Reinvent the Wheel

What was man's very first invention? It would be hard to provide a definitice answer to that question. It would depend on how novel, or imaginitive, something has to be before it classifies as an invention. The use of fire, for example--would that be an invention, or a discovery? At the end of the day, it is probably not an important question to resolve.

It is hard to imagine life before some of the most basic inventions, and hard to imagine what went through the minds of the first inventors. One of the first inventions might have been a pointy stick, or a pointy rock, which could have many useful applications. Imagine being the very first to think or tying the rock to the stick to make an axe, with many times the cutting and chopping power. With that axe, you can now sharpen more sticks and more rocks faster than ever before.

Without a doubt, the most famous of the early inventions is the wheel. Perhaps someone observed that heavy objects are much easier to move if they are also round. Moreover, heavy objects that are not round are easier to push if they are sitting on top of something round, like a log. Before the wheel was invented, I can imagine people pushing a heavy sled piled high with rocks using logs as rollers. At some point, another someone found a way to attach the round logs to the sled, and the wheel was born. Well, that's just speculation, but it could have happened that way.

Now, both the axe and the wheel, and many of the inventions we use every day, were invented a long time ago. More recent inventions such as the light bulb and the computer came at a time when people already knew about the wheel. If everyone had to start from scratch, we would never see any advanced ideas or technology. The wheel has already been invented, and doesn't need to be invented again. This is the background to today's idiom--when someone is working on something that has alrady been done before, we say that they are reinventing the wheel. Usually, this idiom is used in a negative way: "don't reinvent the wheel". If you can build on someone else's work, you will have more time and energy left over to do something new.

However, there is another side to the story. Today, we aren't using the original model of the wheel or the axe. If we never reinvented the wheel, our cars would have heavy wooden or stone wheels and wouldn't be as useful or efficient. The wheel has gone through many improvements and adaptations, and we now use it for many things that the original inventors would never have dreamed of. When someone improves on an existing idea or invention, we say that they are building a better mousetrap. We may also say that they are standing of the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton helped to made this idiom famous when he said that his own accomplishments in science were made by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Par for the Course

Golf is one of many sports that is more fun to play than to watch. Some people might say that it spoils a perfectly good walk, but other may counter that it enhances it. There are a handful idioms that come from the world of golf, many of which are centred around the concept of "par".

Every hole in golf has a par--that is, the number of strokes that you should need to get the ball in the hole. Usually, the numbers are chosen for experienced players, and beginners can't actually expect to hit par very often. A par 3 course is one with only par 3 holes. These are the shortest holes, and therefore the most fun and least intimidating.

If your score is under par, that's good; if it is over par, not so good. If you are having an average game, then your score is right on par. Similarly, anything outside of a golf game can also be right on par or par for the course. That means that things are happening just as excpected. A new employee may witness strange behaviour from one of his coworkers, or his new boss--yelling or talking to himself. Then another coworker will pull him aside and tell him not to worry, that this is just par for the course.

We also use the concept of par to describe above- or below-average work of any kind. If something is not too good, or leaves something to be desired, then we can say that it's below par. On the other hand, if something is above par then it is better than normal. The strange thing is, in an actual game of golf, it is better to be below par, because the lowest score wins. Somehow, when the idioms made the transition to general usage, they were flipped around. By now you probably know that that's just par for the course for the English language.

Saving Grace

You don't have to be particularly observant to see that there are a lot of problems in our world. Every day people mistreat others, because they belong to a different group, or maybe just to steal their watch. There are wars that seem to have no hope of ever ending, and sometimes brutal violence against innocent people. All the while, there are environmental problems that nobody seems to be doing enough to stop, and the rich get richer as the poor get poorer. You could say that it looks like we're going to hell in a handbasket.

Some people think that religion is responsible for most of the problems in the world today. I suspect that if we tried to outlaw religion, we wouldn't actually solve many of the problems, and we might even create new ones. However, there is no denying that religion is behind many of the horrible deeds that happen in this day and age. It is also behind many of our idioms.

