Was she born an Ammonite?

There was a news item on the radio about the noise motor bikes make – at least I think it was, but I was very distracted and very amused by what someone said. In fact I’ve been chuckling about it ever since:

“Instead of looking at low hanging fruit we should be looking at other fish to fry!”

The low-hanging fruit is something achievable, and other fish is about something that’s more important – put together they do make a lovely and weird compositely new saying! Later on, in a completely different programme someone else said he was “going to cut to the mustard” I think he meant he was going to get on with whatever he was supposed to be doing. There is an expression “to cut the mustard” meaning to meet expectation, and there’s also “cut to the chase” meaning to get to the point – so again the idiom-combo does work!

 It reminded me of a boss I used to work for who was great, but she did have a habit of muddling up well-known phrases and sayings, as well as being somewhat of a Mrs Spooner, We began to jot down her utterances, and also things other people said when getting their words muddled (me included!) Here is part of that list – I shared this before a couple of years ago, but it still makes me chuckle!

1. someone get a machete and shoot me
2. water off a duck’s arse
3. we’ve had that fruit since we bought it
4. Smoke on your face (egg on your face)
5.  Bobfoc, you’ll know it when you know it
6. Obviously we don’t have crystal balls
7.  You could cut the ice with a knife
8. Best thing since Cheddar cheese
9. A three man snake
10. Bare-buckle knoxing
11. I can see your chin growing.
12.  about an Amish woman: was she born an Ammonite? (Mennonite)
13. he only went aloof twice (awol)
14. The right arm doesn’t know what the left arm is doing
15. I didn’t realise what a lovely shape it was until Belinda got it out
16. He must use a time-keeping machine to try to be on time.
17. Having had a very good start in terms 1 and 2, Jay has fallen off the top of the mountain in terms 3 and 4
18. bushy eyed and bright tailed
19. That boy has Tourette’s in his arse
20. Stop talking me to in that patronosing voice