Hi,
As I know that people on the spectrum can have trouble understanding sayings and idioms etc. (I certainly do!) I thought it would be an idea to start a thread about this.
I thought perhaps I could start by explaining a saying I know and then quote a saying that I have heard but do not understand.
The next person can explain this saying, and then post another saying that they don't understand and would like explained. I hope this makes sense.
"A sight for sore eyes" - a very welcome sight, something or someone that you are really pleased to see.
Saying I would like someone to explain to me as I never understand what it means!:
"A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush"
"A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush"
It means that getting something small/cheap/ordinary but for sure is better to being uncertain about getting something big/expensive/ideal.
Correct me if I'm wrong, of course.
What's with the question "How do you do?"... Is this really a question at all? Or just a (formal?) saying?
Yes, I think How do you do is a formal way to say, "how are you?"
I have always hated these, why can't people just say, "i'm glad you're here"...
I found a children's book that illustrated these things, it was hilarious, as it illustrated them literally and culturally(not sure if that's the right word, but you know what I mean) couldn't find it online... sadly my kids were not as interested as I.
Someone told me one, "like a tick in a dogs ear" which totally threw me for a loop, as what she was saying seemed like a good thing... I assume a tick in a dogs ear would be annoying or painful.
Maybe unless dogs do funny things when they have a tick in their ear? Obviously I'm still lost!
According to
this link it means a person who keeps bothering someone - which sounds like a pretty negative thing.
I guess one way in which it could have a positive meaning is if it refers to someone who is persistent and never gives up - but this is just a guess!
What does
"Put the wind up him/her" mean?
There was another thread like this a couple months ago I believe... I remember mentioning that I laugh whenever I hear someone use the saying "throw the baby out with the bathwater" (someone on here explained what it meant for me, though).
When I was doing my psychological testing a few weeks ago, I was asked about some metaphors. I recall not being able to determine what a lot of them meant, like "shallow brooks are noisy" or something like that. I just explained to her that not all shallow brooks produce a lot noise.
"shallow brooks are noisy" or something like that.
My guess - people who have a lot to say don't think very deeply.
get/put the wind up someone (British & Australian, informal)
to make someone feel anxious about their situation. Say you'll take him to court if he doesn't pay up - that should put the wind up him.
I also had trouble with children's literature that is a metaphor... it wasn't until very recently that i discovered that Peter Pan is a metaphor about youth and how everyone wants to be young but can't and that old people attack youth. When i was in French class we read, "The Little Prince" by SaintX. Aside from being in french I totally had no idea what the book was actually about. (Apparently the entire book and story line is about the magic of childhood and how parents don't understand or something...)
I kept trying to figure out why a small creek would be loud... {sigh}
An aspie friend pointed out that if we move to a different country and speak a different language we wouldn't necessarily be held to the standard prerequisite to know these things and therefore wouldn't look so odd...
one bird in the hand is better than ten on the roof...or was it the other way around?
here is one I dont understand:
Empty barrels runs better.
I managed to find
"149. An empty vessel gives a greater sound than a full barrel." on
http://gleez.com/articles/general/1000-e...nd-sayings 77.
An empty barrel makes the greatest sound. (Ignorant stupid people talk more often and more loudly than wise ones; just as an empty pot makes a loud noise when it is struck, while a full pot makes little noise)
on a website of Russian proverbs.
It doesn't seem entirely relevant though, but there were no results when I typed the saying verbatim into google.
So according to the above definition, it is similar to the
"Shallow brooks make more noise" saying.
thank you for helping
Does anyone know what "Swings and roundabots" means?
Does anyone know what "Swings and roundabots" means?
It means that it doesn't matter which choice you make out of two choices, because you will probably enjoy either, even if they are different.
Thanks for that Tigger_the_Wing
In spain they have lots of sayings that include references to their grandmother.
And there's one that goes 'He's so greedy, he eats like a baliff'.
About the empty barrels - they float better in the water and so if they are floated down a river then they will travel faster in the current. Maybe it's about travelling light?