When someone has numerous character defects, they may be judged harshly and find themselves with enemies. That is not always the case, though. Many people--well, all people--have character flaws, but they also have good traits. The good part of someone's character that makes them likeable, in spite of their defects, is called their saving grace. A saving grace may be humility or honesty about their past misdeeds. It might also be a good sense of humour or a way with words. A person with a quick wit and a sharp sense of humour can get away with murder. That is, they can say a lot more than someone who is less eloquent.

In spite of all the problems that I listed before, I think the world also has many saving graces. Most of these saving graces are small actions, or individual people working to make a better world. There are people who are willing to do whatever it takes--to move heaven and earth--to bring things like justice and security closer to reality. I find their stories to be inspiring. There are beautiful things all over the world: small miracles like the procession of clouds across the sky, or the never-ending story of death and rebirth that is told by the changing seasons.

There isn't much around that is totally black and white. Most systems and people still have their saving graces. If you happen to notice one, perhaps this idiom will come in handy to describe it.

Labour of Love

There are many reasons why we choose to do the things we do. Sometimes, it is out of necessity. At some point we have to get food ready, we have to clean up the house, we have to wash the clothes and have to make some money. These things are sometimes called the daily grind because they aren't very exciting but they have to be done.

Then, there are the things that we really enjoy. Almost everyone enjoys a good rest now and then, a moment to take it easy by watching a movie, reading a book, or getting together with some friends. However, there are probably some activities that everyone likes to do that aren't restful at all--things that take a lot of hard work, but aren't hard to do, because we want to do them. They will be different for each person, but everyone can relate to the feeling of working hard on an enjoyable project. When someone is making or doing something because they enjoy it, and not simply out of necessity, or to make money, we call it a labour of love.

There are some businesses that I think must be a labour of love. It is hard to imagine anyone getting filthy rich by owning a chocolate shop, or a used book store, or a store that sells only cat-themed slippers and purses. If the owners didn't also enjoy running the business, or believe in what they were doing, I doubt they would last too long.

Artists of all types often become involved in projects that could be called labours of love. I suppose artists, either amateur or professional, tend to dream big and have all sorts of ideas they would love to one day turn into a reality. For example, a new translation of a poem that has already been translated seventy times is probably a labour of love. A quintet of five trombones performing Bach's Tocata and Fugue also likely falls into that category. Mari's Hawaiian dance class is also a labour of love; I know that she isn't in it for the money.

I hope that everyone is lucky enough to have some free time left over when the daily grind is complete. If you do have the chance to work on something you really enjoy and believe in, you now have an idiom to describe it!

Ahead of the Pack

I've picked a couple sports-related idioms as we near the end of the Olympic Games in Vancouver. This weekend, we are coming to the final stretch--Sunday is the last day. Actually, most sports idioms don't come from winter Olympic sports. I think the two most represented sports are boxing and horse racing. For example, the final stretch comes from the last part of a race, where the horses (or runners, or skaters) have the finish line in sight. It can mean the last part of any project or effort, when the end is in sight.

If you've watched long races like the Tour de France on bicycle, or a long cross-country ski event, you may have seen how the majority of the athletes stay close together for much of the race. There are certain advantages to staying in a pack: the person ahead may block the wind, for instance. However, the people who stay in the pack the whole time don't usually win. Soon, someone has to break out of the pack and get ahead of the competition. Someone who is running, cycling, skiing or skating ahead of the rest of the atheltes is ahead of the pack. The same can be said of someone who is at or near the top of the class in school, or ahead of their professional peers.

Last week we learned that every cloud has a silver lining. A silver medal is, of course, a huge accomplishment, although for some it might be disappointing to be so close to the gold and just fall short. If anyone who is discouraged, or tired you can remind them to keep their stick on the ice. Anyone on a hockey team would have to keep their stick on the ice to be at all useful to the team. So, what we mean is to keep on playing, keep trying, and not give up.

