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Tag: Life Lessons from English Expressions

Big Head

Big Head

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Big Head--Closeup of lion's headLions have a big head, a loud roar, and a reputation as king of the jungle. Although big, strong, and fast, lions can be caught and controlled by smaller, weaker, and slower lion tamers.

People with a big head think they are better or more important than everyone else.

They:

Their actions say:

  • I am better than you.
  • Look at me.
  • I am number one.

Pride controls people with a big head.

Self rules. Everything and everyone else take second place.

However, like lions, pride often leads to a fall.

Humility offers a better way.

Humble people recognize the worth in everyone. They treat others with:

  • Respect
  • Love
  • Wisdom
  • Compassion

When people treat one another as they wish to be treated, everyone wins. Our world becomes a better place.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2 NIV).

Thanks to Betty C. Johnson for the suggestion. Image by Kevinsphotos from Pixabay

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Get the Show on the Road

Get the Show on the Road

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Get the Show on the Road-Taylor County Show ChoirMany times, Lisa Gupton told her show choir students, “Let’s get the show on the road.”  She was telling them, “Get ready. It is time to perform.”

Not only did Lisa’s choirs perform locally, they also traveled to other cities, including :

  • New York
  • Washington D. C.
  • Chicago
  • Boston

To get the show on the road means to start.

Don’t wait. Be prepared. Don’t delay.

This expression may have a show business origin.

In the past, common traveling shows included:

  • Plays
  • Vaudeville
  • Circuses

After the first performances, many traveled to other cities. Like Lisa’s students, some continue to do that today. Performances that begin on Broadway frequently travel across the country.

We don’t have to be in show business to get the show on the road.

Neither do we have to go anywhere. We must simply start what we need to do where we are.

However, we want to be sure the show is ready.

Lisa’s students and other performers practice long, hard hours before their first show. Let’s not hit the trail until we are good to go.

“I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands” (Psalm 119:60 NIV)

Thanks to Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion and to Lisa Gupton for the photo.

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Bushel and a Peck

Bushel and a Peck

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Bushel and a Peck-bushel baskets of applesI grew up with the knowledge that my parents loved me a bushel and a peck. How did I know that? They told me many times. They also sang “A Bushel and a Peck” from the Broadway show, “Guys and Dolls.” Their love made me feel snug as a bug in a rug.

My dad grew apples. Many people bought them in large bushel baskets. Others wanted only a peck (four pecks equal a bushel). Both are large amounts. A bushel and a peck together make a right smart of apples.

A bushel and a peck mean a lot.

Therefore, when my parents told me they loved me a bushel and a peck, they meant they loved me a great deal. At times, they held their arms wide to show another measure of their love.

Bushel and a peck often emphasize one person’s love for another.

Although the Broadway song focuses on romantic love, the expression can also refer to love of other people or things.

God gives the greatest measure of love.

God created all people and all things, including:

  • Everything that goes in our baskets
  • The materials that make the baskets

God also showers us with never-failing love, too great to measure. May we never fail to share God’s love for all creation and everyone in it.

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? (Isaiah 40:12 NIV).

Thanks to Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion. Image by judymccleery from Pixabay

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Spill the Beans

Spill the Beans

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Spill the Beans--glass jar with lid off and beans spilling outMost of us know people who cannot keep a secret. They always find a way to spill the beans.

Although they act surprised after they tell what they know, they never fail to share it. Then, they ask us not to tell anyone else.

The origin of this expression is uncertain.

One possible explanation comes from an ancient voting practice of placing different colored beans in pots or jars. No one was supposed to spill the beans until the proper time.

People may spill the beans on purpose.

Telling private information can cause great harm. Words often hurt.

People may also spill the beans by mistake.

Although they don’t intend to reveal the information, it can still hurt.

Not all secrets hurt when told.

Examples include:

  • Plans for a surprise party
  • The contents of a gift
  • Whether an unborn baby is a boy or girl

Some secrets should be told.

  • Abuse
  • Crimes
  • Evil plans

Busybodies need to bite their tongues. However, everyone needs to speak up to right wrongs.

“Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief” (Proverbs 21:23 MSG).

 Thanks to Regina Graham for the suggestion.

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Bite the Bullet

Bite the Bullet

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Bite the Bullet-bullet between teethI recently had to bite the bullet. In one week, I made two major house repairs and replaced the brakes on my car. I was out of town when the brakes stopped working.

I did not enjoy any of those events. Yet, they had to be done.

A friend talked about having to bite the bullet when she learned to operate a new computer program. Many of us have had to do the same.

To bite the bullet is to accept a difficult situation.

Although not pleasant, we:

  • Prepare ourselves for what lies ahead
  • Do what must be done
  • Act brave whether we feel brave or not
  • Learn to live with the pain

This phrase may have originated with soldiers biting a bullet during painful medical treatment.

Without anesthesia, they would bite a bullet to prevent:

  • Crying out in pain
  • Biting their tongue

As with most of life, we choose our response.

When life gets hard, will we get down in the dumps? Or will we bite the bullet and make the best of a bad situation?

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite, Janna Babak, and Ann Knowles for this suggestion. Thanks to Travis Gosser for the photo.

