League_Girl wrote:
I have never heard anyone use this phrase. Must be a regional or a cultural thing. Do we have this idiom in the states?
Yes.
"A pessimist will see the glass as half empty. An optimist will see the glass as half full." -- attributed to Oscar Wilde
Corollaries:
"A physicist will see the glass and say that it is completely full - half with water, the other half with air."
"An engineer will see the glass as being optimized for maximum surge capacity."
"A Zen Master will see the glass, pick it up, and drink from it."
"A Republican will see the glass and say, 'Who's been drinking my water?'"
"A Democrat will deny ever having taken a drink from that glass."
"A realist will say that it doesn't matter, since it is going to be washed later anyway."
"A surrealist sees a giraffe eating a necktie."