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Just to be pedantic, "woe is me".

But time isn't money. That's a two-hundred year old maxim based on the marxian labor theory of value which should have been thoroughly discredited by now.

Well, it didn't, because "time is money" wasn't in that theory.

Actually, according to http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/10/messages/570.htm the term originates with Antiphon, around 430 BC. Seeing it hasn't been discredited after about two and a half millenia, I'm pretty sure this saying will be with us for quite some time.

"As Pure as the driven snow" Does that mean that it is as pure and untampered as the snow somebody has driven on?

Nope...

PROTIP: that phrase came before the car, by about 300 years.

It actually relates to wind driven snow.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/as-pure-as-the-driven-snow.html

I suspect the pig one is more likely, as letting the cat out of the bag is revealing a secret

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag.html

This is just another shot in the arm against a citizenry whose arms are already falling off from the shots before.

btw, a "shot in the arm" is a good thing: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/318925.html . It's like what the bailout/TARP was designed to be.

It seems derring-do is indeed the correct form of the phrase.

The phrase "survival of the fittest" actually came from a mistake that was made when Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" was translated into German. The correct phrase, and concept, is "Survival of the most adaptable".

Since the phrase was first used by Herbert Spencer in 1864, writing in English, I don't think so. Darwin himself used the phrase "natural selection" and not "survival of the fittest," but in 1869 he did quote the "survival of the fittest" phrase (correctly attributing the quote to Spencer); and did it in English (not translating it into German).

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/340400.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest

for example, there was a time when a foregone conclusion was one that was so unlikely you may as well not think about it

On the contrary, a foregone conclusion has _always_ been a conclusion that was so definite that it was like a conclusion that was made "before" and is "gone" such that there isn't any chance of any other.

See http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/141000.html

Spare us all your patronizing "angst-ridden teen" put downs. I'm well on my way to becoming a grey-beard, and I completely reject your claim that we all eventually become the very thing we hated in our youth. Yes, there are youth who rebel against authority because they are young, undisciplined and don't know any better. However, there are equally as many idealistic young people who see the corruption and evil in those who are in power and call out those things that should be changed. All too often, unfortunately, the rebellious youngster eventually grows up and finds himself in a position of power, and as Lord Acton said, "power corrupts". This is NOT a good thing.

The fact that every previous generation has sold out to the lust for power and control should never be an excuse for the current generation to do likewise.

despite being pedantic, because one would hate for people to think *we'd wasted money we'd spent on your education (Assuming NCSU is your alma mater or current school): http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/get-down-to-brass-tacks.html it's brass tacks, not brass tax some federal funding right? that's why it's we.

With a list of contacts, and a status update news page, you can see everything in one foul swoop.

It's one fell swoop, although since the subject is Facebook, maybe foul is equally applicable.

Know your history, it's 'We'...

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/401800.html

I thought pouring oil on troubled waters was supposed to calm them!

Whatever, only reasonable thing to do about it is to cool down and ignore as much as we can.

You mean, bury your head in the sand? http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/80800.html

Not sure about that one.

"Let a thousand flowers bloom"
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/226950.html

Shakespeare asserted that "Brevity is the soul of wit."

Your rejoinder was quite brief.

Therefore, your rejoinder is quite witty. QED.

If this is in regard to "just deserts," then there is no misspelling.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/just-deserts.html

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/just-deserts.html

"The military order Havoc! was a signal given to the English military forces in the Middle Ages to direct the soldiery (in Shakespeare's parlance 'the dogs of war') to pillage and chaos."

"Power corrupts...". The sentiment is not new; its consequences have been the subject of stories for literally thousands of years. The notion of someone struggling with the consequences of having gained power is certainly not new.

It is only in the last hundred years or so that science has been perceived as a source of such power. As far as such stories are concerned, it has no meaningful distinction from political power, religious power, an aristocratic title, or a gun. All are effectively neutral in and of themselves; the good or evil of their use is determined by the wielder. But we have a cultural perception of such things as tending towards evil. As science is perceived increasingly as a source of power, it will inevitably be seen as having an increased potential for evil.

Given that power is the ability to impose one's will on others, I think that this tendency is a good thing. It is somewhat ironic, though, that Hollywood is telling such a story.

My favorite expression to write on one's behind would be "All hope abandon ye who enter here."

"While that statement is true, you are distracting from the real issue. China is indeed striving to corner strategic mineral markets, and it's not "news"."

I'm an Aussie, the reason Aussie's have a high standard of living is that everyone comes here to dig stuff up. Our special rocks are so cheap that during the Thatcher years we literally sent coal to Newcastle in the UK.

You may have heard of our own little steel company, BHP Billiton? The only thing that's changed in the last 30yrs is it used to be the US & UK trying to lock in continuity of supply but nowadays it's China and the rest of SE Asia.

"Put paid to"
Meaning :To deal with effectively; to finish something off.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/293200.html

"Canard"
Meaning: a false or unfounded report or story

"put paid to"

"canard" (see def 1b)

I've been rightfully accused of highfalutin', but this was pretty impressive. On principles, I don't normally recommend writing to the third-grade level, but there is such a thing as too smart.

But they should not pretend it is because Google has shown any pattern of abuse. If anything, they have been much better than most companies.

The quote in my subject from Lord Acton, has been proven time and again, that despite the purest of intentions, a concentration of power will corrupt any person, organization or company. This is the reason that "smaller government" is a desirable thing; We have examples time and again from history that overpowerful organizations aren't trustworthy (current example: US "intelligence community"). It's also the reason we have things like seperation of powers in governmental structures.

