Comments made in 1957
· “I’ll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it’s going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $20.”
· “I’m afraid to send my kids to the movies anymore. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying “damn” in “Gone with the Wind.” it seems every new movie has either “hell” or “damn” in it.
· “Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won’t be long before $5,000 will only buy a used one.”
· “If cigarettes keep going up in price, I’m going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous!”
· “Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?”
· “If they raise minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.”
· “When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we’d be better off leaving the car in the garage.”
· “Kids today are impossible. Those ducktail haircuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.”
· “If they think I’ll pay 50 cents for a haircut, forget it.”
· “I read the other day where some scientist thinks its possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas.”
· “Did you see where a baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they’ll be making more then the president”
· “I’d never thought I’d see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They’re even making electric typewriters now.”
· “It’s to bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.”
· “The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.”
· “There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend. It cost nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel!”
1. “The early bird gets the worm.”
The extended phrase: “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”
Early risers and go-getters like to say “the early bird gets the worm,” but that’s not the whole phrase! The second part of the adage implies that first isn’t always best.
2. “Carpe diem (seize the day).”
The extended phrase: “Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero (seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow).”
The Roman poet Horace famously wrote “carpe diem,” which means “seize the day.” The lesser known latter part of the saying is “quam minimum credula postero” or “put very little trust in tomorrow.” While it doesn’t change the meaning too much, it gives the phrase more gravity.
3. “Winning isn’t everything.”
The extended phrase: Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”
Eternal underdogs are likely familiar with UCLA Bruins football coach Henry Russell (Red) Sanders’ “winning isn’t everything” quote (although this phrase is often attributed to legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi). That’s not the end of the proverb, though — the second half changes the meaning a bit, don’t you think?
4. “Now is the winter of our discontent.”
The extended phrase: “Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York.”
The opening line of Shakespeare’s Richard III is famously bleak, calling to mind a cold and uneasy season. However, the full sentiment is more joyful: The tides are turning and the unhappy times are in the past.
5. “Curiosity killed the cat.”
The extended phrase: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”
The original phrase warns against diving too deep into a needless investigation, but the later amendment, first recorded in American newspapers sometime in the early 1900’s, plays on the trope of cats’ nine lives to change the meaning: There’s pleasure in finding out something you really want to know.
6. “Great minds think alike.”
The extended phrase: “Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ.”
When two friends have the same idea, one (or both) of them is likely to pipe up with the common version of the phrase. Next time, you can retort with this extended version — the etymology of which is mostly unknown — to put them back into their place: It’s foolish people, not great minds, that are more likely to have the same banal thoughts all the time.
7. “Blood is thicker than water.”
The extended phrase: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
People commonly use the shorter version of this phrase to suggest that familial relationships take priority over friendships or other non-blood-related bonds.
But some researchers believe that’s not exactly what it would have meant when and where it was used throughout history, instead offering the longer phrase as a more literal translation — one that directly contradicts the common meaning. A chosen blood covenant provides a stronger bond than any family.
8. “Money is the root of all evil.”
The extended phrase: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.”
This saying — both the full, original quote and the shortened common version — originate from a bible text that warns against greed. Reading the full version of the quote doesn’t completely change the meaning of the one we all know best, but it might shift your perception of it a bit: Having money isn’t a problem, it’s wanting money that’s sinful.
9. “Jack of all trades, master of none.”
The extended phrase: “Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.”
This saying has been through a lot. It began as simply, “jack of all trades,” a mostly flattering term for a generalist who has honed many skills. Later, “master of none” was added on to change the phrase to something slightly derogatory, suggesting that the jack of all trades doesn’t know much at all.
The shady two-part phrase is what most know and use today, but at some point, it was amended again to check the haters. The full phrase says something like, “I know a little about a lot of things, and that’s better than having a limited skillset any day.”
10. “My country, right or wrong.”
The extended phrase: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong to be set right.”
This one is a direct quote by Carl Schurz, an American Senator, in 1872. The shorter, more common, saying is often used to pledge unwavering support for one’s country, regardless of politics. But his full quote takes on a different sentiment, certainly lighter on the moral blindness: This is my country, and I have a duty to steer it in the right direction.