# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/41 "2008-12-04T04:25:46Z")
“How come” is the one that gets to me. It sounds so weird when you think about it. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/42 "2008-12-04T04:26:41Z")
“I might could…” “How come?” It bugged me until I read (here on the dope) that it’s short for “how did it come to be that?”. I still think it sounds childish. “Wake up.” is weird when you consider there’s no corresponding opposite. Maybe “lie down to sleep”, but I guess wake up is a combination of “get up” and “awaken”. I like “awaken”. Very formal, and perfect for an exclamation. ---
**Author:** ![kalmia\_latifolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8797f3/32.png) [@kalmia\_latifolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kalmia_latifolia)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/43 "2008-12-04T04:34:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Rich Mann > > In the sentence, “It is raining”, what noun does the pronoun ‘it’ stand for? > > Posted by De La Rue: > > It’s impersonal, I believe. Personal subjects don’t tend to accompany verbs relating to the weather. “it” in “it is raining” could stand for the weather itself. there’s some debate about that among the syntacticians, whether that “it” is truly impersonal (say, in the manner of “it is the case that…”). my favorite is the word “dust.” it means two opposite things-- to remove or to add a fine powder to a surface. it’s a contronym! ---
**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 4, 2008, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/44 "2008-12-04T09:54:54Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > 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. I have to admit that I’d never heard “I could care less” as a version of “I couldn’t care less” until it worked it’s way into this board, I’ve never heard it from my US colleagues either, but maybe I’m just lucky that it’s not used in business conversations. I expand out “I couldn’t care less” as “I could not care any less about [subject]”…if other words it’s already so far off of my care meter that there is nothing that could happen that would make me care any less about it. To me “I could care less” sounds like it’s possible to feel more about the subject, which is the opposite of what I’m trying to express. meh…as long as it’s understood by those hearing it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/45 "2008-12-04T13:27:11Z")
All languages are idiomatic, and that doesn’t make their phrases “weird,” really. To avoid all “weird” phrases you’d have to resort to computer language. > [@AllWalker](#): > > 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? How can one of the most basic words of a language be “stupid”? “Up” serves various functions–preposition, particle, adjective, etc.–but why is a flexible word “stupid”? If someone says to you, “What’s up?” do you assume that person is “stupid”? I think one of the more interesting things about English is that words can change their functions easily. > [@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. A pedant at such an early age! The difference between saying _don’t_ rather than _ **not** _ is so trivial. There’s an expression:“Whether or not…” It’s used in English because there are modal auxiliaries that don’t require do support. > [@Rich\_Mann](#): > > 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? It means “the weather,” and everybody knows that, so they don’t have to say it. It’s part of the language. _Duck_ is simply a homonym. English is rife with them. > [@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! Yes, I’ve never heard a person say, “I could care less,” meaning the opposite of, “I couldn’t care less.” > [@Kyla](#): > > “How come” is the one that gets to me. It sounds so weird when you think about it. Look at the word “whatchamacallit.” It’s a short form of “What do you call it” of “What you may call it.” > [@drastic\_quench](#): > > “I might could…” > > “How come?” It bugged me until I read (here on the dope) that it’s short for “how did it come to be that?”. I still think it sounds childish. > > “Wake up.” is weird when you consider there’s no corresponding opposite. Maybe “lie down to sleep”, but I guess wake up is a combination of “get up” and “awaken”. I like “awaken”. Very formal, and perfect for an exclamation. Why does a verb have to have an opposite? A lot of these questions are just about phrasal verbs, which by nature have one or two particles that alone hold no particular connotation. If I say, “I’m going to sort this out,” nothing goes “out,” and to puzzle about it is pointless. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/46 "2008-12-04T19:31:41Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > “Used to be.” As in “I used to be a brown puddle of goo.” > > What did you use, and how long did you use it? To be? Doesn’t that imply a present or future act? > > “I employed future act brown puddle of goo.” I used to think it was weird that “used to” could mean both “formerly did” and “become accustomed to,” but I got used to it. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/47 "2008-12-04T20:14:24Z")
