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What are some idioms that no longer make sense? Can you think of a modern replacement? (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 days ago* by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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I was thinking about the phrase 'The pot calling the kettle black'. It comes from a time where cooking was done over open fires and cookware would become visibly ashy. (Fun fact: It first appears and was perhaps coined by Cervantes in Don Quixote!)

What are some other idioms that have lost their literal connection to time? What would be a good modern replacement?

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[–] 33 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

"Pulling my leg." Meaning you are making something up/joking at someones expense.

It does not have any real connection to the present. The idiom came about in the mid-19th century. There's two competing theories about how it came about. The prevailing theory is that pick pockets, particularly child pick pockets, would pull on people legs to distract their mark. The darker theory is that it was related to pulling someone's legs when they were hanged in order to finish the ordeal if they didn't die from the initial drop.

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