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HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?

HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?

Old 02-16-2011, 11:12 AM
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I have found that my grandkids don't have the benefit of some of the old sayings that I grew up with. the other day I was talking about cleaning my sewing room. Mind you, just talking about it! My oldest , age 20 mentioned something about how I was going to do that by myself. She's not wanting to hurt grandma's feelings by telling me what a mess it is. I told her, "Just like you eat an elephant. One bite at a time." She looked at me like I was crazy! Have any of you ever heard that saying, or is it just me?
when I explained to her what it meant, she said that made sense. I think she still thought grandma was crazy, but she accpeted it.
Do any of you have "old sayings" that thid younger generation probably haven't heard of?
Please tell me I'm not the only one.
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:15 AM
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i knew the answer before i even opened your post and it is true they dont know the sayings
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:17 AM
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when I saw the topic, my first thought was "one bite at a time"! in my work, I find that young kids just don't know the adages I grew up with, like one swallow does not make a summer, a bird in the hand..., or things like knowing that moss grows on the north side of the trees. sad, at least to me.

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Old 02-16-2011, 11:18 AM
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I'm 56 but that is a new saying to me?????
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:21 AM
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I grew up with you never sew on Sunday. Every stitch you sew on Sunday.....you would have to take out with your nose in heaven...If that is so I'll have my work cut out for me in heaven:)
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:24 AM
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one bite at a time. My Dad uses this one on me all the time.

I think the "younger" generation may not know these, but honestly how many of you use them in front of your kids?
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:27 AM
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This one is new to me also.
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:27 AM
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I was having a real difficult time recently and that was the attitude I adopted. I kept telling myself- several times a day- just a bite...

After a week the elephant was gone. Good saying.
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:32 AM
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My mother always said:

There's more than one way to choke a horse to death than feeding him cornbread.

When you dreaded telling someone something or confronting them she'd always say: They might kill you but they can't eat you.

or - "Well, if that don't beat a hen a worming with a wooden bill"

and "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink"
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Old 02-16-2011, 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by redkimba
one bite at a time. My Dad uses this one on me all the time.

I think the "younger" generation may not know these, but honestly how many of you use them in front of your kids?
I use them all of the time without planning to - they just pop out when I'm talking. My sons know and use them. My DDILs didn't know them and one thought her husband (my 43 yr. old son) is crazy and uppity at times because we also use what DDIL calls BIG words. I just happen to hear a word and it is immediately absorbed into my daily mental word bank. My husband says "there you go using those BIG words, again.) My favorite college class was Linguistics that taught the origins of words and sayings.
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