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Cut to the Chase

Cut to the Chase

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Cut to the Chase--Nine children running in a field with trees behind themChildren know how to cut to the chase. They abandon boring activities and hightail it to their next adventure.

Cut to the chase means to get to the point.

We don’t bother with:

  • Trivial details
  • Information overload
  • Unnecessary actions

We address only what matters most. Forget the minor. Focus on the major.

We often wish people would cut to the chase.

Those brave among us tell them to quit dillydallying, to stop wasting our time. The not-so-brave endure their rabbit chasing until the end finally comes.

This expression has a motion picture history.

When a scene ends and another begins, they “cut” from one scene to the next. This may occur in filming or editing. To cut to the chase means to get to the exciting part of the film. They move from a slow scene and focus on an action shot. Think in terms of:

  • Car chases
  • Police raids
  • Helicopter fights

Movie producers want to keep their audiences interested.

Let’s cut to the chase with our lives.

We do well if we:

  • Focus on the most important.
  • Use every word, action, and attitude to live for and point others to our loving God.

“What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3 NIV).

Thanks to Alma Haste for the suggestion and to Kelsi Wilson and Lorie Richerson for the photo.

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I Don’t Care to

I Don’t Care to

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I Don't Care to--back of man in a suit with a ? over his head

I began my blog in 2013 to help international friends understand English idioms. I don’t care to is an idiom that also confuses people who speak English as their primary language.

I don’t care to has two opposite meanings.

In other parts of the world, it means I don’t want to do something. However, in my neck of the woods, it means I don’t mind, or I will be glad to do it.

Same phrase. Opposite meanings. Are you confused yet? I usually try to avoid this expression but still say it occasionally.

I don’t care to can be changed to a question.

Asking, “Do you care to?” risks all the same confusion.

Usually, I don’t care (without the “to”) means I have no feelings either way.

It doesn’t matter. I have no preference.

However, it often means the opposite when a person becomes upset. Then, it means I care a great deal but refuse to admit it. I am angry or hurt but don’t want to say so.

I delayed tackling this expression for a long time.

How could I explain it without confusing everyone?

I apologize if you must read this post again to understand it. However, I hope it helps when you encounter people who mean the opposite of what you think.

“Listen carefully to what I say; let my words ring in your ears” (Job 13:17 NIV).

Thanks to Denise Wilder for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Honoring God with My Body book coverDo you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

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The More the Merrier

The More the Merrier

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The More the Merrier, yellow blooms and yellow butterflyWith flowers and butterflies, the more the merrier. They brighten our world and our attitudes. When I was a little girl, our house and yard overflowed with my grandmother’s:

  • Potted plants
  • Flower beds
  • Shrubs and trees

All those blooms resulted in:

  • Butterflies
  • Bees
  • An abundance of beauty

People came from here to yonder to admire and receive plant starts.

The more the merrier usually refers to people.

Often, the more people at a place or event, the more fun everyone has.

During my childhood summers, our house overflowed with relatives as well as flowers. They came from everywhere. Many stayed two weeks or longer. People ate and slept wherever they found a bare spot. We had a whale of a time.

The more the merrier describes a variety of situations.

Not everyone agrees that the more the merrier.

Fewer people may be preferred by:

  • Overworked teachers
  • Tired cooks
  • Exhausted parents

We all need time alone and time together.

The Bible tells us that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16 NIV). However, the Bible also reminds us that we need to gather and support one another.

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together … but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV).

Thanks to Tracy Crump for the idea and to Debbie Tapscott for the photo.

Honoring God with My Body book coverDo you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.” On 8-23-25, I will randomly select one name from my mailing list to also receive a free copy of Katherine Pasour’s book, Honoring God with My Body: Journey to Wellness and a Healthy Lifestyle. If your name is already on the mailing list, you are automatically entered. Please encourage your friends to subscribe.

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Close-knit

Close-knit

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Close-knit--family photoDo you have a close-knit family or group of friends? Few things in life replace those special relationships. Your roots may have run deep for a long time. Or you may have known one another only briefly. Either way, you can depend on one another.

Close-knit means a close relationship.

Your ties to one another may result from shared:

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Culture
  • Interests

Whatever holds you together stays strong.

Time or distance don’t reduce your close-knit commitment.

You remain ready to move heaven and earth for one another at a moment’s notice. Just call, and help is on the way.

That’s the kind of relationship everyone needs.

You never have to wonder. You never have to worry. If you need them, they will be there.

God offers a never-failing close-knit relationship to everyone.

People have limits. God has none. If you want the best of the best, turn to God. God will never leave you alone.

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18 NIV).

 Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion.

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

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In a Pickle

In a Pickle

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In a Pickle--two shelves of assorted picklesA friend recently said, “I don’t like to put you in a pickle.” She did not want her plans to cause me trouble.

In a pickle means in a difficult situation.

Similar expressions include in a jam or in hot water.

We often end up in a pickle or in a jam through no fault of our own.

  • Circumstances work against us.
  • People’s actions hurt us.
  • Weather destroys our property.
  • Sickness strikes our family.

We have no control over those situations.

Occasionally we get ourselves in a pickle or in hot water.

Our actions work against us when we:

  • Mistreat others
  • Break laws or rules
  • Refuse to work

Sometimes we add words to this expression.

Examples include:

  • In a pretty pickle.
  • In a right pickle.
  • In a real pickle.

However we say it, we get in a mess.

Simple steps may help us out of our messes.

