Day 296: Green Arrow Lights

(For Wednesday June 18)

I think every light needs a green arrow for the left turn. Years ago someone turned left in front of my car without looking to see if anyone was there and did so quickly that there could be no reaction time on my end so my car was totaled. I get pretty tense to this day at left turns, especially when someone is turning left in front of me. So I am a fan of the green arrow light for left turns, not only am I a fan but I am truly grateful for them. They help set my mind at ease about the whole turning left thing.

Comments

Call it a Day

The literal use of this phrase hails from 1838 when the phrase originally was "call it half a day" to mean leaving work early. (source) The modern use of the phrase is to indicate ending something due to false sense of accomplishment.

More bang for your buck

This phrase was used a lot in 1953 but an earlier citation puts it at 1940 in a Metals and Plastics Publications advertisement. Read about it here . The phrase means you get more for your money.

Butter someone up

There are two probable origins for this idiom and I think both are equally plausible. The first one is that when you spread butter on bread you are buttering it up like one would do when trying to flatter someone. The second is in ancient India there was a practice of throwing balls of butter at statues to ask for favor, i.e. buttering them up. ( source ) When we use the phrase today we generally mean that extreme flattery is used to gain information or favor. It's not always necessarily a compliment.

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