Horse Sense

Many American Expressions originated on the ranches and farms across the country.

Don't beat a dead horse, is advice given for someone to stop arguing, because the decision has been made. If a deal has already been settled, it does not matter any more. So, why beat a dead horse?

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. This expression means that you can provide an opportunity to somebody, but there is no guarantee that he or she will accept it.

Here is a web page with many more horse idioms, such as these:

• Don't put the cart before the horse.
• Don't change horses midstream.
• Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
• Horsing around
  

Carrot and Stick

In President Bush's December 4, 2007 press conference, he said, "that was the sticks-and-carrots approach." He later corrected this improper use of the phrase by saying, "One thing is for certain: The NIE talks about how a carrot-and-stick approach can work." (See full transcript of the press conference here.)

The idiom refers to the image of a horse or donkey being led in the master's desired direction, by dangling a carrot on a stick in front of the animal from the carriage seat.

The President is not known for his diplomacy, assumes a posture of a superior, paternalistic empire while insulting another country, in this case, Iran.

Another subtle insult was the use of the term regime for the Iranian government. No one refers to the U.S. regime. It is a term for a government, but often with a negative connotation, a government that is perhaps new, unstable, or criminal, such as a fascist regime.

In politics we see the subtle use of language and terminology making differences in perception and opinion, right on down to who is an "enemy combatant" or "terrorist". In the press conference Bush would say, "the most disappointing thing about Washington has been the name calling." Strange to hear from one whose buddies, the right wing talk show "pundits" such as Rush Limbaugh, Don Imus (see previous article) and Michael Savage revel in assigning negative labels such as "femi-Nazis" to those they have chosen to make their enemies.

Moving the Goalposts

Originally uploaded by Rebecca Key

Moving the goal posts is an expression meaning to change originally established rules or goals to benefit your or your team. This strategy is often taken by a person or party whose efforts have fallen short of making their goal. The easy solution is to move the goal posts, so that an errant attempt might make the goal, or not appear to be an extremely bad miss.

The phrase originates from football, and it's variations. How many sports contests would be altered if somehow the location of the goal posts were magically moved?

U.S. Government officials have spent two days reviewing reports and asking questions of Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. forces in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and this phrase was invoked a number of times. Many U.S. representatives and the public are concerned that the war in Iraq has indefinite goals and timelines. The U.S. bombed Baghdad in March 2003 and since that time millions of Iraqis have fled their country, billions, perhaps trillions of U.S. dollars have been spent on the conflict - some of it unaccounted for, over 3,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed, and many more permanently wounded or crippled. Statistics of Iraqi civilian casualties are unclear. After all this, there is still great instability in Iraq and no end in sight.

Raising the bar is a similar expression to moving the goal posts, and originates from the high jump event in track and field competition. To raise the bar normally has a positive connotation; that a person is setting a higher goal to achieve. To match the metaphors, if one were to say, "Go ahead and move the goal posts 10 yards back, and I can still make the kick good," or "Raise the bar 10 centimeters higher, and I can jump over it."

In the case of the military and political goals in Iraq, moving the goal posts seems to have more to do with timelines than space. Yesterday's goal post may have been based upon a promise that the war can be finished by October 2008. Today's goal post is moved to 2009, or maybe further out. This fog of war happens when there is no clear, long term mission strategy at the beginning, so the rules are made up as they go along. There is an expression for this response to a lack of study and planning, and it may have originated in the days of wild west Texas: shooting from the hip.

False Alarm

false-alarm gps
Originally uploaded by jennybach

At the JFK airport baggage claim, a young man was speaking on his cell phone. With an Eastern European accent he shouts, "It was a false alarm! Don't you know what false alarm means?" I guess his friend thought there was trouble, and this guy was telling him everything was really OK.

The term false alarm originates from a mistaken call to the fire department reporting a fire, when there really is no fire. Also called a nuisance alarm, it could be a deceitful prank, or just worry over something that did not actually happen. A similar instance is the classic anecdote of someone yelling out, "Fire!" in a crowded theater, causing a dangerous stampede by the panicked crowd.

Another example would be the Aesop fable of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", but that's another story.

The Grass Is Always Greener

Greener Grass
Originally uploaded by mdsnbelle

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence is a common expression, meaning that by human nature, people often believe others have it better. "That guy's lawn, or that guy's house looks better than mine," is classic envy or coveting of another's property.

In many cases it may be true. People leave Afghanistan, Iraq, India, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Russia, Mexico and come to the U.S.A. to find a better life. There must be a good reason for this.

Bad Slang Gets You Fired

Radio talk show host Don Imus got fired for racist and sexist comments broadcast over radio and television.

Here is a video clip with the context of the words that got this man in "hot water", big trouble.

From Mark Egan of Reuters News:

Debates over racial expressions are a frequent feature of an American culture still struggling to come to terms with a legacy of slavery and discrimination. "Nappy" is a slur describing the tightly curled hair of many African-Americans. "Ho" is slang for "whore," and is commonly used in rap music.

Kiss and Ride

Kiss and Ride
Originally uploaded by sanbeiji.

Often new expressions are introduced into the English and American mainstream by way of foreign countries. The description attached to this photo tells us that the expression, as odd as it may look, is present at the drop off areas in a few train stations in the US and Canada, although this is the first I've seen it or heard the phrase.

Mordor?

Mordor?
Originally uploaded by steffstef (in China).

Dial M for Murder, was the famous 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film with Ray Milland and Grace Kelly. Mordor is the land ruled by Sauron in The Lord Of The Rings.

"Keep morder" may have been intended to say, "keep order" or be orderly, behave yourself. The signmaker would have been better off keeping the message short and simple, such as "Caution," or simply "Be careful."