wisdom Archives - Diana Derringer

Spin a Yarn

April 21, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

When our extended family gets together, a few relatives always spin a yarn. They keep us entertained with their tall tales. Some stories are true or based on truth. Others stretch beyond belief. Most are a hoot.

To spin a yarn means to tell a story.

Often that story is:

Long
Made-up
Full of twists and turns

Sometimes we spin a yarn to stay out of trouble.

We know we did something wrong. To avoid the consequences, we lie or tell a partial truth. However, two wrongs don’t make a right. Not when other people hurt us. Not when we mess up.

This idiom originated with ropes made of long fibers called yarns.

According to The Free Dictionary, “Sailors used to spin yarns … to make ropes. They were also famous for telling unlikely stories of their adventures.” The nautical term dates from around 1800. We now enjoy the double meaning of “spun fiber” and “a tale.”

Everyone has a story.

From our experiences, we can share lessons of:

Hope
Joy
Peace
Love

The Bible holds the greatest story ever told.

Life changing
All truth
Available to everyone

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” (Psalm 107:1-2 NIV).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion. Image courtesy of Pixabay.

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Red Tape

April 14, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

I was a social worker for almost thirty years. The work was stressful and the hours horrible. I was on-call twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Yet I loved it.

I did not love the red tape. We had to jump through hoops of:

Endless paperwork
Frequent bureaucratic changes
Fluctuating budgets that reversed progress

Red tape refers to complicated, time-wasting official procedures.

Such requirements are:

Strict
Difficult
Tiresome

They focus on details and rules rather than efficiency and outcomes. Correct forms overrule positive results.

Red tape results in service delays.

Forms and rules should lead to speedier outcomes rather than needless obstacles. Likewise, successful procedures should remain regardless of leadership changes.

According to The Free Dictionary, this expression refers to “the former British custom of tying up official documents with red ribbon.”

Red ribbons make a document look good. However, appearance matters little. Contents determine the difference, good or bad.

A certain amount of red tape must remain.

Rules offer guidelines.
Paperwork gathers needed information.

Yet, a fine line exists between:

Efficient or ineffective
Helpful or hurtful

“Every official is under orders from higher up, and the higher officials look up to their superiors. And so the matter is lost in red tape and bureaucracy” (Ecclesiastes 5:8 TLB).

Thanks to Regina Graham for the suggestion and to Karen Atwood for the photo.

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Kick the Tires

April 7, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Before we buy a car, we want to kick the tires. We check the car inside and out from one end to the other. We drive it and try all its gadgets to be sure they work.

To kick the tires means to test the quality of something.

With any purchase, that includes time to:

Inspect
Research
Analyze

We desire the best product for our money.

We also kick the tires to see if a product meets our personal needs.

What works for one person may not work for another. I prefer small cars close to the ground. A tall person usually searches for a large vehicle with more leg room.

Kicking the tires pertains to more than purchases.

Employers desire dependable employees.
Employees seek the best bosses.
Individuals search for lasting relationships.

We want the people in our lives to meet our standards.

If we fail to kick the tires, we may end up kicking ourselves.

A word to the wise: Let’s test before we commit.

Above all else, test for truth.

In every decision, large or small, seek God’s guidance. Especially for spiritual matters:

Study the Bible.
Pray.
Discuss with trustworthy friends.

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 NIV).

Thanks to Jennifer Annette Graham for the suggestion and to Stan Curry with AutoSmart of Campbellsville for the photo.

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Elephant in the Room

March 31, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Few of us desire an elephant in the room. Not the kind on four legs and not unpleasant subjects.

An elephant in the room means a problem no one discusses.

The situation is:

Serious
Important
Obvious

We need to address the topic.

Everyone knows about it. However, no one wants to discuss it because it makes us feel:

Uncomfortable
Embarrassed
Awkward

As a result, we ignore the issue rather than rock the boat.

Families don’t mention strained relationships.
Workers overlook wasteful systems.
Friends choose peace over responsibility.

Excuses for ignoring difficult situations include:

“It’s none of my business.”
“No one gets hurt.”
“I don’t have time to get involved.”

We want to remain on the right track. At times, that means we avoid unnecessary problems. Other times, it means we stand firm for truth and examine the elephant

An elephant in the room’s origin is unknown.

According to The Phrase Finder, it probably began in the United States.

^“It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret” (Ephesians 5:12 NIV).

Thanks to Ann Klotz and Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm Matin Wiles book — Version 1.0.0

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Milktoast

March 24, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

I 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:

Timid
Fearful
Unwilling to rock the boat
Boring
Wishy-washy

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.

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So Tight They Squeak When They Walk

March 17, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

One of my high school teachers could never sneak up on our class. We could hear his squeaky shoes from the far end of the hall. He was not like some people who are so tight they squeak when they walk. He simply had squeaky shoes.

