And, finally, a Mind of Merc post.
Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about some phrases I've never understood why they exist.
- Broken home: supposedly this is when a child's parents split up - the home is broken - but surely if the parents stay together when they really really shouldn't then that is actually a broken home
- Thunder thighs: apparently this is a negative thing that implies a woman's thighs are too big - personally I always thought it sounded awesome - like they're the thighs of a thunder goddess!
- Have some balls: this is meant to encourage strength yet balls are soft, vulnerable and a weak point whereas a vagina can bleed for a week each month and survive having a baby push through it
Maybe some of these need to change.
But they're not the only ones:
- Head over heels: supposedly this represents a doing a somersault. But surely it's the normal position to be in . A somersault would be your heels going over your head
- Sleep like a baby: this phrase is meant to mean sleep well. Yet a baby is probably the person least likely to sleep well. If you're sleeping like a baby wouldn't you be waking up every 2 hours crying?
- Dead as a doornail: i.e. completely and definitely passed on. A doornail is a piece of metal - it has never been alive but it is not alone in on that distinction so seems an odd object to pick.
Isn't the English language a peculiar thing?
