6 Idioms that do not mean what you think
By: Olaseni Adeniji
Tags: Motivational Quotes, Inspirational, Life Lessons, Life, Idioms

Photo credit: Brett Jordan

We all heard certain idioms growing up and probably use them to justify things we do in our lives or use them as a way to shape our lives.

I came across a TikTok video last year that led me into more research, and it was wild to me how most of us were only taught one side of the idioms and not the whole story. Here are the top 6 that blew my mind:

1. “Early bird gets the worm”: The early bird gets the worm, an idiom that always pushed people to try to get at everything first, but the whole saying is “the early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” It is okay not to be first.

2. “Jack of all trades, master of none”: I am interested in a lot of things and have always aspired to do a lot of things. But growing up, there was always this notion of “being a Jack of all trades master of none,” which had a negative connotation. Almost like you had to pigeonhole into one area, pick one aspect of life and run with it. That comes with a lot of pressure.

But the full quote is, “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one” It is okay to dabble if you like it all and can do it all. Don’t fall into the hype/take in the pressure of specializing early or finding that “one thing.” Exploring many things can be beneficial, so … Go ahead, explore, dabble in many things till you find your thing or things.

3. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”: Have you ever had a big goal or tried to achieve a tall dream, and you thought or was told, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Meaning to relax, or it will take a long time to get there “so chill?”. This idiom is one of the biggest cushions and excuses for procrastination or pushing our goals back.

The actual idiom “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.”

Yes, while you might not achieve that goal instantly, or the plan might not come to fruition right away, always take actionable steps towards the dream/goal. Put in work constantly and regularly to achieve that dream, and work towards getting your “Rome built.”

4. “Great minds think alike”: I like this one a lot because whenever I think of the same things as a friend or is on the same page, one of the first things we say is “Ah, great minds think alike,” which, well, historically, is true.

However, the full quote is, “Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ.”

So, whenever you are in the club meeting at school, or a work meeting, friend group, any gather truly and disagreeing with someone, or someone disagrees with you over a “great idea/concept or story,” thats normal? Great minds can have opposing thoughts because only fools never differ according to the whole idiom. Welcome the difference in opinions, iterate, and choose the best path / middle ground to proceed.

5. “Curiosity killed the cat”: This idiom popped up more when I was younger. When you were inquisitive, asking many questions, or being too curious about a specific thing, the response to curb that most often was “curiosity killed the cat.” This is an idiom that can derail experimentation.

The actual idiom is “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” The full idiom doesn’t make experimentation, curiosity, or doubt all bad. Sometimes wanting to know more / find out more is okay — “brings satisfaction,” so explore away!

6. “Blood is thicker than water”: This idiom is often used when we have to justify the decision of choosing people, we are related to over those we choose to be related to (friends, significant others, and more).

However, the entire idiom is, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

If you think about this, it means the complete opposite of what we have been taught. The actual meaning is: The bonds you have chosen/created by choice can be more important than the bonds of people you are bound to by water of the womb.

Finding out the complete story of each of these idioms was a game chnager for me. There are many more idioms like this that are mind blowing so let us continue the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn .

Cheers,

Olaseni Adeniji (#senispeaks)