Well, this week's idioms may not take the gold medal, but perhaps one of them will come in handy in a pinch. That is, you will find that it is just the right way to say what you want to say. Enjoy the last couple days of the Games--it looks like Canada is on its way to the gold medal men's hockey game, perhaps the closest we get to a religious holiday...

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Perhaps you fell off a ladder and broke your leg--but at least you get to miss a couple weeks of work and catch up on your reading or favorite TV shows. Perhaps you got a horrible mark on the first mid-term exam--but at least it inspired you to study harder and master the course material before the next one. Perhaps you lost your home in a destructive tornado--but at least you'll never be annoyed by that creaky hardwood floor or the drafty windows any more!

You may be familiar with the proverbial argument between two philosophers over a glass of water. One says that the glass is half-full, while the other insists that it is half-empty. Of course, they are both right: it is a matter of perspective. There are at least two ways of looking at any situation, depending on whether you focus on the positive aspects or the negative aspects. Sometimes we say, there are two sides to the same coin.

Even circumstances that seem at first glance to be bad often have some redeeming feature: something good that comes out of an unpleasant situation. We associate clouds with rain, or dark days when the sun is hidden from view. However, even clouds can be beautiful. As a reminder that things are not as bad as they sometimes seem, we say that every cloud has a silver lining.

I would argue that clouds do not deserve the negative reputation that hold in many people's minds. A clear blue sky without any clouds in sight is boring. No pleasant summer day is complete without some lumpy, pillowy cumulus clouds floating by as children look for familiar objects or animals in their shapes. Even a completely overcast sky can be beautiful when there are textures and patterns visible in the clouds. And it is also worth mentioning that clouds bring rain, which is essential for life. Throughout human history, clouds have reminded people of the divine. Thunder and lightning come from clouds, as well as the shafts of sunlight that shine through after a storm. It would seem that clouds have many silver linings.

Whether you are talking about literal clouds, or, as is more likely, about discouraging events that seem to be all bad, this is an idiom used to help people cheer up, and look on the bright side. The next time you are faced with clouds, real or metaphorical, remember to look for the silver lining before losing hope.

Bells and Whistles

These days it is hard to find the simple version of anything. This is especially true in the world of electronics, where the technology is advancing rapidly. Today it would be hard to find a radio that is just a radio and not also a CD player and a million other things, or to find a DVD player that only plays DVDs--not Blu-Ray--anywhere besides an antiques store. My father-in-law recently had the devil of a time finding an important cable that he needed for his work. It was almost impossible to find because it was used to connect to a SCSI-2 port, technology that is almost six years old. If you'd listen to all the advertisements from stores like Future Shop, six years is an eternity.

All the new technology really is interesting. It is amazing that you can fit 10,000 songs in an MP3 player the size of a fingernail. If that same MP3 player can also serve as a phone, email service, and nail trimmer, then I have to admit that is impressive. When a device has lots of extra capabilities, especially the latest and greatest new features, we say that it has all the bells and whistles. A regular car will get you from Point A to Point B, but a car with all the bells and whistles will have a sunroof, a GPS system, television screens in the back, and a race car engine so you can arrive in style.

Of course, the problem with bells and whistles can be that, besides making a lot of noise, they don't really do very much. Sometimes they are just gimmicks that sound attractive in the store, but don't really add much value. If you tell someone that you're looking for something basic, without all the bells and whistles, they'll understand that you need something simple and practical. If something has all the bells and whistles, then it's the most expensive model. Unless you're so rich that money is no object, paying for all the bells and whistles is usually a poor investment.

On the other hand, we have another saying related to consumer life: you get what you pay for. That means that when something is being sold very cheaply, there is probably a good reason. The parts are held together with plastic instead of stainless steel, and in a few months' time you'll be back in the store to buy a replacement. It's usually a good idea in the long run to pay for quality.

There is an exception to every rule, and in this case I would mention the blender and kettle that I picked up a couple years ago for $2.00 each which are still functioning well today. Perhaps it is because they come from the 1950s when everything was made to last a little longer than today. These days I have low expectations for how long things are supposed to last. When my camera started giving off smoke after about three years, I wasn't particularly surprised or disappointed. Our computer is reaching the four-year mark and I half expect to see smoke rising from the keyboard any day now.

