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His Name Is Mud

His Name Is Mud

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His Name Is Mud--runner in mudMany children love to play in mud. Some animals roll in mud. However, no one wants to hear his name is mud.

Anyone whose name is mud is in trouble.

 The person’s bad situation makes him:

  • Unpopular
  • Dishonored
  • Have a bad reputation

Many believe his name is mud began with Dr. Samuel Mudd.

Dr. Mudd treated John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg after Booth killed President Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Mudd went to jail but was later pardoned. Many say he was innocent of any wrong. However, his reputation suffered.

His name is mud was a common expression before Dr. Mudd.

It often meant a person was a fool.

A person whose name is mud can come clean.

If guilty of bad behavior, he can:

  • Admit his mistakes
  • Ask forgiveness
  • Turn to God for guidance

If innocent of bad behavior, he can:

  • Live a life that shows his innocence
  • Explain what happened, if he thinks that will help
  • Show proof of his innocence
  • Watch his step to prevent future problems

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2).

Thanks to Terry Brewer for the suggestion.

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

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To a T

To a T

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To a T--Janice Holt and Henry Giles cabin“You described my life to a T.” That was Judith Coopey’s response to one of my blog posts. As soon as I read her words, I knew I had to write about them.

I have used this expression all my life.

To a T means something is perfect.

Not close. Not almost. It is:

  • Exact
  • Correct
  • Complete

To a T can be used several ways.

It describes:

  • A situation: “That class meets my needs to a T.”
  • How something looks: “That dress fits to a T.”
  • A person: “Funny but loving describes her to a T.”
  • Likeness: “This pond reflects the cabin to a T. It is a spitting image.”

No one knows how this expression started. The Phrase Finder lists several possibilities.

Jesus’ sacrifice meets everyone’s greatest need to a T.

That fact makes each day a day of thanksgiving and a reason to count life’s blessings.

“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14 NIV).

Thanks to Judith Coopey for the suggestion.

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

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Pick Someone’s Brain

Pick Someone’s Brain

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Pick Someone's Brain cartoonWhen we pick someone’s brain, we get information from that person.

We need ideas or advice. Therefore, we ask questions, sometimes lots of questions. A few of us probably drive parents and teachers wild with all our questions.

I recently picked several people’s brains.

My blog needed a new theme. Although I love to write blog posts, I hate the technical work. It makes me feel:

I was ready to throw in the towel before I got started.

As much as I wanted to give up, I did not. After picking lots of brains, I finally have a new theme.

Now, I need to pick your brain.

Will you check out the different pages on my site? You don’t have to know any technical information. Just see if it looks okay or if I need to make any changes.

You can comment below or contact me by email.

Thank you for your help.

“Wisdom is found in those who take advice” (Proverbs 13:10 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 Pixabay.

Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side

Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side

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Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side--pony eating through fenceThe grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Or so it seems.

That applies to both animals and people. Cows or horses stick their heads through fences to eat grass on the other side. People often try to reach the other side as well.

Many of us believe other people live a better life.

Therefore, we want what we don’t have:

  • Bigger homes
  • Nicer cars
  • Cooler clothes
  • Better-paying jobs
  • More travel
  • Well-behaved children

Life seems perfect for others, while we struggle from day to day. As a result, we get down in the mouth.

The grass is not always greener on the other side.

Most people have problems. No one may see those problems, but they are there. Their problems may differ from ours, but that does not make them any easier.

Happiness comes from within.

We never find happiness by:

  • Comparing our lives with others
  • Getting more than everyone else
  • Eating high on the hog

We find true happiness by:

  • Following God’s plan
  • Learning to be content in good times and bad
  • Valuing people more than things
  • Sharing what we have with those in need

Don’t believe the grass is always greener on the other side. It may be occasionally. Usually it is not.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6 NIV).

Thanks to Shirley Redding Rice for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

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

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Search High and Low

Search High and Low

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Search High and Low-tree with holes high and lowIf we search high and low, we look everywhere.

We try our best to find something or someone. Examples of people who search high and low include:

  • Children playing “Hide and Seek”
  • Adults having a senior moment (forgetting where they put something)
  • Shoppers searching for the perfect gift

Similar expressions include:

My friend Laurel Blevins found this tree on a local walking trail. Animals can hole up high and low inside it.

Many of us search high and low for joy.

Yet, our search fails when we look for joy in:

  • Money
  • Power
  • Popularity
  • Drugs and alcohol
  • Anything that does not last

We don’t need to wear ourselves out searching. Look to God, our only source of true joy.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV).

Does this tree remind anyone else of a cookie commercial?

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Easy Does It

Easy Does It

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Easy Does It--gentle streamEasy does it tells us to move slowly and carefully.

 Like gently flowing water, we:

  • Take our time
  • Work around hard spots
  • Go with the flow

If we move too fast, we quickly learn that haste makes waste.

Sometimes easy does it relates to work.

