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Tag: idiom

On Your Toes

On Your Toes

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On Your Toes--ballerinaWhen you are on your toes, you are ready to act.

  • Like a dancer ready for a ballet performance
  • Or a runner who toes the mark before a race

 Other people may keep you on your toes.

  • Your boss trains you and reviews your work.
  • A child asks you hard questions.
  • Teachers prepare you for a test.
  • Friends and family offer advice about big decisions.

You may also keep yourself on your toes.

You stay alert to what interests you most.

  • If you enjoy cooking, you check the latest recipes.
  • If you like to read, you find books by your favorite authors.
  • If you want to stay in good physical condition, you exercise.

You plan and prepare for the future.

If you fail to stay on your toes, you may fall flat.

However, you don’t have to stay down when you fall. Instead, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep going. Who knows what the future holds?

“Make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves” (Deuteronomy 4:9 MSG).

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Play with Fire

Play with Fire

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Play with Fire--child in fireman's outfitMatthew knows he should never play with fire. He does not want to get hurt. Neither does he want to hurt others.

Instead, Matthew may become a fireman when he grows up. Rather than play with fire, he hopes to prevent and put out fires.

No one should play with fire.

It is both dangerous and foolish. Most of us would never play with a physical fire. Yet, many of us play with fire in other ways. We take risks when we:

  • Choose bad relationships
  • Cheat
  • Disobey the law
  • Practice bad health habits

When we play with fire, we get burned.

 We may:

  • Hurt or lose those we love
  • Gain a bad reputation
  • Go to jail
  • Suffer poor health

Instead, let’s prevent or put out fires when we can.

Let’s watch our steps, make good choices, and help others do the same.

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:27 NIV)

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Photo courtesy of Tammy Seyfried.

Little Pitchers Have Big Ears

Little Pitchers Have Big Ears

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Little Pitchers Have Big Ears--a small pitcherThe curved handle on some pitchers looks like a person’s ear. When we say little pitchers have big ears, we warn adults to be careful what they say. Children don’t need to hear it.

We may also protect children by:

  • Spelling words we don’t want them to hear (This works until they can spell.)
  • Moving where they cannot hear us

Children like to listen to adults.

When adults speak, children often become all ears. Yet, they should not hear:

  • Information they are too young to understand
  • Talk that might upset or confuse them
  • Words no one should ever say
  • Gossip

Many times children repeat what they hear.

  • We always want to protect children.
  • We don’t always want them repeating what we say.

If we choose our words wisely, we don’t have to worry who hears them.

Helpful guidelines include:

  • Think before we speak.
  • Say nothing unkind or untrue.
  • Don’t say it if we don’t want it repeated.

As adults, we need to remember little pitchers have big ears. Like children, we also need to mind our Ps and Qs.

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them’” (Matthew 15:10-11 NIV).

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Cry Over Spilled Milk

Cry Over Spilled Milk

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Cry Over Spilled Milk--a glass of spilled milk“Dry your tears. There is no need to cry over spilled milk.”

As a child, I often heard those words. Sometimes I had spilled milk. Usually I was unhappy about something I could not change.

We cry over spilled milk when upset about what we cannot control. Often what upset us occurred in the past.

We cannot undo the past.

We cannot unspill milk. Neither can we undo anything that has already happened. The past is water under the bridge.

We can do something about the present and future.

  • If something bad happened in the past, we can learn from the experience.
  • If something good happened, we can remember and smile.
  • If we hurt someone, we can ask forgiveness.
  • If someone hurt us, we can forgive.

Instead of crying over spilled milk, we can let bygones be bygones. We can choose to grow from all that happens, good or bad.

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13 NIV).

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Batten Down the Hatches

Batten Down the Hatches

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Batten Down the Hatches--sail boatStorms occur at sea and in our lives.

When we batten down the hatches, we prepare for those storms. We see trouble coming and hard times ahead, so we get ready.

A hatch or hatchway is an opening in a ship’s deck. The ship’s crew covers the hatch when they expect bad weather. Storms at sea can destroy ships and the people on them. Sealing the hatch provides extra protection.

When we expect life problems, we also want to do what we can to protect against them.

Some storms do little damage.

  • Families may say, “Batten down the hatches. Aunt Mina’s kids are coming.” (I don’t have an Aunt Mina.)
  • Businesses may say, “Batten down the hatches. We expect poor sales next month.”
  • Governments may say, “Batten down the hatches. This decision will make some people mad.”

Some storms destroy.

  • Families may say, “Batten down the hatches. Dad’s drinking and threatening Mom.” (My dad did not drink and never threatened my mom.)
  • Businesses may say, “Batten down the hatches. We may have to close if sales get any worse.”
  • Governments may say, “Batten down the hatches. This decision may lead to war.”

Some storms we can prevent. Some we cannot.

We don’t always know when storms are coming. Therefore, we need to stay prepared as much as we can all the time. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

If we cannot prevent storms, we try to survive them. We hang on for dear life to what matters most.

“I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm” (Psalm 55:8 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion.

