idioms Archives - Page 11 of 49

Putting on the Ritz

December 5, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

During Christmas, we see examples of putting on the Ritz all around us.

Elaborate decorations
Rich food
Lavish gifts (and lots of them)
Lovely lights

Those of us who usually live simple lives go overboard in December.

Putting on the Ritz refers to the Ritz Hotels.

Those hotels offer a life of luxury. Only the wealthy can afford them. Occasionally, we may save enough money to enjoy that lifestyle for a few days. Sadly, some of us charge now and pay much more than the original cost later.

Fred Astaire made the Irving Berlin song, “Putting on the Ritz” popular.

When we put on the Ritz, we act rich and stylish.

We may not be able to afford to live high on the hog. Yet, we pretend we can. We like special treatment. An occasional splurge may lift our spirits.

However, let’s never forget those who need the basics.

Many in our world don’t have enough food, heat, shelter, or clothing. This Christmas and throughout the year, let’s brighten their lives by sharing with them.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20 NIV).

Thanks to Lindy Pierce for the suggestion. Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

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Bury the Hatchet

November 28, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

How I wish our world would learn to bury the hatchet. Divisions occur everywhere.

People have always disagreed, and that’s okay. However, why not learn to disagree agreeably? Instead, we:

Hate
Argue
Gossip
Fight

We war against one another with words and actions.

This happens among:

Family members
Friends
Neighbors
Cities
States
Countries

Bury the hatchet originated as a Native American tradition.

According to The Phrase Finder, “Hatchets were buried by the chiefs of tribes when they came to a peace agreement.” What a powerful symbol.

We can bury the hatchet too.

When we recognize destructive speech or behavior, we have a choice. We can follow the same pattern, or we can break the cycle.

Peace requires strength.

To choose not to harm another person or group of people calls for courage. If someone hurts us, our natural reaction is to hurt them. We are ready to lock horns. Yet, two wrongs don’t make a right. Suffering continues on both sides.

Jesus taught and lived love and forgiveness for everyone. Although not easy, that remains the only way to true and lasting peace.

“Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace” (Psalm 37:37 NIV).

Thanks to Ann Knowles for the suggestion. Image by Davie Bicker from Pixabay.

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Jump the Gun

November 21, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

In the past, a gun fired as a signal to start many sports contests. Runners occasionally became so excited, they would jump the gun. They started running before their races began.

To jump the gun means to begin before the right time.

Like athletes, we occasionally jump the gun in life. We act too quickly.

Rather than wait until everything is ready, we start too soon. Our actions are not:

Appropriate
Wise
Approved

Patience is hard to practice.

Yet, we need it. Instead of getting in too big a hurry, we want to toe the mark. Better to follow the guidelines than ruin our chances of getting where we want to go.

When tempted to bypass the rules, let’s hold our horses.

Plan to go when it’s time to go but wait when it’s time to wait.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14 NIV).

Thanks to Melissa Bright for the suggestion. Image by Vlad Vasnetsov from Pixabay.

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Go Off the Deep End

November 14, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 11 comments

As children, my sister, brother, and I loved to go off the deep end of a swimming pool. We wanted to see what was under the water. Usually, we found nothing but the bottom of the pool.

In contrast, a dive into the depths of rivers or oceans reveals a new world. We find ourselves surrounded by:

Fish
Rocks
Plants
Other natural wonders

However, a word to the wise: Learn to swim before jumping into deep water.

To go off the deep end means to act crazy.

What we do makes no sense. Our behavior may result from feeling:

Upset
Angry
Excited
Grieved
Lovesick

We go overboard.

When we go off the deep end, we let our emotions take control.

Like a person who can’t swim but jumps into deep water, we fail to use reason. We overreact. We:

Speak before we think
Hurt others or ourselves
Act before we get the facts
Withdraw from sources of help
Move too fast in a relationship

God gave us emotions, but God also gave us brains. Let’s use our heads for more than hat racks.

