Get out! – so we’ve all been victims of idiomatic language and aphorisms that hurt. We know they’re not to be taken literally, but still, we insist on uncovering some trivia about them.
An article by Penny K
1. “Fly a kite!”
Translation: Haven’t you anything better to do?
Kite factoid:
Kite flying was banned in China during the Cultural Revolution, anyone found flying a kite was sent to jail for up to three years and their kites destroyed. Talk about killing joy.
Large kites were banned in East Germany because of the possibility of man lifting over the Berlin Wall.
(Adapted from http://www.kiteman.co.uk/DidYouKnow.html)
2. “Take a hike!”
Translation: Get a life!
Hike factoid:
Don’t make a habit of sitting outside your tent eating bananas in your favorite blue shirt. That’s a sure way to gain free membership to Club Mosquito. They’re twice as attracted to blue than any other color and happen to love people who’ve just eaten bananas.
Sleeping bags reflect body heat back to you. You can reflect the most body heat by sleeping naked!
3. “Crying over spilt milk”
Translation: To regret something that’s already done.
Spilt milk factoid:
An English short-story writer, novelist and playwright once said, “It’s no good crying over spilt milk, because all the forces of the universe were bent on spilling it.”
A cow can’t give milk until she has given birth to a calf, so don’t go around spilling milk. It’s hard earned!
4. “Loose lips sink ships” 
Translation: People who gossip (“loose lips”) may give useful information to the enemy.
Lip factoid:
The redness of the lips has been artificially created through lipstick since Mesopotamian times, over 5000 years ago.
A woman in China partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend reportedly ruptured her eardrum with a passionate kiss. Apparently, the kiss reduced the pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out, and caused the breakdown of the ear. (Rueters. “The Kiss of Deaf: Chinese Man Ruptures Girlfriend’s Eardrum.” December 8, 2008. Accessed: August 24, 2009.)
Haha! Just the thing I needed to end my work day. Great site, keep it up!
Hi J.M, thanks for dropping by. On behalf of the Penny team, thanks!
Glad we made you laugh – or at least one of us did :)