We remain careful when we:

  • Move a heavy piece of furniture
  • Carry a special painting or piece of pottery

We don’t want to drop or break any of those.

Other times easy does it relates to our emotions.

When we feel out of control, rather than blow off steam, we:

  • Calm down
  • Relax
  • Control our temper
  • Treat everyone as we want to be treated

Ways to stay in control include:

  • Taking deep breaths
  • Lowering our shoulders, so our muscles relax
  • Closing our eyes and thinking of a favorite place
  • Praying
  • Asking if what upsets us will matter in ten years

Easy does it works well for everything and everybody.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion.

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

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Nip It in the Bud

Nip It in the Bud

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Nip It in the Bud--plant with flowers and buds“Nip it in the bud. Just nip it in the bud.” Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show said that over and over. We laughed at Barney’s many messes. However, he did get a few things right.

We often need to nip it in the bud.

 We want to:

  • Stop something at an early stage
  • Prevent a problem before it happens
  • End a problem before it gets bigger

Taking action now may prevent regret later. Better safe than sorry.

If we don’t want a flower to bloom, we nip it in the bud.

We cut or break off the bud before it blooms. Sometimes, cold weather nips a flower in the bud.

Like flowers, some situations need nipping. To prevent problems or danger:

  • Parents punish their children’s bad behaviors.
  • Bosses fire lazy workers.
  • We quit bad habits.

Whether we nip buds or let them bloom, we can trust the Creator of them all. 

Also, with God’s help, we can always bloom where we’re planted.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).

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

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Watershed Moment

Watershed Moment

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Watershed Moment: Pacific Ocean, Hwy 101The first time I saw the ocean was a watershed moment.

I realized:

  • I love to travel (especially to places off the beaten path).
  • God created an amazing world.
  • The world has more to see than I can imagine.

A watershed moment is a turning point.

It involves a:

  • Time of discovery
  • Moment of change
  • Dividing point

This expression comes from geography. According to Merriam-Webster, a watershed is “a ridge of land separating rivers and streams flowing in one direction from those flowing in the opposite direction.” It may also include the area where the divided water flows.

Watershed moments in history include:

  • Discovery of electricity
  • Invention of the telephone
  • Beginning of space travel
  • Travel by automobile

The greatest watershed moment occurred when God came to earth as a man.

Jesus did no wrong. Yet, He paid the price for our wrongs. He:

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Timothy 1:15 NIV).

What was a watershed moment for you? Please comment below.

Thanks to Timothy Lewis for the suggestion.

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Up a Stump

Up a Stump

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Up a Stump--stump I always thought up a stump meant the same as stumped. My friend Patty Cooper Emerson explained a difference in the two.

Stumped means confused or puzzled.

We cut a few trees in our back year. I was stumped about what to do with the stumps. Should I:

  • Dig them up
  • Burn them
  • Leave them alone

Up a Stump--honeysuckle-covered stumpWith one stump, I let nature take control. Honeysuckle grew near it. I allowed the honeysuckle to keep growing. Now, it covers the stump and blooms all summer. Problem solved.

No longer stumped, I have a pretty stump.

Up a stump means a situation too big to manage.

I cannot solve the problem. I:

  • Have no choice
  • Must live with it

Patty gave the example of a young man who arrives 30 minutes late to work every day. If he is my sister’s son, I might feel up a stump – like I can do nothing.

What makes me feel up a stump may not make you feel that way.  

  • You may be comfortable firing your sister’s son.
  • I may feel comfortable with a problem you cannot manage.

Nothing leaves God up a stump. Rather than tying myself in knots or becoming a worry wart, I can take all my problems to God. So can you.

“A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree” (Proverbs 11:28 MSG).

If you use up a stump and stumped, do you mean the same? Please comment below.

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

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You Can’t Squeeze Blood from a Turnip

You Can’t Squeeze Blood from a Turnip

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You Can't Squeeze Blood from a Turnip--basket of turnipsYou can’t squeeze blood from a turnip means something is extremely hard to do.

You may also hear:

  • It is like getting blood from a turnip.
  • You can’t draw blood from a turnip.
  • It is like getting blood from a stone.

All usually deal with efforts to get money or information from someone.

 The person:

  • Has what we need but will not share or help
  • Or has little or no money or information

Often a person has a bill but no way to pay it.

A few businesspeople understand. Others do not.

During my social work years, a doctor cared for a couple and their children. One day we discussed their many needs. The doctor said, “You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip.” He knew the family was poor as a church mouse. They would probably never be able to pay his bill.

However, the doctor continued to treat the family. He also gave them the same respect he gave everyone else. The family paid him $1 every month. He admired their effort to pay what they could.

You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip. You can treat everyone with respect.

 Count your blessings. Then share those blessings with others.

“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Proverbs 14:31 NIV).

Thanks to Rhonda Wade Royster for the suggestion.

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

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