Posted by Brad Osborne on January 4, 2020 · 24 Comments
They say, “Look before you leap”,
A moment to consider cost.
But don’t dare fall asleep,
For “He who hesitates is lost”.
Filed under Poetry · Tagged with adages, common phrases, contradiction, contradictory, contrapuntal, counter point, free form poetry, funny, humorous, juxtaposition, life, poem, Poetry, sayings, wisom
Posted by Brad Osborne on September 13, 2019 · 5 Comments
How do you kill a series? Well, it is a lot simpler than you may think.
Filed under General · Tagged with common phrases, compassion, death, ending a series, etymology, Friday's Phrase, lame horse, phrase meanings, phrase origins, phrases, weekly series, Why do we say
Posted by Brad Osborne on July 19, 2019 · 1 Comment
Welcome to the weekly series “Friday’s Phrase”. A whimsical and informative look at the idioms, phrases, proverbs and colloquialisms we commonly use, what they mean, and where they came from. This week’s phrase:    “sweat like a pig” This is another favorite. I use it often as, for me, I can begin to sweat … Continue reading →
Filed under General · Tagged with adages, colloquialisms, common phrases, etymology, Friday's Phrase, idioms, iron, phrase meanings, pig, sayings, smelting, sweat, Why do we say
Posted by Brad Osborne on July 5, 2019 · 1 Comment
We, this week, get a phrase born of true history.
Filed under General · Tagged with adages, colloquialisms, common phrases, etymology, Friday's Phrase, highland games, hop skip and jump, idioms, Olympics, phrase meanings, sayings, triple jump, Why do we say, word history
Posted by Brad Osborne on June 28, 2019 · 7 Comments
A whimsical and informative look at the idioms, phrases, proverbs and colloquialisms we commonly use, what they mean, and where they came from.
Posted by Brad Osborne on June 14, 2019 · 3 Comments
This week’s phrase:
“a lick and a promise”
Posted by Brad Osborne on May 31, 2019 · 8 Comments
The phrase will need to meet one standard. It needs to be a readily recognized phrase for most people for whom English is their native tongue. I will endeavor to provide for each phrase, a definition, a history of its first use on print, the origins of the phrase (hopefully, removing fiction from the facts), and finally my own thoughts.
Filed under General · Tagged with adages, common phrases, definition, etymology, first use, history, humor, idioms, phrase meanings, sayings, the written word, weekly series, Why do we say, words
commonsensiblyspeaking 