It's hard to get away from consumerism and feel content with the basics. Going for a walk, playing a board game, or sitting by the fire are as satisfying as they have always been, but it is easy to forget that in the face of clever commercials that try to make us feel unsatisfied with a simple life. Maybe you aren't looking for simplicity at all: maybe having a new toy with all the bells and whistles is for you. Either way, whether you want to say yes or no to all the cutting edge features, you have an idiom in your arsenal to do so.

Start from Scratch

It isn't very often that we get things just right on the first try. Usually the first draft of an essay, the first attempt at solving a puzzle, or even the first day at a new job doesn't turn out exactly the way it should. That is to be expected--we are learning things as we go. Perhaps you can take a step back and look at what is worth keeping and what needs to be changed. Unless you are lucky (or have low standards) making something that you can be proud of is an iterative process.
Sometimes the first attempt leaves so much to be desired that there is almost nothing to salvage. It's better to forget that it ever happened, sweep it under the carpet, and start again at the beginning. This week I tried to write an article for an engineering organization where I am a member. I wrote a first draft which I thought was pretty good. However, it came back with so many corrections and objections that I decided that it would be easier to start from scratch. That is, instead of changing a few words ir sentences, it would be easier to write a completely different article.

The idea of "starting from scratch" comes from the world of sports. Scratch was the starting point that was literally scratched into the ground. The boundary line in cricket and the line across which boxers would face one another were referred to as scratch. Eventually, the starting point of any race became known as "scratch". The term is also used in sports where weaker contestants are given a handicap. In a footrace, a contestant given a handicap would get to start five yards closer to the finish line. The stronger runner would have to start from scratch.

Over time the phrase took on the more general meaning of starting from the begninning. When you start from scratch you start without any previous work to build upon.

Starting from scratch doesn't have to be associated with failure; it can also be a sign of perseverance. When calamity, or diasaster strikes, some people lose everything. Imagine the people whose homes were knocked down by the earthquake in Haiti, or swept away by the tsunami in Southeast Asia. We can try to imagine but the attempt comes up short. The people who are able to endure the loss of their livelihood and family members and somehow not give up demonstrate that the human spirit is a lot stronger than it sometimes appears.

As the Crow Flies

You may have noticed that crows have been in the news lately. New research is showing that these birds, which have always had a reputation for cleverness, may be even smarter than apes and monkeys. They are able to use tools, remember where they hide food, play tricks on each other, and even recognize human faces. Smart cookies! However, this week’s crow-related idiom doesn’t have anything to do with their intelligence. It is simply a reference to their ability to fly.

Even if crows are not quite as intelligent as humans, they do have us beat in one area: they are able to fly from Point A to Point B using the shortest route possible. If there is a big rocky hill in the way, or a forest full of thorn trees, we might have to walk around. A crow, however, would just fly over top. Therefore, the distance between one place and another along an imaginary straight line between them is called the distance as the crow flies. Of course there are many birds which would also use that route, but for some reason we always say, as the crow flies. Some birds fly in circles riding on thermals of hot air coming up from he ground, some birds flit from one flower to another, and many birds don’t fly at all. The crow flies in a straight line.

Because our highways and paths aren’t always in a straight line, there are different ways to calculate the distance between two places. For example, it may be five kilometres—or five clicks—along the path through the woods from my house to Grandma’s house. If we go by car, it may be six kilometres. But her house is actually only three kilometres away, as the crow flies.

Another way that we give distances is by the time it takes to get there. Out here on the prairies this is especially common. It makes you wonder if everyone has been brushing up on their Einstein. Physicists will try to explain how space and time are all part of the same continuum. Most people are thinking of something much more down to earth when they say that the next town is “one hour away.” They just mean that it will take one hour to get there by car. And yes, the car is the default instrument for measuring distances with time. If you are going to hoof it, or walk, then you need to specify that it is one hour away on foot.

