happen to meet, say at a doctor's office waiting room or at the hairdresser's. The widows begin talking, and quickly start sharing pieces of their lives. One widow is in her late 50s and still has minor children at home. The other widow has no children, and the house she and her husband bought will be going into foreclosure. One widow's spouse had life insurance; the other widow's spouse had none so she fears how she will pay the bills. Each of their situations is so different. The only real similarity is-- each woman's husband died. Without knowing these details, one or both of the women could be offended to hear, "Well, I guess we're in the same boat." Whether the specifics are said or are left unspoken, no one can ever assume that the "same boat" defines the true situation of either party. For this reason, people should think twice about using common idioms unless they really know the other person's situation.