So tight they squeak when they walk means extremely stingy.

Similar expressions include:

Tightwad
Tightfisted
Cheapskate
Tight as bark on a tree

Turning loose of money or possessions hurts such people worse than a toothache. They refuse to give to others. Often, they fail to buy what they need themselves. They suffer rather than let go of what they own.

People so tight they squeak when they walk go far beyond thrifty.

Thrifty people save for a rainy day. They remain ready for emergencies. However, they also spend as needed now. Those so tight they squeak when they walk don’t want to spend even when emergencies arise.

They can’t take it with them, so why hang on so tightly now?

How sad to never experience the joy of sharing. Both they and a world of others lose when they ignore opportunities for good.

The owner becomes the owned.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17 NIV).

Thanks to J.D. Wininger for the suggestion and to Laura Mitchell Wilds and Billy Joe Douglas with Mitchell’s for the photo.

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Hop, Skip, and a Jump

March 3, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Only a hop, skip, and a jump separate these two rock formations. However, I don’t want to try that jump, do you?

A hop, skip, and a jump means a short distance.

To get from one place to another takes little time. As a child, I lived close to my Uncle Lowell. Perhaps, like me, you have often walked to nearby favorite places.

A hop, skip, and a jump also means similar.

This includes closely related:

Ideas
Work
Activities
Words
Interests

According to The Free Dictionary, this idiom dates to the early 1700s.

It “originally referred to an exercise or game involving these movements.” However, it was used figuratively by the mid-1800s.

Similar expressions rearrange or eliminate part of the words.

Compared to eternity, this life is only a hop, skip, and a jump from start to finish.

Let’s use our time wisely until we reach the end of the road.

“My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24 NIV).

Thanks to Kristy Robinson Horine for the suggestion.

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Keep Your Head

February 24, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

When life goes out of control, it’s hard to keep your head. Uncertainty leads to panic rather than patience.

Keep your head means to remain calm.

Although everything around you falls apart at the seams, you don’t. Instead, you find calm in the middle of the storms.

Keep your head does not mean you never feel stressed.

With so much turmoil in the world today, stress affects everyone. Daily news bombards us with updates on:

Wars
Price increases
Abuse
Disasters
Crime

Everything goes haywire. Yet you find personal control in the worst of it.

Rather than give in to problems, get a grip on solutions.

As a former teacher often said, “Think. Just think.” Apply the good sense God gave you.

Choose:

Faith over fear
Hope over despair
Peace over pressure
Calm in chaos

“But you, keep your head in all situations” (2 Timothy 4:5 NIV).

Thanks to Joanne Viola for the suggestion. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

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Stinking Thinking

February 17, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Just as we avoid a skunk’s stinking spray, we want to avoid stinking thinking. We accomplish nothing when we focus on messages like:

Woe is me.
I’m awful.
You’re awful.
The whole world is awful.
Life is awful.
Nothing will ever get better.

Do you see a pattern here?

Stinking thinking means negative thinking.

We see only the wrong, never the right. Everything and everyone ruffle our feathers.

Rather than happy-go-lucky we remain:

Pessimistic
Down in the dumps
Certain of failure

Focused on problems, our outlook grows progressively worse.

*Stinking thinking can lead to emotional problems.

After long stretches of negative self-talk, we have a tough time changing. Our thinking, feelings, and actions grow worse. As our stress level increases, tolerance decreases.

God offers a better life.

The one and only God who created the world created us. God also:

Loves us
Has a special plan for us
Forgives us when we repent of our wrongs
Gives eternal life and a home in heaven to all who follow Jesus

That should give us a positive outlook on life. Don’t you agree?

“Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21 NIV).

Thanks to Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion. Photo by Jack Bulmer on Pexels.

Do you have other examples of stinking thinking or an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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*Seek professional help if needed to overcome extreme negative thought patterns.

Feet of Clay

February 10, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

How often do we admire people and think they can do no wrong? Yet, we eventually learn they have feet of clay.

Feet of clay means a failure or weakness.

We have faults. Our heroes have faults. No matter how hard we try to be perfect, everyone falls short of perfection.

This idiom originated in the Bible.

Daniel 2 tells the story of King Nebuchadnezzar and a dream he could not understand. God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel, one of the king’s captives. In the dream, a statue had:

A head of gold
A body of silver, bronze, and iron
Feet of iron and clay

A large rock hit the feet, and the statue crumbled.

Daniel told the king his dream meant the Babylonian kingdom would fall. However, God’s kingdom would last forever.

Because we have feet of clay, we find hope only in our Creator.

If we rely on ourselves, we fall flat. However, God’s strength and guidance enable us to stand firm. Like Daniel, may we faithfully follow the one and only true God.

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his” (Daniel 2:20 NIV).

Thanks to Meghan Bowker, editor of Missions Mosaic magazine, for the idea. Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash.

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