Is That an Idiom in Your Pants? Quiz

Answer: You're using it incorrectly, making you the idiot

Interestingly, the phrase "the exception proves the rule" is practically never used correctly by people outside the law profession.

Think about it. How is the rule (all birds fly) proven by the exception (penguins don't fly)? In fact, it does the exact opposite and disproves the rule. The way I used the phrase makes no sense whatsoever.

The phrase is actually a legal principle with origins dating back all the way to the famous Roman senator Marcus Tullius Cicero. It's real meaning is, if there is an exception (rule or law) made then the existence of that exception proves (or implies) the existence of a law to which the exception is made, even if the law is not explicitly stated.

In other words, when you see a street sign that says, "No parking from 5pm to 10pm", it can be assumed that parking at all other times of the day is permitted. Since an exception is made, "no parking from 5pm to 10pm", it legally proves (and is perfectly reasonable to assume) the existence of a rule that says parking is allowed at all other times. It's a legal principle that just sounds different from what it actually means.

So, the next time someone uses that phrase incorrectly you should pretend to briefly change the subject and say, "Oh, as an aside, do you know where that phrase comes from?" Gently explain what it actually means so that everybody there is just a little bit more knowledgeable. Then turn to the person who used the phrase, smack them (gently) across the face and say, "That means you're WRONG!" and then proceed to dance around.

Answer: No, it should be "You can't eat your cake and have it too"

The common mistake is usually just a reversal of word order. Of course, there is no point in having a cake and not being able to eat it, that would be cruel. The correct phrase is "you can't eat your cake and have it too". Most people understand the intended meaning, which is that you can either have a cake and not eat it OR eat it and not have it anymore, not both.

The "New York Times" has an interesting bit about this called "Have your Cake and Eat It Too" by Ben Zimmer.

Answer: No, that's a play on the original phrase; also, dirt is super interesting

Abraham should have said "I couldn't care less" meaning he doesn't care at all. "I could care less" means you actually do care because you could care less than you do now. The phrase is used correctly about as much as it is used incorrectly or ironically.

But seriously, dirt is cool.

Answer: "...to make it pull a load"

The earliest documented use of the phrase is in 1867. In that year, an attempted reform bill received little interest from the British Parliament. A politician named John Bright said that trying to create more interest in the bill, "...would be like trying to flog a dead horse to make it pull a load." The idiom makes much more sense with the second half included.

As with many idioms, the origins of the phrase are disputed. Some say it came about earlier and some say later.

Answer: No, it's actually "whet"

Whet - to make keen or eager; stimulate

That is actually the word used in the idiom. Aside from this particular idiom, the word has fallen out of common usage so most assume the word is actually "wet". The idiom makes much more sense now.

Answer: Walk around with a wooden chip on your shoulder

In that time, people looking for a fight would walk around with a wooden chip on their shoulder and dare others to knock it off. Today the phrase is used to refer to anyone who might be oversensitive and too ready to respond with belligerence.

Another, more chivalrous, method to signal a challenge would be to "throw down the gauntlet" or (less chivalrously) to "kick him in the nads".

Answer: No

The full passage is this:
"Oh, East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet,
Till earth and sky stand presently at God's great judgment seat;
But there is neither East nor West, border, nor breed, nor birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho they come from the ends of the earth!"

The phrase is often used to emphasize the difference between two things but that is actually the opposite of Kipling's intention. He is speaking specifically of people when he says East and West. Reading the passage in full, it becomes clear that he is really saying that although people may be from vastly different backgrounds, in the end those differences don't matter, as all people are equal.

Answer: The act of removing lice eggs from another's hair, a slow laborious process

A nit is a louse egg. The eggs are extremely difficult to remove and the process requires minute attention to detail and patience. It's also gross. The only other option was to completely shave one's head. Thankfully, we no longer have to do either.

By the way, nitpicking with TV shows and films is NOT delightful and certainly not universally appreciated.

Answer: Yes

As usual, there are several reported origins for these sayings. The most commonly accepted origin dates back as recently as 1900's America. This was during a time when several organizations, such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, promoted abstinence from alcohol.

Originally, the phrase was "on/off the water-cart". Water carts were driven around the streets of dry weather areas and used to dampen the roads. The first recorded use of the phrase was in a comic novel called "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" by Alice Hegan in 1901. The line is, "I wanted to git him some whisky, but he shuck his head. 'I'm on the water-cart.'" Eventually "wagon" replaced "water-cart", becoming the idiom we know today.

So, getting "on the wagon" refers to the water cart and one's choice to drink water instead of alcohol. "Falling off the wagon" means one has returned to drinking and has metaphorically gotten off the water cart. When swearing off drink one "gets on the wagon" and only after an attempt at sobriety does one "fall off the wagon".

Thanks to www.phrases.org.uk for the information.

Answer: The term for a circus wagon carrying its band

The bandwagon simply referred to the circus band wagons used by P.T. Barnum. The wagons were highly decorated and meant to attract attention. Politicians saw their usefulness and began to use the same strategy on the campaign trail. So when one jumps on the bandwagon they are just going along with what seems most attractive. Simple as that.