  • Request help from friends, family, or coworkers.
  • Apologize for mistakes.
  • Pray for God’s guidance.

“I cling to your commands and follow them as closely as I can. Lord, don’t let me make a mess of things” (Psalm 119:31 TLB).

Thanks to Rita Smalley for the suggestion and to Gail Gosser for the photo.

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

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Chopped Liver

Chopped Liver

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Chopped Liver--bowl of chopped chicken liverDoes anyone out there like chopped liver? I tried to eat it by:

  • Hiding it in mashed potatoes
  • Holding my nose
  • Breading it and adding spices

Nothing worked. It still tasted like liver. I know liver is good for me, but I don’t like it. I consider it a dish for the birds.

Whether we eat it or not, we sometimes feel like chopped liver.

No matter how hard we try:

  • Not everyone likes us.
  • Many overlook us.
  • Few appreciate our potential.

Chopped liver means worthless.

We judge a person or thing as:

  • Unpleasant
  • Unimportant
  • Undesirable

Emotional responses to such treatment include:

  • Sadness
  • Anger
  • Disappointment
  • Defeat
  • Frustration

A common verbal response is, “So what am I? Chopped liver?”

We may say this when:

  • We fail to get a job.
  • Friends reject us.
  • People make fun of us.

According to The Free Dictionary, this expression “likely originated as a part of Jewish humor.”

It probably refers to “chopped liver as a common side dish.”  It was “overlooked in favor of the main course.” Many people dislike its taste.

We may consider chopped liver as good only for garbage. Yet, we never want to treat one another that way.

“To love [God] with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33 NIV).

Thanks to Joan Borton for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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

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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle--vintage doll in cradleIn 1865, William Ross Wallace wrote a poem, “What Rules the World.” According to The Free Dictionary, it later became known as “The Hand that Rules the World.” The poem’s refrain, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world” has become an often-repeated proverb.

The hand that rocks the cradle refers to the influence mothers have on children.

Mothers guide their children’s overall growth.

  • Social
  • Emotional
  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Spiritual

Think about the power in that position.

The hand that rocks the cradle applies to more than biological mothers.

Some of the most influential include:

  • Foster mothers
  • Adoptive mothers
  • Mothers-in-law
  • Stepmothers
  • Grandmothers
  • Other relatives
  • Friends
  • Neighbors
  • Teachers
  • Anyone who assumes a mother’s role, formal or informal

This Mother’s Day, thank the mothers in your life.

I am so grateful for the positive influence of my mother plus several others in informal mother roles. Many now live in heaven, but their impact remains.

“Her children arise and call her blessed” (Proverbs 31:28 NIV).

What mothers would you add to the list I made. Please comment.

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion and to Virginia Graves for the photo taken at Taylor County Museum – The Heistand House in Campbellsville, KY.

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Written in Stone

Written in Stone

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Written in Stone--Statue of Moses with the Ten CommandmentsWhen we receive instructions, we may wonder if they will change or if they are written in stone. That is true for orders from:

  • Parents to children
  • Employers to workers
  • Governments to citizens

Anything written in stone (or set in stone) cannot be changed.

It is:

  • Permanent
  • In final form

Similar expressions include cast in stone or etched in stone.

Written in stone probably originated with the Ten Commandments in the Bible.

Those rules, given by God to Moses, were engraved on stone. They provide direction for every part of our lives.

The first four commandments address our relationship with God.

They tell us to:

  1. Have no other gods before God.
  2. Make no idols.
  3. Never take God’s name in vain.
  4. Remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.

The last six commandments address our relationships with other people.

They tell us to:

  1. Honor our fathers and mothers.

And not to:

  1. Murder
  2. Commit adultery
  3. Steal
  4. Bear false witness
  5. Covet

Years later, a law expert asked Jesus which commandment is greatest.

Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

Love God. Love others. That covers all the commandments in a nutshell.

Thanks to Tracy Crump for the suggestion. Image by Enlightening Images from Pixabay.

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

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Milktoast

Milktoast

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Milktoast--milktoast on a plate on a table with flowers in the middleI don’t want milktoast for breakfast or any other meal. Although I like milk and toast, I prefer them separate. I also want more flavor. Even with sugar, cinnamon, or other spices added, it remains a bland dish. Give me eggs or cereal with fruit and nuts.

Neither do I want to be a milktoast person or give milktoast responses. However, I have been guilty of both.

Milktoast means weak or ineffective.

It can be a noun or an adjective. The person or response is:

Milquetoast mean the same.

According to The Free Dictionary, the character description refers to H. T. Webster’s comic strip character, Caspar Milquetoast. Like edible milktoast (or milk toast), Caspar had a bland personality.

Milktoast is easy to digest.

With so little flavor, it does not upset the body’s system. Neither do weak people upset their social systems of:

  • Business
  • Government
  • Religion
  • Families

They value the status quo above truth or progress.

God seeks boldness in service.

Certainly, quietness and meekness are often appropriate. Yet, God expects and provides courage when the time comes to speak up and stand tall.

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” (Acts 4:29 NIV).

Thanks to Gail Johnson for the suggestion and to Jeri Gumm Stone for the photo.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm Matin Wiles book
Version 1.0.0

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

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.” On 3-29-25, one name will be randomly selected from my mailing list to also receive a free copy of Martin Wiles’s book, “Don’t Just Live…Really Live.” If your name is already on the mailing list, you are automatically entered. Please encourage your friends to subscribe.

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