“Leave behind your foolishness and begin to live; learn how to be wise” (Proverbs 9:6 TLB).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion.

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Turn the Tables

November 7, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

I never played much chess. However, I played checkers with my dad and sister for years. When I was losing, I hoped to turn the tables. I wanted to win.

I never physically turned the tables to play from the opposite side. However, I tried to change the outcome of the game.

When we turn the tables, we reverse a situation.

It becomes the opposite of what it was. We see such major changes in:

Board games, like chess or checkers
Sports events
Job positions
Any competition

This expression also applies to major changes in plans.

Usually, the change helps the person who had an earlier disadvantage. Roles reverse. The shoe is on the other foot.

How did this expression begin?

According to The Free Dictionary, “Until the mid-18^th century, tables was the usual name for the board game backgammon. Early instances of the use of this phrase, dating from the mid-17^th century, made it clear that it comes from the practice of turning the board so that a player had to play what had previously been their opponent’s position.”

We find examples of turned tables throughout history.

The Bible tells the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. Eventually, Joseph achieved an important leadership position. When famine struck, Joseph’s brothers went to him for grain. They did not recognize him. After Joseph identified himself, his brothers feared for their lives.

Yet, Joseph did not act high and mighty when their roles changed. Instead, he forgave his brothers and provided for them.

Like Joseph, we have an opportunity to help others when the tables turn our way.

^“‘But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them” (Genesis 50:20-21 NIV).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott and Beckham Wilson for the suggestion. Image by Waldemar Bajda from Pixabay.

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On a Dime

October 31, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Our family loves the Durango and Silverton train ride through Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. However, that train will not stop on a dime. It requires time to slow down.

On a dime has two main meanings.

Both refer to precise movement.

On a dime often means quickly.

The Durango and Silverton train cannot stop quickly. Other vehicles can. Since a dime is the smallest coin in the United States, that implies little time to stop.

This expression also means a small space to move.

Some drivers claim their cars will turn on a dime. Of course, cars need good drivers to turn that well.

People also turn on a dime.

That can be good or bad.

We desire the ability to move quickly:

In emergencies.
When playing sports

We prefer not to:

Suddenly lose our tempers
Change jobs without warning

Sometimes, easy does it works better.

If we move too fast, particularly in tight situations, our haste makes waste. We end up in trouble.

Whether we act slowly or quickly, let’s always move under God’s leadership.

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10 NIV).

Thanks to Marita Smeathers Mantooth for the suggestion. Image by DavidMcConnell from Pixabay.

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Can’t Beat It with a Stick

October 24, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Our family loves Yellowstone National Park. For a travel destination, we can’t beat it with a stick.

Consider all it offers:

A crystal-clear lake
Majestic mountains
Thundering waterfalls

Plus, wildlife:

Bison
Elk
Deer
Bears
Wolves

However, its thermal features are our favorites:

Mud pots
Geysers
Steam vents
Hot springs

That explosive power just under the earth’s surface amazes us.

Can’t beat it with a stick means nothing is better.

We can’t improve it. Definitely not fair to middling, no greater deal exists.

Sometimes, we simply say we can’t beat it. It’s excellent, as we find in:

The beauty and wonder of Yellowstone
A dependable car or truck
The best meal of our lives
A bargain at the store

More impressive than any of this is its Creator.

We stand in wonder of the beauty and bounty of our earth. Yet, imagine the One who created it.

Imagine eternity with the Creator of everything.

God promises an eternal home in heaven to everyone who follows Jesus. The apostle John describes his vision of heaven in the Bible’s book of Revelation. However, heaven’s glory remains beyond anything we can imagine.

“’What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him—” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV).

Thanks to Joe and Ann Klotz for the suggestion. Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

Congratulations to Frank Cheatham, whose name was randomly selected from my mailing list to receive a free copy of Shirley Crowder and Harriet Michael’s devotional book, Glimpses of the Savior: 50 Meditations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year.

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It Is What It Is

October 17, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 11 comments

It is what it is. That reality applies to all of life. Much we can change, but not everything.

