Create an Expression!

[Minibit]

"Don't cry over spilled milk", "Stiff upper lip!", etcetera etcetera etcetera, they're phrases that are sometimes literal, sometimes figurative, sometimes as far removed from their original meanings as they could possibly be; for example the phrase "Oposites attract" is actually only half of the full original expression: "Opposites attract, but likeness endures.". Kinda changes the whole meaning around, don't it?

Your task this time is to create an expression for your culture. It can be a small-town expression in a modern-day township, or a common phrase tossed around by dragon-riding soldiers in a high fantasy culture. It can be steampunky or scifi - anything goes!

Expression:
Original form (if any):
Meaning:
Original meaning (if different)
Origin of the phrase:
Use in context:

 

[ze_kraken]

Expression: Ace of Spades, drawin' the ace, to draw the ace.
Original Form: None, save perhaps "kick the bucket"
Meaning: The solo term for death in combat. "To draw the ace" is to die in combat, "drawing the ace" is the short-hand expression of the same meaning.
Original Meaning: N/A
Origins: Comes from the idea that all physical (as opposed to digital) representations of an object are a sort of death to culture. Irony of an "ace" being the best also started the phrase to catch fire in light of a new age of technology and society's general apathy to the past.
Use in Context: "And what of Terminal? Did he make it out alright?" He asked, dreading the answer.
"No, he drew an ace." Silence.

 

[Cassette]

Expression: To eat a mountain/ Eating a mountain/ Ate a mountain.
Original Form: Eat a mountain and you'll gain a kingdom.
Meaning: Making things harder than they need to be.
Original Meaning: A challenge may be harder than you think you can manage, but you'll be cherish your achievement afterwards.
Origin Of The Phrase: Long ago, the foolish prince Kato of the Talfing kingdom wanted to take over a small neighboring kingdom called Ertrin. However the Ertrin kingdom was based in the Meringue mountain range, so named for its white peaks. The Talfing army encountered many problems in the mountains, including freezing to death, running out of food rations, and simply getting lost. When prince Kato heard of his army difficulties in the Meringue range, he ordered his army to eat the mountains, taking the name too literally. Word of the prince's mistake spread quickly through the army, and the soldiers made many jokes about how they would solve the problem of taking Ertrin by eating the mountain. When the soldiers returned to their home/villages, they told tales from their time in the army, including the joke about the prince's mistake. The people of Etrin took a liking to the prince's funny mistake, so they started using the jokes about it in day to day life. Over the years it evolved into a phrase. The phrase has been misinterpreted by younger generations, so the meaning has also changed.
Use In Context: "So what's Bob been up to?"
"Well recently he's been trying to convert the old store house into a nice little cafe."
"That manky old thing? Is he trying to eat a mountain?"

 

[Cassette]

Expression: Ace of Spades, drawin' the ace, to draw the ace.
Original Form: None, save perhaps "kick the bucket"
Meaning: The solo term for death in combat. "To draw the ace" is to die in combat, "drawing the ace" is the short-hand expression of the same meaning.
Original Meaning: N/A
Origins: Comes from the idea that all physical (as opposed to digital) representations of an object are a sort of death to culture. Irony of an "ace" being the best also started the phrase to catch fire in light of a new age of technology and society's general apathy to the past.
Use in Context: "And what of Terminal? Did he make it out alright?" He asked, dreading the answer.
"No, he drew an ace." Silence.

I might actually start using that as an expression to mean 'bad luck'. :)

 

[Sheridan]

Expression: Song Stopper
Original form: It hasn't actually changed, it's a relatively new expression.
Meaning: Used in reference to a person, 'Song Stopper' actually refers to the Song Stopper Fruit. When used in reference to a person though it means they are annoying and force their way into everything, stopping the fun
Origin of the phrase: It is a recently made one, around a year and a half, that started getting passed around by a group of one of the flying races that had flown over the forest with the Song Stopper Fruits on the day that they came from their tunnels. They used the phrase in their group of friends at a town they stopped at and people asked the meaning. It has been spreading since.
Use in context: "Did you hear about Erin? I heard that she's the one who seduced Bryn's husband." A woman whispered to her friend, her eyes remaining on the woman they were speaking about who was at a table across the cafe. "That song stopper!" Another woman whispered back, a little louder than she meant to.

(yes I know this is a stupid one, It's 4 am, i haven't slept, and it's oddly hard to think of a good one...)

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Expression: Nature reclaim you
Original form (if any): May nature reclaim your bones and feast upon your flesh.
Meaning: Quite simply, a polite way of saying, "I hope you die."
Origin of the phrase: The phrase resulted from an argument between two druids, both of which believed that when the societies of man crumbled, nature would reclaim what is rightfully Hers/His. The argument got the two angry, and one of them spouted the phrase "May nature reclaim your bones and feast on your flesh!" before angrily storming off.
Use in context: -Speakers 1 and 2 just had an argument that got both of them angry. "You imbecile! How could you even think such a thing?" "Nature reclaim you!" Both walk away angrily.
-Someone does something that upsets you greatly (i.e. almost hits you with their car), and you yell at them "Nature reclaim you!"


Expression: To pull a 1776; pulling a 1776
Original form (if any): N/A
Meaning: To challenge authority or an authority figure, especially to bring about positive change
Original meaning (if different)
Origin of the phrase: The phrase stems from the American Revolution, which began in 1776, and the changes in America brought by it.
Use in context: "The teacher used to rule his classroom with an iron fist, but then Jimmy and his friends pulled a 1776. Now the teacher isn't so controlling, and the students are doing their work."