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| "Many hands make a tall horse." |
Every family has those sayings which aren’t quite the norm. The grandmother of a childhood friend used to come out with a stack of them, including the wonderful, “They’re all daubed with the same stick.” And:
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| "It's the thin end of the iceberg." |
There is a certain joy to be derived from a really good mixed metaphor. My father’s favourite is:
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| "Let's burn that bridge when we come to it." |
By far the easiest way to demonstrate this phenomenon is the illustrate it, so read on and enjoy.
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| "Like a duck out of water." |
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| "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle." |
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| "You appear to have bitten off the wrong end of the stick." |
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| "It's important to get all your ducks in a rowboat." |
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| "Grab the bull by the horns and run with it." |
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| "'Close' only counts in hand shoes and horse grenades." |
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| "A mixed metaphor is like killing two birds without a paddle." |
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| "You've made your cake, now you must lie in it." |
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| "Never try to burn the midnight oil at both ends." |
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| "It's not exactly rocket surgery." |
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| "Any teacup in a storm." |
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| "Trying to thread a needle with a haystack." |
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| "You're skating on thin eggshells." |
And, probably my personal favourite:
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| "If you've nothing good to say about anyone, come and sit next to me." |
Please add your own favourite nonsensical family saying or mixed metaphor in the comments!
This week’s Word of the Week is zugzwang, which is a word well-known to chess players. It means you have to make a move, because it’s your turn, but you know that any possible move will be to your disadvantage. From the German zug, meaning move, and zwang, compulsion.
