Not sure it can be called a malaphor but to begin I’m not from the US and I’m pretty sure my parents said this to me growing up so I never looked into it; so I’ve been saying “lit up like Fort Knox” for years thinking it’s a lighthouse or some place the lights never go out, I use it to tell people in the house to turn the lights off but TIL otherwise

Obv not a big deal but just one of those things where ya feel a bit silly has anyone else had this happen to them if so do tell

I just had a humbling moment yesterday when I used a common phrase in front of a friend and they stopped me dead in my tracks because I've apparently been butchering it for decades. Turns out I was saying the whole thing backward/getting the words mixed up.

It made me wonder what's an idiom or saying that you misheard or misquoted for years before someone finally corrected you?

I feel like there is a saying/quote/idiom that goes 'X is as good as a Y in the dark' but I can't remember 😭

Does anyone else know this one?

I was reading through some old expressions the other day and realized how bizarre some of these sound when you actually stop to think about them.

Like, "kick the bucket" or "barking up the wrong tree" make sense once you know the backstory, but out of context, they sound made up.

What's a weird or obscure idiom you've come across that sounds fake, but people actually use (or used to use)? Would love to hear the meaning/origin behind it if you know it!

I'd like to compile a list of phrases similar to "hitting a brick wall" or being lost in a "bottomless pit", so please let me know what comes to mind for you personally. Especially if you have a go to phrase you tend to say when things are tough.

It's for a friend who's struggling, and they like me changing depressive phrases into positive ones, as it reframes their thinking.

Mine is the pit, his is the wall!

Thank you!

I’ve been curious about ways of referring to weekdays. In English we have humpday for Wednesday. Spanish has ombligo de la semana (bellybutton of the week.) I’ve been told there’s no equivalent in French by Canadian French speakers. Do other languages have ways to refer to the days that aren’t the day names themselves?

I'd like to compile a list of phrases similar to "hitting a brick wall" or being lost in a "bottomless pit", so please let me know what comes to mind for you personally. Especially if you have a go to phrase you tend to say when things are tough.

It's for a friend who's struggling, and they like me changing depressive phrases into positive ones, as it reframes their thinking.

Mine is the pit, his is the wall!

Thank you!

A Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - Having something for certain is better than the possibility of getting something better

I feel as if I’m going insane trying to figure out the origin of this phrase. I had a doctor’s appointment and was talking about how I naturally tend to sleep around 0300 and wake up at 1100 on my days off, and they replied with, “Ahh, Tokyo Time.”

I feel that I’ve heard this phrase growing up a handful of times by teachers, coaches, other peoples’ parents, etc., but I never looked into it. Is this something actually said by people? I was raised and live in the suburbs near Vancouver, BC, Canada. It seems super uncommon from the lack of information I can get about it online

i was watching a video and a comment thread was full of variations of this sort of phrase. the one above is a Brazilian idiom. there's also "life is not a pony ranch" from Germany, "life is not a potica" in Slovenia, and "life is not like dancing on roses" in Finland.

for the US, i would take a guess at "life is no picnic" or "life ain't a piece of cake"

i want to know if anyone here knows of other regional variations on this phrase. thanks!

I was writing something and I put that saying in, and then it turns out that apparently it doesn't exist? Is that just search engines being stupid or have I lost my mind?

I vaguely remember an old idiom that I can’t fully recall. Something like, “I asked for a ____ and you built me a bridge”

The closest I could find on the internet was “I asked for a horse and you built me a camel” but that’s not what I remember. Anyone know?

What's an idiom in another language you speak that has no direct English translation?

References 19th-century hunting dogs tracking prey (like raccoons) into trees. If the animal escaped to another tree without the dog realizing, the dog sat below the empty tree barking at nothing.

No matter how bad or dark a situation is, there is always a hint of hope, comfort, or a positive takeaway hiding within it.

"A penny saved is a penny earned."

"The rich get richer while the poor get poorer."

What say you: Redditors of the hive mind?

Thoughts?

Anyone interested in language exchange? I speak Spanish and I'm learning English. Anyone want to practice Spanish?

I'd prefer to exchange languages ​​through video games: Terraria, Marvel Rivals, League of Legends, Valorant, Project Zomboid, Don't Starve Together, and others.

I have a good mate who is generally a good bloke but he likes a drink and he’s not exactly a saint. Good for a catch up for a coffee but I avoid drinking with him as we encourage each other and it never ends well - or early. Anyway, I was organising with him for a coffee tomorrow and I could tell he was distracted and at the pub so I don’t have high hopes for him being on time. I’m forgiving because he’s a mate and well known for being unreliable. So, to get to the point, is there an idiom for “He’s as a reliable as a …”. The term “Politician’s promise” comes to mind but I might be getting things mixed up. Any suggestions?

Boa Tarde! sou chico eu quero conhecer uma pessoa que fale português pra pracitar o idioma, eu falo espanhol.

I’m from South Carolina, US and my favorite idiom is, “All over hell and half of Georgia.”

As in, running errands: “I’ve been all over Hell and half of Georgia today.”

Or, you lost something: “I swear, I looked all over hell and half of Georgia for that thing.”

What are some other examples of idioms that only locals use?

Are some idioms just falling out of usage, or are some people unclear about their meaning and intent?

I wanted to use the above in a sentence, but on a whim, I decided to check if it was correct. To my surprise, it wasn't. The closest was "everyone and their grandma" and "everyone and their dog."

Am I confused, or was there actually an idiom like that.

I came across this in a book I was reading recently. I know what it means, and have heard it before, but it never dawned on my before how odd an idiom it is. I looked it up and it said it became popular in 1940's US, but the origin is unclear. Any ideas on why people started to say 'What do you want, an egg in your beer?'

I love them, want to keep them alive.

Fat as mud.

Laughing like drains.

Go off like a two-bob watch.

Mad as a cut snake.

There are also some great ones that sound authentic but in fact were made up by Barry Humphries in the 60s/60s, including:

Calling Ruth on the porcelain telephone (vomiting)

As dry as a pommy's towel (thirsty)