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Deer in the Headlights

Deer in the Headlights

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Deer in the Headlights-deer on a foggy road In our garden spot of the world, we have to watch for deer in the headlights. We have several trees on one side of the road and farm fields on the other. Although beautiful and fun to watch, deer cause many accidents.

Deer in the headlights freeze in the middle of the road.

Both cars and the people in them suffer damage if they fail to stop in time. Therefore, we drive slower in certain areas.

If we act like deer in the headlights, we also freeze in place.

Causes include:

  • Fear
  • Surprise
  • Confusion
  • Strong emotions

We might:

  • Get caught red-handed
  • Experience unexpected and overwhelming responsibilities
  • Face decisions with no easy answers
  • Receive news of a birth, marriage, death, or other major family event

Although we freeze at times, unsure what to do, we don’t have to face the future alone.

God offers guidance and hope, whatever our situation.

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion. Image by enriquelopezgarre from Pixabay

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Salt in a Wound

Salt in a Wound

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Salt in a Wound -container of saltYears ago, people treated many medical emergencies at home. One common remedy was to pour or rub salt in a wound. That solution often caused more pain than the original problem.

Salt in a wound hurts.

 Although salt (or saltwater) helps heal or sooth certain conditions, it causes damage to others. Even if it helps, salt on an open sore stings.

To pour or rub salt in a wound means to make a bad situation worse.

 Our words or actions hurt rather than help.

  • A friend loses a contest, and we praise the winner.
  • Our neighbor’s boss fires him, and we brag about our promotion.
  • A relative’s wife leaves him, and we talk about her handsome boyfriend.

Whether deliberate or not, we increase the person’s hardship, shame, or sadness.

Rather than rub salt in a wound, let’s serve as salt of the earth.

 When other people feel down in the dumps, let’s lift them up. We have the privilege to share their sorrow as well as their joy.

“Being happy-go-lucky around a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing his jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in his wounds” (Proverbs 25:20 TLB).

Thanks to Pat Childress Conner Stapp for the suggestion. Image courtesy of  Pixabay.

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In the Sticks

In the Sticks

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In the Sticks-leaf-covered road through treesMany of us grew up in the sticks. We had to travel several miles to the closest town. Our travel time increased to reach a city. Some of us remain in the sticks or visit often.

In the sticks means in the country.

 It describes life in the middle of nowhere. Business usually involves plants and animals, not stores or factories.

People who hate country life describe it as:

  • Unsophisticated
  • Culturally backward

People who love country life call it:

  • Rustic
  • Back to nature

Nothing compares to country living.  

 Work is usually hard. However, the calmer, slower lifestyle makes such hard work worth it.

Our family loves our garden spot of the world. A few relatives remain where we grew up. Others live closer to modern conveniences … but not too close.

Whether we live in the sticks, visit when we can, or travel through them, we can all enjoy our time there.

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion.

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Boil the Ocean

Boil the Ocean

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Boil the Ocean - volcano lava above the oceanHow many times have we attempted an impossible task? We try to do something no one can do. Remember, we don’t have to boil the ocean.

Lava from an erupting volcano heats the ocean. However, all that lava affects only a tiny portion of the water. It puts on quite a show but with limits.

To boil the ocean means to try the impossible.

We work like a mule and burn our candle at both ends. However, like lava in the ocean, we have limits. We cannot do everything.

  • Students cannot complete years of work in one semester.
  • Builders cannot create a city in a day.
  • Doctors cannot cure every person in the world of every disease.

We make progress one step at a time.

Working together, we move forward. Trying to do everything alone dooms us to failure. Too many jobs make all our jobs more difficult.

We want vision without a waste of time.

Dream big. Reach for the sky. Yet, recognize reality. We never want to destroy ourselves striving for the impossible.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall” (Isaiah 40:30 NIV).

Thanks to Kristy Robinson Horine for the suggestion. Image by Adrian Malec from Pixabay

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Stick Like Glue

Stick Like Glue

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Stick Like Glue-Dashaway between young couple on porchMy dog Dashaway was my favorite pet. She would stick like glue anytime I went outside.

Dashaway and I became best buddies while I was in high school. Snow kept everyone home for weeks. My parents and sister had the flu, so all the house and farm chores became my responsibility. A cousin down the road milked the cows, but Dashaway and I did the rest.

When I became tuckered out, too tired to move, Dashaway nudged me with her nose. That reminded me to keep on keeping on. She knew once work was over, we could play in the snow.

After I began dating, Dashaway still stuck like glue. If my boyfriend (now husband), and I walked outside, Dashaway walked between us. When we sat on the front porch steps, Dashaway stood or sat in the middle. She loved us, and we loved her.

To stick like glue means to stay close to someone.

For people or animals, that means we want to be together all the time. We hate to be away from one another.

Other meanings include hard-to-remove items that attach to us, such as:

  • Sticky food
  • Ink
  • Grass stain

This expression may be literal or figurative.

The above are literal examples. Figurative examples include our:

  • Reputation
  • Nickname
  • Memories

Dashaway earned her reputation as a good dog. She actually had six names, with Dashaway as first of the six. Memories of our time together stick like glue in my mind.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV).

Thanks to Sharon Berry for the suggestion.

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