Day 316: Brain Games

(For Tuesday July 8)

The older I get the more grateful I am for brain games. I need something to keep my brain working and sharp. :) The ones I have chosen are purposeful. I need things that help me sharpen my concentration, eye/brain coordination, problem solving, help me focus, and that I enjoy. So games like Mahjong on the computer/tablet I use not just for entertainment but for assistance in this aging brain. What brain game are you grateful for or play?

Comments

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.

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.

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.

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