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...
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
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.
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.
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