Thursday, April 3, 2025

Don't be all Willy Nilly and other strange sayings


Here is another collection of strange sayings we use and their origin:

"You're acting all Willy nilly!"
Describes something done haphazardly, without any particular plan or method, or in a way that doesn't consider personal preference. The saying traces it roots to the Shakespearean expression “will ye, nill ye” which is a contraction that means “whether one wants to or not.”

"We have to go back to square one." 
Means to go back to the beginning after failure. The meaning likely originated from early British radio football commentators who divided the field into numbered squares to help listeners visualize the game with square one representing the areas around the goal.

"If you go as the crow flies..." 
Is when someone describes the shortest route to a destination. It is based on the fact that crows are very intelligent birds and tend to fly straight to the nearest food supply. One origin traces this saying before modern navigational methods were introduced, cages of crows were kept upon ships and a bird would be released from the crow's nest when required to assist navigation, in the hope that it would fly directly towards land.

"We're behind the eight ball." 
Refers to a bad situation. The phrase comes from pool (or billiards). When the cue (white) ball is behind the eight (black) ball, a player usually has no shot.

"It is the Chefs kiss!" 
This is a gesture or a way of expressing that something is excellent or perfect. It is often used to signify a delicious dish or a job well done. The gesture imitates a chef kissing their fingers. This gesture is believed to have originated from the image of a male Italian chef performing this gesture—often with a mustache, white chef's hat, and apron—spread in US advertisements after World War 2.

"It's not worth a hill of beans." 
Is a phrase said when something is of little or no importance, value or worth. It is believed that this expression was first used almost 700 years ago when Robert of Gloucester described a message from the King of Germany to King John of England as “altogether not worth a bean.”

"Be here or be square."
Is an informal expression encouraging someone to attend an event, implying that missing out is considered not cool. The saying originated in the 1940s jazz scene where “square” meant someone who was considered boring, out of touch, or not cool with the music and culture of the time.

"They are an odd duck." 
This description means a person who is considered strange, peculiar, or quirky often in a harmless or endearing way. The origin of this description comes from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” where the duckling didn’t fit in.

"The world is your oyster." 
This means that you can do anything you wish or go anywhere you want in your life because you have the ability to do so.  This saying is thought to have originated from William Shakespeare's play, The Merry Wives of Windsor, where the character Pistol says, "Why then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open," implying the world is a source of opportunity to be seized. 

"I stand corrected." 
Is a saying when someone acknowledges that something you previously said or believed was wrong, and you accept the correction provided by someone else. It's a polite way of admitting you were mistaken. This phrase was first recorded in John Dryden's The Maiden Queen (1668): “I stand corrected, and myself reprove.”

"We're pulling out all the stops!" 
To pull out all the stops means to make every possible effort or use all available resources to achieve an end. The "stops" in question were originally the physical stop knobs of a pipe organ.  This saying originates from the world of pipe organs, where "stops" are knobs that control which sets of pipes are playing, and pulling them out activates those pipes, creating a fuller, louder sound. 

"Looks like you're in a pickle." 
Usually means to be in a difficult or awkward situation with no easy solution.  The origin of this saying is believed to come from the diary of Samuel Pepys on in 1660.  

"Let's spill the tea!" 
This is a popular slang phrase that means to share gossip, secrets, or juicy details about someone or something.  This is believed to have originated in African American and LGBTQ+ communities, particularly within drag and ballroom culture.

"You got off on the wrong foot." 
This is what is said when someone gets off to a bad start by doing something completely the wrong way.  This most likely originated from the superstitious belief that the left foot is unlucky or from military traditions where marching always starts with the left foot.  

"You were caught red-handed!" 
Usually means to be caught in the act of doing something wrong or illegal, often used in the context of crime or wrongdoing.  To be "caught red-handed" originated from 15th century Scottish law, referring to someone apprehended in the act of committing a crime, specifically with blood on their hands, often related to poaching or livestock theft.

"Can you hold down the fort?" 
Is used when someone is looking after things while someone else is away or busy doing something else.   This phrase comes from the Western frontier times where soldiers and settlers would "hold the fort" to protect their settlements from perceived threats.

