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 shouted, "It was a false alarm! Don't you know what false alarm means?" I assume his friend thought there was trouble, and this guy was telling him that 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.