Idioms are a quick way to get across something you want to say without needing to spend extra syllables to say it. Unfortunately, we don't give these sayings as much thought as we probably should. Sometimes they'll end up being complete nonsense, unfit for the situation we're in. Other times their meanings are outdated, referencing a time when cheaters definitely didn't prosper.
One look around the globe and, yeah, no, that's not the case anymore. Some of these common expressions are total BS.
Reddit user, u/bewildered_forks, wanted to hear what we should avoid saying when they asked:
What common sayings are total BS?
Let's Get This Silly One Out Of The Way
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Money don't buy you happiness.
Neither does poverty mate!
I mean, the only reasons I've been unhappy or stressed lately is because of a lack of money. I'd be very happy and carefree if I had a lot of money
How About, "Happy Both Of You?"
"Happy wife, happy life."
The fact is, every relationship will have disagreements and arguments. You're going to upset each other sometimes and that's good and healthy, so long as it's within reasonable limits. You need to be prepared to argue back against your spouse even if it might upset them.
Too much conflict-avoidance or prevarication will result in one spouse getting bossed around and secretly resenting it while the other does whatever they want. It can also lead to a loss of mutual respect.
Maybe Pay Them More?
Our essential or frontline workers are heroes.
(Yet no combat pay. Just a cute sign in front of a building)
Perfectionism Sucks
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
This can be true, but the inference that 'doing anything poorly is not worth doing at all' is complete baloney. I prefer 'anything worth doing is worth doing poorly'. If it's best to work out for 30 minutes but I only have a few minutes, its better to do a few minutes than none. If it's best to drink 8 glasses of water a day, it's still better to drink 3 or even 1 rather than none.
Perfectionism sucks, and it's hard to get around.
Get On That Search
"Don't look for love. Let love find you."
raspberry
B-tch please. If I have to sh-t the toilet doesn't come to me. I have to go to the toilet.
You Don't Always Have To Listen
"Good things come to those that wait"
Bullsh-t! You have to grab the bull by the horns I say!
This one is true though it's just not universal. There are times when it's better to be patient and times when it's better to actively pursue goals.
If you work a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life.
Turning your passion into a career often means you just lose that passion
Know Where To Draw The Line
"kids will be kids" in regards to any problems related to kids.
"Boys will be boys" definitely applies more to me and my friends hitting each other with empty soda bottles shirtless, than it does to someone harassing or harming someone else. Dumb-ss versus just an a-- kind of distinction
No One To Come Get You And Calm You Down
"Slept like a baby."
Pissed the bed twice and woke up screaming.
A Small Tweak To Your Dreams
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"Just follow your dreams"....I feel like people hear this and use it as an excuse to do whatever they want and expect things to happen.
It should really be, "Follow what you're passionate about but set realistic goals and expectations."
And Sometimes, They Never Come Back
That someday that someone who left you will realise your worth and regret it
People tend to say this a lot if a friend is going through a break up or something similar. Or some people will even try to "make" someone regret leaving them or make them "realise what they lost" being bitter and trying to show off or throw shade on social media. While they MIGHT regret it some day you will likely never know this.
Sometimes you have to come to terms with the fact that they never will regret what they did or realise your worth. Or that they knew but they don't care and just wanted to take advantage of you. And the day you won't mind about if they will, you'll know that it doesn't even matter anymore if you find someone who really appreciates your worth or appreciate yourself and know your value doesn't decrease just because someone else can't see it or don't care.
And that everyone finds "the one" some day. Some people don't. And there's nothing wrong with that. Some people are perfectly fine and happy with themselves
Yet Still, It Happened. You Can Get Angry About It Happening.
"Everything happens for a reason" Or "God did this for a reason"
Anything along those lines
Not Everyone Knows Everything At Every Time
'That's common sense.'
Yeah, maybe to you, but I've never been told [insert x fact here] before.
(Sometimes this saying is used to give weight to someone's opinion, under the guise of being a well-known fact.)
This Is Definitely One Of Those, "We Learn From Hindsight," Ones
Hard work never killed anyone.
Hundreds of people die from hard work (i.e. heart attack shoveling snow, electrocution from trying to fix something, etc)
Don't Do It Wrong. Figure It Out Until You Get It Right.
"If you don't succeed the first time, try try again".
I had a fourth grade teacher that was COMPLETELY against this saying. Her reasoning? What if you're doing it wrong? Then you'll just continue to do it wrong until you give up out of frustration. So, she preferred to say "Keep trying different ways until you get it right".
Seems Like The Very Opposite Of This Happens Way More
Cheaters never prosper.
too many people prosper because they cheat
Have Those Compliments Locked And Loaded
"Flattery will get you nowhere!"
The opposite is more true in my experience
Absolutely. You can get a lot using flattery.
Good Luck Being On The Phone For 2 Hours
Cancel anytime
Someone has a gym membership!
A Quick Look On The Internet Reveals: No. No We're Not.
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We're all in this together
... during these unprecedented times!
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Do we even have a clue that they're the "one" that got away? How long until it sinks in? And how do we not know there isn't another "one" coming behind them? I have no answers. Just asking...
The Draft
Episode 1 Omg GIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy"The girl who summoned up the nerve to ask me out towards the beginning of high school. I was so humiliated by the life my family was living that I stalled until she gave up."
"Betsy, if by some stroke of dumb luck you're reading this... I'm so sorry. It was 25-27 years ago, but I still hate myself for that. You were beautiful, intelligent, a good person, and if I had anything resembling a stable, presentable home I would've said yes in a heartbeat... I had a crush on you since 7th-grade 'intro to drafting.'
