Do you like idioms? Some of you are refraining from answering because you are googling “What is an idiom?” That is okay, I’ll wait. Are you done? Your spell check just looked up “What is an idiot?” (Not the same thing but you may think differently after reading this post.)
An IDIOM is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning or the associative or connotative meaning. An example would be a phrase like “chip on your shoulder.”
Chip on your shoulder which is supposed to mean being angry or having an attitude about something…wait…I do have actual chips on my shoulder…I’m a messy eater so usually I end up with them on my shoulder, in my hair and if I’m lucky in my shirt for a getting ready for bed tasty treat. (I’m really babbling today which may make you think that I’m high as a kite… which is an idiom…but I say no to drugs…)
How about Spilling the beans which means telling someone’s secret…wait…this sort of happened last night when I asked my husband to help with dinner and he proceeded to spill things all over the kitchen. He spilled the water and the pickle jar too. (Is pain in the butt an idiom?)
Let her rip could be a good example of telling someone to go get something started or go faster….wait…given my experiences this past Thanksgiving, I think it has a different meaning….which I won’t go in to….because it is disgusting.
I’m going to go out on a limb…another idiom…and say that looking at the meaning of idioms can be a daunting task because you can really get wrapped up in the literal meanings while considering the figurative meaning. (It is raining cats and dogs today so I have a lot of thinking time for these sorts of things!)
I started thinking about idioms when I thought of the one idiom that says easy as pie. Who the heck ever thought of that one? Is it someone who never made a pie? First you have to make a crust, which has to sit, rolled out and eventually partially baked. Next, you have to make a filling and hope that you have enough to fill your piecrust without overflowing into your oven. Finally, you have to bake the pie so it is done in the center without burning the crust you just made!
I made a Brown Butter Soaked Dates Pecan Pie (click here for the link) for Thanksgiving because pies are easy….so the saying goes. But I was ready to throw in the towel when I actually tried to make it. It is a lot of work to make a pie….any pie!!
I’m going to cut to the chase and say whoever said “Easy as pie” should have never gotten credit for that phrase being an idiom. Maybe if idioms mean complete opposite of what you are saying…I’d say it is good as gold…but it isn’t…I’m drawing a blank as what it would be called. (Have you noticed that I now just throwing random idioms around because I’m now just cracking myself up and need to get back to square one.)
I toughed it out and it was in my opinion the cream of the crop when it comes to pies. I cut some corners and bought the crust…which helped make it easier. The filling was out of this world with the bitterness of the espresso and the sweetness of the other pie parts. (I would agree with the other folks who commented on the recipe that to start checking the time around 45 minutes because it did set quickly.)
So the balls in your court if you want to try this one. It’s not rocket science but it is not easy as pie. Drop me a line if you try it and if it is easy to you….I’ll eat my hat.
