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?
I heard this one the other day: “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” It’s hard to modernize though because transportation has become so cheap. Almost everyone has access to a car or even aeroplane for a modest fee
In my perception it’s the opposite. When I was in Houston, people walking the streets in the hot Texas summer were the lowest of the low. There’s no infrastructure for pedestrians, distances are huge and the air is hot and humid. Still there were people walking, and they are treated like the scum of the earth.
If wishes were cars, the walkers would drive
If wishes were horses, birthday cakes and stargazing would be a lot more dangerous.
Also wishing wells would be fucked up
If wishes were fishes, we’d all eat well.
Make a wish in one hand and a crap in the other, and see which piles up faster.
Applying wishes were horses to this could be dangerous.
If wishes were horses we’d all be eating steak.