"Not to be a Debbie Downer." 
This means to avoid being someone who consistently expresses negative or pessimistic views, dampening the enthusiasm or happiness of others.  This phrase originated from a character on Saturday Night Live played by Rachel Dratch who was known for her consistently negative and depressing remarks.

"It's the bees knees." 
This usually means to be of excellent or extremely high standard.   The origin of this phrase is difficult to trace but most believe it gained popularity to its rhyme and the general trend of creating bizarre animal-related phrases during the 1920s. 

"We're going to hell in a hand basket." 
Usually describes a situation that is headed for disaster.  The origin of this phrase has been much debated.  Some believe that it relates to the baskets used to catch guillotined heads in the 18th Century.

"We'd better high tail it out of here!"
This means to leave a place very quickly or in a hurry, often in a way that suggest urgency or a desire to escape.  The origin comes from cattle ranch slang in the 1890s referring to the way a running cow or bull raises its tail when running.

"Don't cut off your nose to spite your face."
This phrase describes a situation where someone takes actions that ultimately causes them more harm than the intended target.  It was not uncommon in the Middle Ages for a person to cut off the nose of another for various reasons, including punishment from the state or as an act of revenge.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Goodbye to Nashville

Today we say goodbye to Nashville.  

We have lived in and around the Music City for the past 10 years.  

I was excited about moving here in June 2014 and now I am happy to be leaving here in 2025.  

This isn’t and wasn’t “home” to us.  It was just another stop in the journey of our lives.   I have come to realize that we are wanderers.  We have never been able to live in any one place for a long time.   

Did we hate it here?  No, but it is time to go.

I still remember when we first arrived. We had lunch at a restaurant on Lower Broadway and I liked how alive it felt to be here.  That feeling didn’t last and I can probably count on one hand how many more times we have ventured down to Lower Broadway after that.  One of the common misconceptions is that Lower Broadway is the same as Music Row.  It is not.  Music Row is an entirely different area.  Lower Broadway is a tourist attraction full of bars and places to have a party.  

Nashville is definitely a party city and we came to realize that Nashville is the unofficial bachelorette party capital of the world.  One of the most annoying things about Nashville is the “entertainment transportation” which are the party busses, pedal taverns and all of the other ridiculous forms of mobile drinking and yelling that goes on both day and night downtown.  Another negative about working downtown is whenever there was a special event or another excuse for a party downtown that parking prices were jacked up for those of us who worked downtown every single day.  

There is one thing to know about Nashville - this place is always under construction.  It has changed dramatically in the 10 years we have lived in the area.  It is not the same as it was.

Another thing about Nashville is that the traffic is awful.   I know that is probably the same complaint for any large city but the design of highway system here is puzzling and something I would not wish on anyone to experience.  It is very challenging to get around the Music City.  There is no good transit in this city.  None.  When we first moved here we rented in Mt. Juliet east of Nashville and I took the train to/from work which I really liked.  However, that is the ONLY train service which is really, really dumb.  Nashville should really expand that service.  There is much more congestion in other areas which would be benefited by train service. 

As a sports fan, I became a fan of the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators since living here.  The most amazing time here was when the Predators played in the Stanley Cup final in 2017.  The years leading up to that were amazing to see here.  Although it ended in disappointment, this area was completely crazy about the Predators.   The last couple of seasons I have also become a fan of Vanderbilt basketball.  I definitely have some fond sports memories here.

Food is also awesome here but we converted to vegan/vegetarian a few years ago so our choices have been limited.  Some of our favorite places have been Pucketts, Five Points Pizza, AVO and Suki.   Really, you can find about any type of food here.  Usually the more spicy the better.  Hot Chicken is the specialty but never my choice.

Celebrity sightings?  Oddly enough, there hasn’t been much to speak of.  

For the first six years in Nashville, I worked downtown during the week.  Sometimes I would walk around different areas.  One of my favorite lunch spots was in an area called “The Gulch”.  It was also a good place to sit and enjoy the vibes of the city. 

We did have some favorite places to visit like Cheekwood and the Nashville Zoo.  The zoo has improved so much in the years we have lived here.  It’s amazing to see how much it has grown into a first class zoo.

A house is not a home, neither is the place.  We are taking our home with us as we look forward to our next adventure.  

