"The carrot and the stick" - simply refers to the legend that if you dangle a carrot out of reach of a donkey / horse they will keep going even though they're tired... to try to get the carrot.
Correct.
But most often used incorrectly to describe a method of 'reward and punishment'.
Who says that the Dandy and Beano were not educational?
Things we hear or say without actually understanding it
Re: Things we hear or say without actually understanding it
"Who says that the Dandy and Beano were not educational?"
Most teachers, when I was at Towneley.
Most teachers, when I was at Towneley.
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ClaretCliff
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Re: Things we hear or say without actually understanding it
Sorry, but never heard it used that way. But when I was a kid it was quite common to hear the comment " stood there like cheese at fourpence" when waiting for something. Common use when a person had been stood up for a date - "he/she left me stood there like cheese at fourpence."elwaclaret wrote:Several references to CHEESE AT FOURPENCE. - The saying is actually the opposite of a couple on heere - "Selling like cheese at 4d". This comes from market traders who halved their prices for the last hour of the day. Cheese for many many years was 8d - (it was the accepted price for cheese for years equivalent to the 10p carton of our childhoods). When it was dropped to 4d queues would form to gt a bargain. Hence selling "like cheese at fourpence".
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Claret-On-A-T-Rex
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Re: Things we hear or say without actually understanding it
"The Devil is in the details"
"Between the Devil and the deep blue sea"
Nautical terms, I believe "Devil" is actually the name of the caulking between the planks of a wooden ship.
"Between the Devil and the deep blue sea"
Nautical terms, I believe "Devil" is actually the name of the caulking between the planks of a wooden ship.
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Claret-On-A-T-Rex
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Re: Things we hear or say without actually understanding it
"The Devil To Pay" - The lowest seam in a carvel planked wooden ship is the Devil seam….between the keel and the garboard strake….this is the most difficult to “pay” because of the upwards angle and the amount of movement between these two parts. The full quote is “The Tide is rising and the devil to pay” this refers to a careened or dried out ship on the hard with the tide rising but the lowest seam not yet sealed up. Note pay means to caulk with Oakum and cotton, perhaps soaked with red lead- never “Tar.”