T04:22:43Z")
> [@MizTina](#): > > ‘on up out’ and ‘fixin’ > > I am from the south, so fixin’ is just part of my everyday talk instead of ’ getting ready to’. But some people still look at me odd when I say I’m fixin’ to go to the store. MizTina, I have a funny story about ‘fixin’. I am from upstate NY, and all the black folks I knew growing up talked just like me. And most of us said ‘finna’. Yes, you read that right. “I’m finna go to the store” (I actually think I still say this, jesus christ). The funny part is, it wasn’t until I went down south to visit family at the age of about 8 that I even realized what I was really saying. Because all the folks down south, white and black alike, were saying “fixin’ ta”, as in ‘I’m fixin’ ta’ go to the store’. A light bulb went on in my lil’ 8 year old head. All this time, up north, we had been saying a southern word all wrong! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357.md?page=3)