I haven’t hated living here, it’s just time to move on.  


Friday, March 28, 2025

Tales of the Church: Lord of the Rings

I was recently thinking about my experience with rings and jewelry. Let me tell you a little story about it...

Let me give you some background here.

I grew up in a church denomination which taught that wearing jewelry was a sin.  Some in the same church today might dispute this however, I witnessed firsthand that we used to turn people out of the church for wearing rings.  Yes, I know how that sounds but you didn't live it like I did.

From an early age I was conditioned to look at someone wearing rings as an indication of whether or not they were a "true" Christian.  We were strictly prohibited by our church against wearing rings or any form of jewelry because it was “worldly”.  We were told not to wear "gold for ornament".

You can imagine the struggles I had when I started dating a girl who didn't attend our church. Yes, this was considered rebellious for someone like me. At this time in my life, I had already left home and living on my own but was still under the pressure of pleasing others and the church teachings.  When the relationship got serious and time to propose marriage, I knew she didn't understand my church and the ring issue, so I decided to propose with an engagement ring.  

When I told my father, his first comment wasn't one of congratulations.  Instead, he asked:  "Did you get her a ring?"  When I told him I had, he said:  "Well, that's the first mistake right there."   So that began a turbulent time for me and my relationship.  Sadly, I eventually caved in and broke off the engagement since she wasn't a "church" girl, and I am sure the ring issue was a huge part of that.  Silly?  Yes, it was but, again, you weren't living it and can’t understand the overwhelming pressure I faced at the time.

Fast forward about 20 years.... I was married (without wedding rings) and the church was exploring the idea of relaxing their teachings on jewelry and decided to "allow" wedding rings.  This issue created an incredible debate in the church.  If you weren't part of our church, you simply have no idea.  It was a HUGE debate that went back and forth.  Even though the church organization eventually ruled that it was okay to wear wedding rings, some local churches still resisted depending on the personal view of the local pastor.

The local church I attended was one of those.  My wife wanted to wear the rings.  I was still in turmoil about it.  I didn't think it was wrong, but I was having anxiety about being the only ones doing it.  Our local pastor was totally against it.  When we decided to wear our wedding rings, the pastor asked to meet with me about it.  In the meeting I told him that we were going to wear our wedding rings to church.  He told me that he was "very disappointed in our decision and that my grandfather would not have been pleased with it."  Yes, he definitely pulled the guilt card on me.  He went on to ask us to wait a week so he could prepare for us coming to church wearing the rings.  Yes, I know how that sounds.  I lived it.

Many years later I learned that the pastor had a secret meeting with the other men in the church to decide whether or not we should have any leadership roles in the church simply because we were going to wear our wedding bands.  Fortunately, the men decided it was okay, and we were "allowed" to continue in the church.  I can tell you that if I had known this information then, things might have turned out a whole lot differently.  

When the Sunday arrived, I was dreading it, but we walked in with our rings on, and it felt like everyone's eyes were looking at the rings.  Some ignorant ones did make their jabs about the rings. For weeks that followed, we even had someone who would anonymously leave messages on our answering machine with comments about the rings.  We finally discovered who it was.  It was a teenage girl of another church member.  When her mother found out, they met us and apologized.

It all sounds crazy and looking back now it was totally ridiculous to be judged totally on wearing rings.  A funny thing happened as a result of that where others also started wearing rings and years later one church member thanks us for breaking the ice. 

This whole ring experience changed me.  In fact, when I was a teenager, I read Romans 14 where it talked about people who had different beliefs and still accepting them as believers.  When I pointed this chapter out to my dad during the proposal situation earlier, he immediately informed me that I wasn't interpreting that chapter correctly - when, in fact, I was just reading it and understanding it as it was written.  There wasn’t any super-secret decoding of that passage.

Today, rings/jewelry aren't a big deal to me.  I don't use it as a tool to judge anyone.  I have learned it is more important to judge people on their actions rather than any jewelry they wear.  I have known people who have never worn jewelry to be just as vile and evil than a person who does.  

I look back now and see how silly this whole experience had been.  We certainly wasted too much time and anxiety over trivial issues.  I think the church back then totally missed the point.  The heart is what matters.