The Cliche Game Thread

[Mensa]

By the skin of my teeth

Just barely, touch and go.

Colder than a well digger's boot.

 

[beckbabe]

Colder than a well digger's boot - I'm guessing here, but I image quite cold. Very cold, even frigid.

Mind over matter.

 

[morninggirl5]

Mind over Matter.

If you believe you can accomplish something despite the odds, you generally can.



Let sleeping dogs lie.

 

[Mensa]

Let sleeping dogs lie

Don't go looking for trouble, because enough of it will come your way on it's own.

To coin a phrase. (thanks, cym)

 

[beckbabe]

To coin a phrase - to use a cliche, or to take an obsure quote and give it a common usage. I get this feeling that it has something to do with coins being common, but I don't know where to look for that info.


Cutting your nose off to spite your face


That may have been done before, I'm sleepy today.

 

[Mensa]

cutting your nose off to spite your face

Taking action that is as or more detrimental to yourself as to anyone else.

Tried and true.

 

[beckbabe]

Tried and true- time tested, shown to be the best way to do something in the past.

86 it.

 

[Mensa]

86 it

Get rid of something, bury it so deep that no one will ever find it.

Riding the pine.

 

[beckbabe]

Riding the pine - cummon people, someone besides Mensa must know what this means. I know I don't. I miss Cym.

 

[willywanker]

Riding the pine

Sports talk. Benched. A player who spends all his time sitting on the bench.


Quick as greased lightning

 

[beckbabe]

Quick as greased lightning - Faster than fast. . .maybe even sonic.


Balls to the wall.

 

[cymbidia]

Balls to the wall

Full out, nothing held back, wide-open throttle, kick-ass... usually refers to some kinda effort, or a song.
(I missed you too, beck darlin'.)


It's written in blood. <-- Give me some history on this one, too, please. Yes, school has begun again.

 

[beckbabe]

Oooh I'm leaving this one since I don't know the history, but hey woman! Excellent to see you.

 

[Mensa]

It's written in blood

If I'm not mistaken, this refers to the way pirates would seal a compact by signing said document with their own blood. Should they break their agreement, it would mean their death.

Following your star.

 

[cymbidia]

Following your star.

This refers to the act of going for it when interested in something, of seeing how deep your interest runs, and what will happen if you follow your dreams.


Sealed with a kiss.

 

[Mensa]

Sealed with a kiss

Most think this refers to that mushy, gushy, slushy way of signing a love letter. It actually refers to the act of sealing a marriage vow by kissing the bride. You may now kiss the bride.

Building castles in Spain.

 

[beckbabe]

Building castles in Spain - I think this refers to Don Quixote, meaning that the person is a dreamer.



Dressed to the nines.

 

[cymbidia]

Dressed to the nines.

Dressed flamboyantly, dressed well.

A little more info: A tailor making a high quality suit uses more fabric than that which used with cheaper suits. The best suits are made from nine yards of fabric. This may seem like a lot but a custom suit does indeed take nine yards of fabric. This is because a really good suit has all the fabric cut in the same direction with the warp, or long strands of thread, parallel with the vertical line of the suit. This causes a great amount of waste in suit making, but if you want to go "dressed to the nines", you must pay for such waste.



Nine ways till Sunday.