# Sayings, idioms, and acronyms which seem to indicate the OPPOSITE of what is intended **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 5, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599 "2025-11-05T14:47:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/1 "2025-11-05T14:47:52Z")
On another site I was taken a bit aback yesterday when I read that a political ad had been “dropped”–so I immediately wondered who canceled it and why-was it DFT-enabled censorship at work again? A cowardly news service bending over backwards to not embarrass or anger him or his cronies? As I scanned the text of the article, I couldn’t even find any mention of it being stopped much less why, as it just went on about the ad’s content. I then realized that “drop” has somehow come to mean “released” and its original meaning of “canceled” (the usual idiom I’ve heard it used in the past was for a TV series: “The Frasier reboot has been dropped from the schedule.”) has been obviated and nay turned on its head. Another one which really gets my umm _Capra_ is the acronym GOAT as it is typically used in sports to denote the **Greatest Of All Time** in some athletic activity. Except that the term “goat” has historically been used to denote an athlete who has _fucked up_, as in Bill Buckner or Jim Marshall. So whenever I see that I get antsy because the two terms pretty much mean the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/2 "2025-11-05T14:53:15Z")
I hear you, just like **sick** where context is the only clue, and even then it often isn’t clear. And while not the same concept I’m really struggling to find the consistent meaning of OG. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/3 "2025-11-05T15:01:56Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Another one which really gets my umm _Capra_ is the acronym GOAT as it is typically used in sports to denote the **Greatest Of All Time** in some athletic activity. Except that the term “goat” has historically been used to denote an athlete who has _fucked up_, as in Bill Buckner or Jim Marshall. So whenever I see that I get antsy because the two terms pretty much mean the opposite. There’s the story about how Meryl Streep was doing a photoshoot with other actors and some of them began calling her the GOAT. And then Streep made a mention of how people were calling her an old goat. So Jennifer Lawrence explained the term. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/4 "2025-11-05T15:07:29Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > And while not the same concept I’m really struggling to find the consistent meaning of OG. I’m as out of touch as a person can be. But my understanding is that OG means Original Gangster. It was a term among street gangs in Los Angeles that entered the mainstream via rap music. The meaning of the term is that you’re authentic. If you appear to be acting like other people, it’s because you were doing it first and they’re imitating you. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/5 "2025-11-05T15:19:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s the story about how Meryl Streep was doing a photoshoot with other actors and some of them began calling her the GOAT. And then Streep made a mention of how people were calling her an old goat. Now I’m picturing Streep reacting like **[this](https://nighthawknews.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/for-love-of-books-the-adventures-of-tintin/tintin-destination-goat/)**. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/6 "2025-11-05T15:33:17Z")
“I could care less” meaning I _couldn’t_ care less. this one’s been brought up in similar threads about English idioms. Personally I am ok with this usage, taking the meaning as sarcastic, or as a shortened form of “_as if_ I could care less”. Using ‘literally’ to mean ‘figuratively’-- “my head literally exploded when I heard the news”. Some say, eh, it’s just how language evolves, but I do have a problem with this usage. If literally _literally_ comes to mean figuratively, how do we express something that is actually literal? Words that have opposite definitions can cause confusion. If something is an oversight, it usually means it was missed or forgotten. Yet we have ‘oversight committees’. Same with overlook-- “did we already pass the scenic overlook I wanted to stop at?” “yes, I think we overlooked it”. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/7 "2025-11-05T16:08:48Z")
“Built like a brick shithouse” sounds like it should mean “grotesquely obese,” not “appealingly buxom.” ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/8 "2025-11-05T16:17:26Z")
I think it originally meant “very strong,” maybe “muscular,” but then somehow drifted into “buxom”. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/9 "2025-11-05T16:30:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But my understanding is that OG means Original Gangster I saw that, but then I’ve seen it used in ways such as “Linda Carter is the OG nicest actress…”, which really would make no sense to me. But hey, I’m old. Also, if it hasn’t been mentioned: **random** which to many people apparently means “unexpected”. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/10 "2025-11-05T16:43:01Z")
Out of curiosity what do you think random means? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/11 "2025-11-05T17:03:03Z")
“Head over heels” meaning tumbling around. I mean, my head is usually over my heels when I’m upright. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/12 "2025-11-05T17:07:21Z")
Obviously. If something’s obvious, then there should be no need to mention that word. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/13 "2025-11-05T17:07:36Z")
Random means that in a group, at any time each object in the group has an equal chance of being selected. To be perfectly accurate real randomness can only happen mathematically. So when a “random” survey is conducted, it’s not even a little bit close to being truly random. That’s the problem with polls. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/14 "2025-11-05T17:33:08Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Random means that in a group, at any time each object in the group has an equal chance of being selected. What’s the term for when an outcome is unpredictable but some outcomes are more likely than others? Like if you’re spinning a roulette wheel and guessing whether the result will be red, black, or green? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/15 "2025-11-05T17:34:31Z")
Does “Pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps” count? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/16 "2025-11-05T17:35:41Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > “Head over heels” meaning tumbling around. I mean, my head is usually over my heels when I’m upright. And when one is facing forward, one’s ass is backward. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/17 "2025-11-05T18:05:09Z")
@Little_Nemo‘s description explains that use as well. The “gangster” part of “OG” is doing very little of the heavy lifting. Really, the term denotes a sustained authenticity. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/18 "2025-11-05T19:21:29Z")
Thanks; I’m still perplexed why gangsterism seems to be a desirable trait, but I will suffer through - your explanation is as good as I can get, I think. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/19 "2025-11-05T19:24:10Z")
Also, if you’re talking behind someone’s back, you’re talking in front of them, since that’s behind their back. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599/20 "2025-11-05T19:24:34Z")
Yeah, “OG” is almost like a title of respect, regardless of its gangsta origin. The satellite 1980s program features the MTV “OG VJs,” as they call themselves. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sayings-idioms-and-acronyms-which-seem-to-indicate-the-opposite-of-what-is-intended/1024599.md?page=2)