It is what it is refers to a situation we can’t change.

We don’t like it, but we can’t undo what has been done, so we:

Accept it
Do the best we can
Move on with our lives

We must deal with life as it comes.

When we can’t change it, we make the most of it. Yes, it is frustrating. Yes, it is hard. That’s life. We deal with it as it is.

A simple example: What do we do with a stump? The tree is gone. Do we:

Do nothing and leave the stump where it is?
Dig it up and fill the hole with dirt?
Try to make it beautiful?

Tree carvers turn stumps into works of art. Most of us don’t have that skill. My family’s solution: We let honeysuckle cover the stump. Honeysuckle is a weed, but we love its blooms.

Our stump is still a stump, but we chose to make the best of a bad situation.

Before I took the honeysuckle picture, a deer ate most of its blooms. I was disappointed, but it is what it is. I took the picture anyway.

Occasionally, it is what it is becomes an excuse to do nothing.

Although hard, most difficulties are not impossible. We simply don’t want to deal with them.

Let’s use this expression to motivate, not to excuse.

Make the most of life as it is.

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24 NIV).

Thanks to Karen Atwood for the suggestion. First image by Kai from Pixabay.

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

On Saturday, October 22, I will randomly select the name of one person on my mailing list to receive a free copy of Shirley Crowder and Harriet Michaels’s devotional book, Glimpses of the Savior: 50 Meditations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. If you are not already on my mailing list, you can sign up here.

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How the Sausage Is Made

October 10, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Please welcome my friend Harriet Michael as today’s guest writer. Harriet and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. She is an award-winning author and freelance writer. Harriet currently has ten books on Amazon with another coming out next year. She also has hundreds of articles, devotions, and stories published in numerous magazines and books. Follow her on her website, blog, or Amazon author page.

How the sausage is made refers to the way something is created behind the scenes.

The process contains components a person might consider unpleasant. Usually the end product is pleasant, but the process involved in making it may have unpleasant steps.

How the Sausage Is Made

When delicious sausage is made, the process includes

Cutting up animal meats
Grinding them
Adding spices

Cutting up and grinding animal meats may be unpleasant even to those who love sausage

The Expression’s Use

I recently used this expression when I shared how an article goes from an idea in my head to being in print. The finished product — the article beautifully laid out and printed in a magazine — is pleasant. However, the work can be unpleasant:

Writing
Rewriting
Submitting to magazines
The possibility of rejections before finding a magazine that accepts it

Letting people peer into that process is like letting them see how sausage is made.

In our lives we sometimes go through unpleasant experiences.

Like the process in making sausage, though unpleasant at times, those experiences end in something good. All who follow Jesus have a promise that the challenges we go through will ultimately end in good. Romans 8:28 (KJV) tells us, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Image by ivabalk from Pixabay.

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

On Saturday, October 22, I will randomly select the name of one person on my mailing list to receive a free copy of Harriet and Shirley Crowder’s devotional book, Glimpses of the Savior: 50 Meditations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. If you are not already on my mailing list, you can sign up here.

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Play Possum

October 3, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Many of us tried to play possum when we were children. We wanted to stay in bed when our parents said to get up. We kept our eyes closed and remained as still as possible.

We often display similar behaviors as adults. Some days we simply don’t want to rise and shine.

When opossums (or possums) feel threatened, they pretend to be dead.

They try to avoid attack by lying still. Their goal is for the other animals to leave them alone. Apparently, that defense works well.

When faced with danger:

They don’t fight.
They don’t run.
They play dead.

To play possum means to pretend to be dead or asleep.

It may also mean to pretend not to know. We want to avoid a person or situation. We don’t want to:

Wake up
Get up
Work
Accept responsibility

Like the possum, we hope the threat to our rest loses interest and goes away.

The time comes to stop playing possum and get to work.

We need and enjoy rest and play. Yet, for the best life, we also put our hand to the plow and meet our responsibilities.

“How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion.

Image by daynaw3990 from Pixabay

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