irregardless. Used the same as regardless, but it’s really a double negative. “Ain’t got no \” Another double negative. If you don’t have “no” then you have “some.” ---
**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 4, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/48 "2008-12-04T20:28:39Z")
Seriously! Irregardless is not a proper word and if you say it in front of my husband, he is likely to kill you. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/49 "2008-12-04T21:54:16Z")
How you doing? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/50 "2008-12-05T00:06:37Z")
“And how” is nearly out of circulation, but I can cite R. Crumb’s artwork on the album _Cheap Thrills._ Vocals: Janis Joplin, and a guy says, “And how!” “Boy Howdy!” means about the same, and I have no idea why. It is, mostly, buildings that “burn down,” but trees and even forests do, too. At a ball game, “heads up” means “everybody look up, to see if you’re the one who has to dodge a foul ball.” In a class room, when a teacher says “heads up,” it means, “Stop reading, and look at me.” If you watch The Weather Channel for a while, you’ll see somebody gesture in front of a map and say, "These storms will move **on off** to the east. Huh? “Believe it or not (Ripley’s phrase) and believe it or don’t (do not)” are nearly the same. They mean, “You can decide whether this is true or not.” Some say, “Believe it,” meaning, “It’s true.” On SNL, Hans und Franz, the TV trainers who “want to pahmp you op,” said, “You can hear me now, and belief me later.” ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/51 "2008-12-05T01:59:00Z")
> [@1stFusilier](#): > > Here in Scotland, when we’re going shopping, we say ‘we’re going to get the messages’. A tad confusing for the non-Scots. Hey! Maybe that’s why we do it…? Really? That’s pretty interesting, because in Dutch (which is related to English): _boodschappen_ means ‘messages’ _doen_ is the verb ‘to do’, and _boodschappen doen_ is ‘to go grocery shopping’. ---
**Author:** ![SleepyDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@SleepyDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleepyDuck)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/52 "2008-12-05T05:57:53Z")
…What’s the one way to skin a cat that apparently everyone but me knows? ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/53 "2008-12-05T11:58:42Z")
The American use of “already” as in now always sounds odd to me. Like say,“STFU already” which sounds to me like shut up,but you actually shut up five minutes ago and I’m instructing you to do something that you’ve "already "done. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/54 "2008-12-05T14:25:40Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > “Ain’t got no \” Another double negative. If you don’t have “no” then you have “some.” Regionalism here: She has long hair. So doesn’t my sister! [=the sister has long hair too] ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/55 "2008-12-05T18:01:21Z")
> [@OffByOne](#): > > I used to think it was weird that “used to” could mean both “formerly did” and “become accustomed to,” but I got used to it. I depends on whether it’s followed by an infinitive or gerund (noun). > [@control-z](#): > > irregardless. Used the same as regardless, but it’s really a double negative. Or facetious. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/56 "2008-12-05T23:31:31Z")
Here’s the thing with double negatives: they _are_ allowed in English. Observe. “I didn’t even eat a single chip.” This is correct usage, agreed? “I did even eat a single chip.” Kind of hurts to read, huh? “I did eat a single chip.” This is correct. So the negatives here are ‘not’ and ‘even’. Not to excuse “I didn’t do nothing” and its ilk. That’s just horrible. > [@guizot](#): > > How can one of the most basic words of a language be “stupid”? “Up” serves various functions–preposition, particle, adjective, etc.–but why is a flexible word “stupid”? My complaint was on how the word is so flexible that it often takes on contrary meanings. I know, this is the wonder of natural language, it is beautiful in its diverse meaning. It’s still a stupid word. > [@](#): > > If someone says to you, “What’s up?” do you assume that person is “stupid”? Um… no? > [@](#): > > I think one of the more interesting things about English is that words can change their functions easily. Yeah, languages evolve. It is interesting, but it’s still messy. Evolution leads to things like threw and through being homonyms. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/57 "2008-12-05T23:49:10Z")
