Idioms are an artistry of language, but nothing excites me more than when they slightly miss the mark. Here are my favorite “almost idioms”:
The Wrong Ones (a.k.a. “close but no cigar”)
- Out like a rock (out like a light x sleep like a rock)
- We will burn that bridge when we get there (burning bridges x cross that bridge when we get there)
- Doggy dog work (dog-eat-dog world)
- I could care less (I couldn’t care less)
- For all intensive purposes (for all intents and purposes)
- It’s not rocket surgery (rocket science + brain surgery)
- Kill a bird with two stones (kill two birds with one stone)
- Don’t beat a gift horse in the mouth (don’t beat a dead horse x don’t look a gift horse in the mouth)
- Beating up the wrong tree (barking up the wrong tree)
- This is your world, I’m just an oyster (the world is your oyster)
- Potato, tomato (potato, potahto / tomato, tomahto)
- Old wise tale (old wives’ tale)
- I will die on this grave (I will die on this hill)
- He’s gone right behind my back right in front of my face (not wrong, just silly)
Language is beautiful in its imperfections. These delightful mishmashes remind us that communication is as much about connection as it is about correctness. Sometimes the wrong words are exactly the right ones.