Famous Phrases-- And All That Jazz

 

There are certain phrases or slogans that work their way into our lexicon. Some old and traditional, some new and boundary-pushing. Let’s examine some of them, and see how we got from then ‘til now, shall we? I’ll try not to bite off more than I can chew, but I am determined to hit the ground running, come Hell or high water. I hope this piece doesn’t go over like a lead balloon.

In the early days of the republic, men used to say things like, “Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” “A penny saved is a penny earned,” “Keep your nose to the grindstone and your shoulder to the wheel,” and “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” These seem laughable now, relics of a world in which people were serious and had loftier goals than their own perpetual power.

Our Founders knew that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. They would have told Dr. Fauci, “Physician, heal thyself.” I miss the old America, but, you know what they say, “It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

Then came a cataclysm, and with it phrases such as “Misery loves company,” “When it rains, it pours,” and “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”

Then, “A little bird told me,” “Any port in a storm,” “Better late than never,” “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” “Where’s the beef,” and “Everyone loves Raymond.”

So, let’s get down to brass tacks: “Who is John Galt?” Yeah, right. We’ll get the answer to that when pigs fly. And not enough people care anymore anyway.

I am running out of steam now, but one thing is clear: the elephant in the room is that there’s something rotten in the state of Denmark. And here, too. The game’s afoot, but we’re up a creek without a paddle. Crime and inflation are rampant. As are prevarication and ignorance. The southern border is not secure, resulting in a tidal wave of heinous crimes and death. Wars are popping up around the globe. We can no longer define “male” and “female,” and no longer care to. Nor can we ascertain truth.

In other words, “Houston, we have a problem.”

We shouldn’t have changed horses midstream back in 2020.

And now? Let’s start by stating, ”FJB!”    

 

(There are 31 phrases embedded in the above piece-- some obvious, some not. Can you spot them all?)