This applies equally to companies, and is the reason we have anti-trust laws (not to punish success, but to maintain free markets). In this vein, I think Google may be able to stay "non-evil" for some time (or maintain that illusion for the cynics), but eventually like enough concentrated mass creates a black hole, the power will collapse the regulatory structures. It's a matter of time, and that's why people (even Googlers) want to prevent this from happening.

PRC already has been there and done that:

Let a thousand flowers bloom

expose execute repeat...

If you're caught doing $bad_thing, it is pretty easy to prove you actually did $bad_thing. Your hand will be red.

The government said today it does not know their fate.

and

GCHQ didn't immediately respond to a request for further information on the convictions. The Home Office said NTAC does not know the outcomes of the notices it approves.

Funny that the google search for "left hand doesn't kknow what the right hand is doing" returns a .co.uk site.

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." -- John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton

This is why dictatorships are doomed to failure. Without a system of checks and balances on power, the people at the top will inevitably become corrupt. History has proven this time and time again.

Marie Antoinette probably never said, "Let them eat cake". http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/227600.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_them_eat_cake

I hope this is a joke where you are suggesting that the OP was copying Rush lyrics without authorization. FWIW, the phrase goes back quite a ways. From the first site I came upon with a Google search:

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME - "Nothing changes too much. The proverb is of French origin and was used by the French novelist Alphonse Karr (1808-90). It also appears in George Bernard Shaw's 'Revolutionist's Handbook' (1903). Listed in the 1946 'Macmillan (Home) Book of Proverbs, Maxims and Familiar Phrases' by Burton Stevenson and in the 1992 'Dictionary of American Proverbs' by Wolfgang Mieder et al." From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

While Rush has great musicianship, Neil Peart's lyrics are usually very derivative. He may be a bit more well-read than the average rock drummer, he's doesn't possess any especial insight. It's sad when fans try to hold Peart up as some kind of philosopher of our time. They should be reading more themselves.

"SSDs make Vista usable."

I took the guy just a little less seriously after reading this pie-in-the-sky claim ;-)

Ah, thanks. Also found the following:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/get-your-dander-up.html

Oh well. Never encountered it used that way before AFAIK. I still have a mental image of people angrily brushing their dogs at the government.

Nip in the bud. Sorry to correct you on this, but I thought you'd want to know that it wasn't "butt."

He reminded me that most human scientific articles are wrong and not to listen to anything unless I got it straight from the horse's mouth.

So if you may have heard "a worm that turned", it is a saying that means a worm is defending itself. Who ever thought words taken out of context have simple meanings?

Neither donkeys nor apes existed when humans and apes took divergent paths from the common human / ape ancestor

I have no idea how long donkeys have been around - probably a long time - but anyway I'll assume you're right so s/donkey/crocodile/. Whatever. I still don't know how you can say that the common ancestor[1] was anything other than an ape, given that its immediate descendants and ancestors were .. guess what?

And apes, humans, and donkeys do indeed have a common ancestor, just like frogs and elephants have a common ancestor, and sharks and redwood trees have a common ancestor.

Uh huh. Was there a point there?

[1] For the benefit of any other pedantic twats, read that as closest common ancestor.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

From http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/305250.html

Meaning
What matters is what something is, not what it is called.

It's Bristol Fashion, I believe. See http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/ship-shape%20and%20Bristol%20fashion.html

Interesting you should use that phrase.

Here's a link that shows the origin of the phrase.

The included graphic seems particularly apt.

"I'm not saying that TSA shouldn't have these powers, but ....they don't always give you a hard time. "

Good to know! Alright I say we give them more powers then, let them shoot on site and be judge, jury and executioner. I mean if it worked out well for you that means everyone will be fine, right?

"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Wiki agrees with you.

However, if it's wrongly used then the perpetrator is in good company

Tachy means somethign like "speed" and the phrase "sent to Coventry" means ignored. "Quickly Ignored" ??

Anyway, I'm not sure that this is the best solution as the trolls will notice pretty much immediately. I'd close any of the offending threads allowing you to have the last word on the subject. Then ban IP addresses if it persists.

[1] Having an axe to grind: a task you want performed, but don't fancy doing yourself. Persuade, deceive or con some other person into doing it for you.

If you meant this ironically (and my irony-o-meter is off) then you can stop reading now. Otherwise, I think you have the definition incorrect.

From: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/174000.html

"Have a dispute to take up with someone or, to have an ulterior motive/ to have private ends to serve."
 

That was extremely comprehensive.

The same is true of "the exception that proves (tests) the rule."

Actually, in this phrase prove refers to proving the existence of the rule, not testing it. Consider a sign that says "No parking on Sundays." You would naturally assume that, since somebody bothered to put up a sign saying you can't park in a spot on a Sunday, that you can park there on other days.

Sunday is the exception that proves the general rule allowing you to park in that spot.

This site has a good explanation, and is quite interesting besides.

I share your frustration though. People seem to get really indignant when you try to teach them that they misunderstood a word or a phrase. This idea that we should accept every single usage error because English is defined by popular usage feels like a cop out to me.

Er, I mean a poor excuse.

--Justin

Indeed it is whet as in whetstone. see http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/whet%20your%20appetite.html

I agree with Google that it is better to provide some information than none

Then you disagree with the statement "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing?"

This makes the hypocrisy/Schadenfreude even sweeter. Sony/BMG is a music publishing company, an active member in the RIAA and its global equivalents. I'm usually one for nuanced views on these things, but in this case I want see them hoisted so hard by their own petard that they'll never be able to even look at a petard again without wincing.

In the UK the wording was slightly different, leading to fear and uncertainty for a few unfortunately named individuals