Sayings

This past week I was reading a little blurb in the newspaper about former president Jimmy Carter being admitted to the hospital after a flight into Washington DC. The article claimed he was "rushed to the hospital." When we have to go to the hospital, last minute aren't we all rushed? Do we ever stroll or dawdle or meander to the hospital? No! If I need to be at the hospital, I need to be there NOW! A couple of years ago I had a virus that manifested itself in severe chest pains and general yucky feelings. There is not many things that will make a ER jump like a middle-aged guy walking in, pasty-faced and complaining of chest pains..another saying, "complaining of ..." I wasn't complaining, I was explaining. So this got me to thinking about the sayings we use that always communicate a universal message.

Older sayings are beginning to confuse us now. "A stitch in time saves nine." Having been in the apparel business for years I know this one. It used to take nine yards of fabric to make a business suit because it was lined with the same fabric as the outer shell. So if it began to unravel somewhere you needed to stop the destruction by stitching the fabric back together, doing it early saved the entire suit. So you save the entire nine yards of fabric.

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Sure you can, a fully charged shock collar can make a dead dog twitch a little, a live one, even if old, will fall all over itself to please the holder of control panel. The saying remains, it is just more a generality than a rule.

"All hat and no cattle" I like this one because it sounds uniquely Texan. It simply means someone is trying to act like something they are not. We all do it, we just ignore our propensity for putting on the dog..oh, wait there's another one.

A few of my favorites:
"Never let your money get mad."
"If the horse is dead..dismount"
"Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered"
"Don't jump over dollars to pick up nickels"

My least favorite:
"This is the exception that proves the rule" No, any exception undermines the rule!

I have threatened to write this entire blog with only lines from movies, but frankly that seems like a lot of trouble. So these sayings are for you.
Let me know if you don't understand any of them.

Godspeed, keep the faith..right on..we shall overcome.
Don