I Love Her
"Weird, I was just confiding in my mom about this last night. I'm late but for catharsis's sake I'm going to post. My first girlfriend is a classic case of you don't know what you have until it's gone. She's the complete package. Beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and so kind. We started dating when I was 17 and broke up when I was 21."
"For reference I'm 30 now. I was an idiot. I wanted to play the field. I wanted to party and hook up with college girls. It was fun at first but after a while I felt this gnawing hole in my heart. The feeling of doubt crept up slowly and still, a decade later my chest feels tight thinking about it."
"I didn't realize until my later serious relationships that getting along with your SO's family is so important. Her mom and step dad genuinely treated me like a part of their family. It's not a stretch to say I literally grew up with these people. I spent some of my most formative years with them. Birthdays, Thanksgivings, Christmases, you name it. They celebrated me and my accomplishments. They genuinely cared about me. Just amazing, salt of the earth, lovely people."
"Her birthday was in March and I sent her a text and we ended up talking for a bit. She's happily married and stable with a daughter and a second on the way. I'm genuinely so happy for her. She deserves happiness. I just wish I was a part of that. Sitting at work 10 years later I'm tearing up. I numbed myself out to it for years, it's so strange to me that I've been so stuck on her lately. Is this normal?"
- direct07
15 Years Later
"My very first real love. I was a teenager and I didn't really know how to be comfortable in myself or with myself. I played silly teen girl games and lost him even as a friend. Now 15 years later I still think about R from time to time. I genuinely hope he's happy in his life."
"Edit: Wow this blew up while I was sleeping. Thanks for all the sweet words and to everyone with their "one" congratulations! I suppose I hadn't looked him up on social media because I'm scared, scared he won't respond, scared he will respond, scared he'll think I'm a stalker. I'm in a happy relationship now, but what if... Etc etc etc. But I'll give it a Google."
Missed You Much
rhythm nation dance GIF by Janet JacksonGiphyA girl I dated in high school. Went on a date one time she took me out parking and I was too stupid to realize it.
"She always talked about moving away as soon as she got finished with high school. I always thought I would stay in a little town the rest of my life. Turns out I was the one who left and move to another state. Later I heard that she had told someone that I knew that she thought that we would be married at some point. Missed it by that much."
Ok... I've been a bit blind to the light. People can be cruel, but also highly creative. Why not just lead with the truth? It'll always hurt more after lies.
Chuck E.
Chuck E Cheese Wink GIFGiphy"Ah the rare AskReddit question I can answer."
"I met a wonderful woman circa 2013-2015. We worked at what I can best describe as an upscaled Chuck E Cheese. Or ghetto Six Flags. Your choice."
"We hit it off instantly, though at the time I was rather romantically inept. Eventually, she says she's leaving to join the Air Force. I tell her I'll miss her, and wished her well. The thought of asking for her number so we could stay in contact didn't even cross my mind."
"Cue the next day, I stop for lunch on my way to work, and as I'm walking to my car I hear my name being called. I turn around, and it's her, running toward me. Universe giving me a second chance, right? Wrong. My dumb butt still didn't ask for her number. She looked a little upset, and I still think about her often. Desiree, I hope you're doing well."
The Getaway...
"He was my first and last love. I was 16 and he was 18 when we met. We bounced around like idiots, on again off again, finally got together mid 20s. We both fell into bad habits - drugs and alcohol, more booze for me, more drugs for him. We had some bad things happen that were pretty detrimental to staying sober. We would split, reconcile, get sober, fall off the wagon, split, etc... repeat as necessary. We realized we were very bad for each other unless we could BOTH just get sober for ourselves, and split."
"Ten years later, I was sober for 7 years (still am, going on 18 years end of this month, actually! Woo, go me!) and he was beginning to come back, sober about a year. He contacted me, we met, talked about trying again. He said that once he had been totally clean for a year, we'd do it. That whole "Don't make any changes for a year" thing. I would visit him, tho, things were good."
"He woke up one morning feeling bad, thought he had the flu. (This was pre-now) I stayed around because he was sick, but neither of us thought he was drastically bad, just the flu, right? He got worse and worse, finally we called an ambulance because he got up from a nap and couldn't breathe. He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Aortic dissection."
"He got away, but someday I'll see him again. I never stopped loving him, and him me. We just weren't good for each other."
Ce la vie...
"My most serious Ex."
"Don't think I truly understood love until I met her. Loved her more than I ever thought I could love anything. It eventually ended when she told me that, through no fault of my own, she had fallen out of love with me. That was 2 years ago, still hurts to think/talk about."
"Ce la vie..."
The Avoid...
"I'm in the middle of trying to avoid that right now actually."
"It's not worth the heartache trust me. I fought to stay in a relationship for an entire year. If I would've just let her go the first time she wanted there would've been a lot less pain. We would've left on good terms. I would've lost a lot less sleep. Rip the band-aid off because once the band-aid starts peeling it's inevitable it'll fall off with time."
Kim Tate Eye Roll GIF by Emmerdale"My ex and I broke up over 3 years ago. Mutual breakup through a lack of communication on both ends I feel."
"Thought I was over that hill until this week she messaged just to say hey and ask an innocent question. We text for the best part of the day and it's brought up a lot of old feeling. Feeling pretty bitter sweet right now."
Love is a mess. Why even bother trying if you can't be true? It's not hard to just spell out the situation. And if you're the one needing to put together the words... look closer. The dialogue shouldn't be difficult.
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