this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2026
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I was thinking about the phrase 'The pot calling the kettle black'. It comes from a time where cooking was done over open fires and cookware would become visibly ashy. (Fun fact: It first appears and was perhaps coined by Cervantes in Don Quixote!)

What are some other idioms that have lost their literal connection to time? What would be a good modern replacement?

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[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

"break a leg"

No, please don't.

[–] nednobbins@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

Isn't the joke the if you break a leg you get in the "cast"?

[–] Kennystillalive@feddit.org 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Doesn't that one come from the German idiom "Hals- und Beinbruch" (break your neck and legs) to wish someone good luck? Which in turns comes from a very butcherdly spoken jiddish phrase meaning (have success and be blessed).

[–] Dagobah@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Don't remember where I heard it, but I thought the origin was related to actors and performers. It was a superstitious thing that if you wished someone good luck on stage you would jinx it so instead they did the opposite and wished for the worst. I could be very wrong!

[–] FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

And isn't that somehow attached to a specific Shakespeare play, but then became universal?

Edit: maybe not. See comments below.

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There's a superstition among actors about speaking the word "Macbeth" outside of the play, but I don't think telling people to "break a leg" is specifically linked with it. Two separate actor superstitions.

[–] FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

One thing is certain... Actors are weird.