My pet annoying phrase is “all of a sudden.” ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/58 "2008-12-06T00:55:55Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > My pet annoying phrase is “all of a sudden.” I suppose you prefer “suddenly.” Is there really a big difference? ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/59 "2008-12-06T01:00:40Z")
At least “suddenly” has the form of a recognizable part of speech (an adverb) even though it’s difficult to say which verb it modifies. “All of a sudden” just looks like the broken-off spars of Middle English, shipwrecked and submerged without meaning in five fathoms of modern use. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357/60 "2008-12-06T11:27:50Z")
> [@AllWalker](#): > > Here’s the thing with double negatives: they _are_ allowed in English. Observe. > > “I didn’t even eat a single chip.” This is correct usage, agreed? > > “I did even eat a single chip.” Kind of hurts to read, huh? I don’t think _even_ is necessarily a negative. It’s an intensifier. EX: A: ''You didn’t eat dessert?" B: “No. I didn’t even have an appetizer.” B is emphasizing his/her constraint, because for some reason it was expected that A would have dessirt. EX: A: “I don’t suppose you had dessert”. B: “I did even.” B is emphasizing his/her unexpected behavior. > [@AllWalker](#): > > “I did eat a single chip.” This is correct. So the negatives here are ‘not’ and ‘even’. Do-support in affirmative statements also shows emphasis or contrary information in conversational discourse. EX: A: I don’t suppose you ate anything. B: Well, I _did_ have a single chip. (Note the pronunciation.) All language use is determined by context. We understand “weird” idiomatic expressions by context. _Up_ is a perfect example of that, but it by far is not the only one, especially in phrasal verbs. Take, for instance, the two words _knock off_ in combination. Think of all the ways English speakers put them together to communicate greatly differing ideas–and yet, because of context, we get the idea. EX: "Knock it off you guys; I’m trying to read. (transitive verb) ``` "I'm sorry about breaking your glass. I knocked it off the table by accident." (transitive verb). "They knocked off 40% percent of the price on these dresses!" (transitive verb) "Let's knock off now. We've been working fourteen hours now." (intransitive verb.) "That's clearly not really a Gucci, but just a knock off. (compound noun) ``` Does this mean that “off” is a “stupid” word? > [@AllWalker](#): > > Not to excuse “I didn’t do nothing” and its ilk. That’s just horrible. Well, it’s obviously non-standard, but that doesn’t make it horrible. In Spanish you can say “No hice nada,” and nobody will bat an eye. It’s very clear what you mean, and language is not mathematics where double negatives mean a positive. Nobody hears “I didn’t do nothing” and thinks the person is saying, “I did something” in his or her dialect. QUOTE=AllWalker;10536736]My complaint was on how the word is so flexible that it often takes on contrary meanings. I know, this is the wonder of natural language, it is beautiful in its diverse meaning. It’s still a stupid word. [/QUOTE] If you want every word to not be “stupid” you’re going to have to expand the OED by about ten times at least. > [@AllWalker](#): > > Yeah, languages evolve. It is interesting, but it’s still messy. Evolution leads to things like threw and through being homonyms. Well, if you hear someone say we went through the park," are you thinking they were throwing things? (By the way they’re not homonyms; they’re homophones.) > [@Fish](#): > > At least “suddenly” has the form of a recognizable part of speech (an adverb) even though it’s difficult to say which verb it modifies. “All of a sudden” just looks like the broken-off spars of Middle English, shipwrecked and submerged without meaning in five fathoms of modern use. But do you understand it? These “really weird phrases” that we never think about are simply idioms, and we don’t have to “think” about them because we understand them immediately and implicitly–we’ve heard them throughout our lives. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-phrases-that-you-never-think-about/475357.md?page=4)