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Trouble with phrases or common sayings?

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RaeRae
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02 May 2007, 10:29 am

EarthCalling wrote:
RaeRae wrote:

What does "Don't let the sun go down apon your wrath" mean?



I agree, it is along the lines of "don't go to bed angry".
I think it has something to do about regretting your anger. Perhaps because you may not wake up and be able to make things right in the morning. Lets just say you are mad at someone, but you are being sort of irrational or it is the sort of thing that you will forgive them shortly for. What if the next day you could not make up? Either they die, or you die, something cataclysmic happens to prevent you from ever making amends with them.
It sound ominous and somewhat biblical. We don't use the word "wrath" very much in modern day English unless we are trying to be a little flamboyant. I think it is a metaphor that comes from another people of time long ago. It is not part of the modern lexicon, therefore I can see why Aspies would have a particularly hard time with it.


I see nothing wrong with going to bed angry, maybe thats why it makes no sense to me. If I'm angry, I'm angry. Time has no bearing on it. I'm more of a "sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning" type.



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02 May 2007, 11:07 am

EarthCalling wrote:
I did this too until my mom oneday told me. I suppose everyone had a good laugh at my expense. I would approach a cashier at 11 or 12 years of age, they would ask "how are you?" and I would tell them exactly "how I was!" Then the cashier and my mom would exchange glances basically saying with body language "is this kid for real?" "this is histarical"! Finally, my mom filled me in that I was supposed to answer "fine, thank you".


Yeah, when I was asked that, I'd think back over the day and the past week. Maybe I'd say "well I had a cold last week, but I'm feeling better now. I'm worried about a test I'm taking tomorrow, but I'm going to the zoo today so I'm excited about that..." :lol:

I was still doing that to an extent until probably 3-5 years ago.

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I used to struggle with mataphors, however I came to make up my own. I would make up random metaphores for anything, often disregarding the "standard ones" for my own. My son does it too, however he is more with the "accronyms" as opposed to metaphores, which he generally does not get. I remember when he was working on music, learning the order of the notes, EGBDF, the standard accronym is "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge". The made his own, "Every Girl Buys Dog Food". It was kind of funny, because the teacher tried to teach the first one to the class, and he was the only one who had no idea what fudge had to do with music. So, in trying to explain it to him, he thought he had to make his "own". Now he does it all the time it is a good learning tool for him. Anyway, I'm off topic, so I'll shut up now! :lol:


Hey, I'm glad that's working for him! Acronyms have never really done anything for me...though maybe if I made up my own...



solid
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02 May 2007, 11:35 am

I have got this really great book. It's a book with sayings in made specialially for people with aspergers


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RaeRae
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02 May 2007, 11:38 am

solid wrote:
I have got this really great book. It's a book with sayings in made specialially for people with aspergers


whats the book called?



solid
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02 May 2007, 1:48 pm

um... i can't remember


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RaeRae
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02 May 2007, 2:19 pm

solid wrote:
um... i can't remember


interesting book title, sounds like the story of my life . . .



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02 May 2007, 6:14 pm

Mebbe



methinks
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02 May 2007, 7:41 pm

It wasn't until my twenties that I could understand or recognize innuendo and common figures-of-speach,and I took hyperbole literally(including anger and threats).I still don't know what people mean half the time,or when exactly to take them seriously,but I'm a little less clueless than I used to be.



9CatMom
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02 May 2007, 8:49 pm

This is not because of a lack of understanding, but the phrase "Have your cake and eat it too," always sounded stupid to me. The real saying is "Eat your cake and have it too," which really makes more sense to me. It has more to do with squandering your resources and then wanting them for the future. The first, I assume, has to do with wanting everything.



RaeRae
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03 May 2007, 11:53 am

9CatMom wrote:
This is not because of a lack of understanding, but the phrase "Have your cake and eat it too," always sounded stupid to me. The real saying is "Eat your cake and have it too," which really makes more sense to me. It has more to do with squandering your resources and then wanting them for the future. The first, I assume, has to do with wanting everything.


You're right. That phrase does make more sense like that.



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03 May 2007, 5:50 pm

I agree,that clarifies the phrase.Figures-of-speech are basically learnt behavior,correct?And I'd imagine many people use them so out of context that it's confusing fo rthe uninitiated;they're going through the motions of daily socialized behavior without considering what they are actually saying and doing.How many times have you engaged someone in conversation and realized their whole self wasn't really present,they were just assigning the moment a variety of "pre-recorded responses" to a "type" of conversation?It's really weird.



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03 May 2007, 6:10 pm

Maybe he's talking about the Jerry Springer show. :)


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03 May 2007, 7:41 pm

I actually didnt understand one of the questions on the Aspie quiz*LoL*
Dont know if this is an Aspie thing or not but I really have problems with sentences that describe something and then have a"not" in it and there should be a yes or no answer to the question.
For example
" Are you not afraid of ..........."
I can never figure out if it means until I remind myself that the answer I should give is whether I agree or not with the statement.
Until I figure that out,things like that can have me scratching my head and wondering for a looooooooong time.
Anyone else have a problem with this or am I just weird?



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03 May 2007, 8:52 pm

This can be problematic. Some time ago, on a different thread, I related this incident. But, I will restate since it's germane to the topic. A few months ago, someone I know was talking about a wedding at a semi-social informal gathering. He said to me, "I married my sister." I said (direct quote): "Um, I'm ok with that. But maybe you shouldn't say that in public, you know, given the incest taboo." I was being sincere - I interpret literally. He laughed hard and then explained that he performed the wedding ceremony for his sister and new brother-in-law. I immediately "got it," but still - embarrassing! I'm glad this man had a sense of humor. Others can be not so forgiving. He also commented that I was the only person he had spoken to that interpreted his wedding story this way.


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03 May 2007, 10:11 pm

Quote:
He said to me, "I married my sister." I said (direct quote): "Um, I'm ok with that. But maybe you shouldn't say that in public, you know, given the incest taboo." I was being sincere - I interpret literally. He laughed hard and then explained that he performed the wedding ceremony for his sister and new brother-in-law. I immediately "got it," but still - embarrassing! I'm glad this man had a sense of humor. Others can be not so forgiving. He also commented that I was the only person he had spoken to that interpreted his wedding story this way.


LOLOL - That is me 24/7. hahaha

I have to add that I always want to answer the "how are you" very literally myself, and even though I should know better also still answer truthfully without thinking..

When I was younger, I would hear people saying "I didn't get the book on that one". For years I always thought they meant literal books on the subject. In fact, I always thought I was the only one that I didn't get the book on social rules and truly thought of literal books!! !



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03 May 2007, 10:17 pm

I dont take most things literally,however the" how are you" always gets me,and I start going on and on about my day instead of just saying"fine"..

the whole hey,how are you,said to be polite is stupid anyway,since 90 percent of the people saying it dont give a crap whether people mean it or not.