Hopefully you can find an opportunity to use one of these distance-related idioms this week. If you see a crow, take the time to verify whether or not it is actually travelling in a straight line, as the crow flies.

Let the Cat out of the Bag

When you have a secret, especially if it is a piece of particularly good news, it is hard to keep it bottled up inside. You have the power to make it public, and it is tempting to use that power. However, you probably do not have the power to undo your decision once you begin to talk. Once a secret is out in the open we can say that the cat is out of the bag.

If you have ever owned or handled a cat, you can imagine the difficulty involved in forcing it into a bag. Cats don't like to be forced into doing anything, and least of all if that something is being stuffed into a bag. If you were walking down the street with the bag in one hand, people would notice that something was wriggling inside, and they would be suspicious. They would be anxious for a look inside. If they did convince you to open the bag just a little, the cat would push its way out and bolt off in terror, and the bag would be empty.

Something very similar happened to me last summer. We had a guest staying at our apartment who was alergic to cats, so I arranged to take the cat to a friend's place. Rather than a bag, I carried him in a cardboard box. As I walked down the street with his food in one hand and the box in the other, it began to lurch and emit loud meows, drawing the attention of the bystanders on the street. He grew more and more frightened and soon managed to push one of his paws out of the box. Just before we got to my friend's place, he burst out of the box and ran towards the river. It was four days before I found him again, and he was quite shaken when I did manage to bring him home.

Just as I'm not good at keeping a real cat in a box, I also have trouble keeping the cat in the bag, metaphorically speaking. It is pretty obvious when I am hiding something. You could accuse me of wearing my heart on my sleeve. If I am happier, or sadder, than usual, people can quickly tell; once they ask what's wrong, I'm liable to let the cat out of the bag, or spill the beans (which means the same thing).

Another idiom that comes from the independance of cats is used to describe a situation where someone has to manage a number of different people or groups, all of whom have their own idea of where they want to go. We say that it is like herding cats. Unlike cows or sheep, cats are not naturally comfortable in large groups acting of one mind. Whether people are better compared with sheep or cats is of course to be determined on a case by case basis. There are certainly some times when the image of a "catherd" trying to herd cats feels very appropriate.

Get Cold Feet

I’ve chosen a cold-themed idiom this week in honour of the below-normal temperatures we’ve been having.

Most people go about the day trying to make the best decisions possible, but everyone makes mistakes. Usually these decisions are minor, but sometimes we decide to take a big risk and step outside of our regular routine: finding a new job, moving to a new country, beginning a relationship, or starting a business venture, for example. All of these are big decisions, and they can be scary.

To get cold feet means to have second thoughts about taking a risk and starting something new. All of a sudden, you begin to doubt whether it is really a wise idea. If you really get cold feet, and the feelings are strong enough, you may back out completely.

If you have ever gone swimming in a pool or in the ocean, you may understand what the idiom is referring to. Before jumping into the water, most people will test the water with their feet. Sometimes the water is much colder than we imagined! Still, from experience most people know that once they get into the water, they get used to the temperature and are able to enjoy themselves. To get over the initial fear—the cold feet—we need to put mind over matter and go for it. Of course, sometimes it is smarter to act upon the feeling of cold feet. Sometimes the water is so cold that you might catch hypothermia and die. Getting cold feet before making a big decision is natural, but whether to put mind over matter and take the plunge must be decided on a case by case basis.

My cat likes to stand at the door and meow to be let outside. In the summer he runs out quickly, without much deliberation. As winter approaches and the weather gets colder, he usually gets cold feet after I open the door. Sometimes he still goes outside, only with less enthusiasm, but most of the time he simply turns around in disgust.

Some people talk about getting cold feet right before their wedding day. That wasn’t my experience—I didn’t have any second thoughts and to this day I don’t regret taking the plunge. However, we have all heard stories where either the bride or the groom run away right before the big day, leaving the would-be partner and all the guests in shock. That is a serious case of cold feet.

So, next time you have a friend who starts to doubt himself before making a big decision, you may not know whether or not to encourage him to proceed, but at least you have an idiom you can use to describe the feeling!