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

In the Middle of Nowhere

In the Middle of Nowhere

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In the Middle of NowhereI grew up in the middle of nowhere. We lived far from stores, doctors, and other people. We drove 10 miles through hills to the nearest town. I rode a bus 17 miles to high school. Actually, I rode much farther than 17 miles. We had to travel several roads off the beaten path to pick up students. The drive took about an hour.

My sister, cousins, and I developed tough little feet when summer arrived. We preferred bare feet over shoes. The dirt and rocks on our remote country road did not slow us down.

  • We ran on rocks as easily as we can on today’s smooth pavement.
  • We picked blackberries that grew on the sides of the road.
  • We watched for snakes that sometimes crawled across the road.
  • We played games in the trees and fields around us.
  • We could make all the noise we wanted without disturbing the neighbors.

Yes, we lived in the middle of nowhere. Yet, it led wherever we wanted to go.

  • Imagination took us around the world.
  • Books fed us dreams for the future.
  • Family taught us to set high goals.

Today, many people pay huge prices to vacation in such isolated places. All I have to do is go home for a visit.

“Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praises, all you who live in earth’s remotest corners!” (Isaiah 42:10 TLB).

Do you have a favorite place in the middle of nowhere? If so, please comment.

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Full of Hot Air

Full of Hot Air

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Full of Hot AirLook inside a hot air balloon. What do you see? Nothing.

The balloon is full of hot air.

The air keeps the balloon going. We hear sound as the burner keeps filling the balloon with air. However, we see nothing.

When people talk a lot but say nothing important, we say they are full of hot air.

They talk foolishness. Like the noise of the air going into the balloon, we might also say they talk to hear their heads roar.

Such people can be fun for a while, but they do us no good if we want to learn. If we desire intelligent conversation, we look for someone else.

What about us?

How often are we full of hot air?

As Abraham Lincoln said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

If we have nothing useful to add to a serious conversation, perhaps we should keep quiet.

“Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4 NRSV).

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Run Out of Steam

Run Out of Steam

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Run Out of SteamRun out of steam relates to old steam engines.

If engines don’t have enough steam, they slow or stop.

Although not many people rely on them today, a few steam engines still run. Colorado’s Durango-Silverton train remains a major tourist attraction. This man, waiting to board that train, relies on steam to get him where he wants to go.

Run out of gas means the same thing.

When a car or other vehicle runs out of gas, it stops. Without fuel, engines can’t keep going.

If people run out of steam, we also stop.

We lose all our energy (or interest). We can go no farther.

We run out of steam for a variety of reasons.

  • Trying to do too much
  • Not taking enough time
  • Health problems
  • Stress

Like old steam engines or modern cars, we must add fuel to keep ourselves going.

We must give our body, mind, and spirit what we need to function at our best.

Take care of yourself. You are the only you that you have.

“I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you” (3 John 1:2 NIV).

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Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

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Don't Toot Your Own Horn--“His Own” brass quintet
His Own Brass Quintet

We want children to develop good self-esteem. At the same time, we don’t want them to boast—to toot their own horn.. Finding the right balance between the two takes work.

Children naturally desire attention. That’s okay up to a point. However, they should not seek recognition every time they do well. They need to share attention just like they need to share toys.

Telling children (or anyone), “Don’t toot your own horn,” or “Don’t blow your own trumpet,” means they should not praise themselves. In other words, don’t brag.

No one wants to hear their endless boasting:

  • “I’m the fastest.”
  • “I’m the smartest.”
  • “I’m the prettiest.”
  • “I’m the best.”

If those statements are true, let people see it for themselves. If untrue, bragging only makes them look sad or silly.

We hurt children if we allow them to grow up with an inflated sense of their importance. Instead, let’s teach them that we all have strengths, and we all have needs. By supporting one another instead of focusing on ourselves, everyone wins.

“Don’t praise yourself; let others do it!” (Proverbs 27:2 TLB).

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A Hard Row to Hoe

A Hard Row to Hoe

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A Hard Row to Hoe 2A long line of plants can be a hard row to hoe.

Gazing from one end to the other, we want to give up before we start.

My parents always believed in the value of hard work. Therefore, my sister and I began gardening at an early age. I thought those garden rows would never end. Plus, Kentucky summer temperatures often reach the 90s with humidity near 100 percent.

I recall standing in the hot sun, fuming at the cruelty of it all. I pledged that once I had a home of my own, I would never plant a garden. Famous last words!

After a few years, I realized vegetables taste better when I grow my own. Not even a farmer’s market can compete.

I also learned that if I focus on the plant of the moment, I reach the end faster. It keeps me from looking ahead with dread.

That holds true for most tasks.

Focus on what needs to be done now.

Then move to the next task. Any assignment becomes more manageable and less intimidating. With steady pacing, we soon complete our work. We can then enjoy the fruit of our labor, whether it is a:

  • Fresh ear of corn
  • Good test grade
  • Clean house
  • Completed work detail

Remember: When facing any difficult task, any hard row to hoe, don’t try to tackle everything at once. Take one step at a time.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

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