“He’s got the memory of a goldfish.”
This expression is used to
say that someone has a very poor memory. It’s based on the idea that gold!sh
have a memory of only three seconds. But scientists have actually trained gold!sh
to navigate mazes. So, they aren’t so forgetful after all!
“I’m as blind as a bat without my
glasses.”
People who can’t see very
well are often compared to bats. However, bats aren’t actually blind. Most
species use echolocation to help them "y around at night, but they also
have eyes and are capable of sight.
“Lightning never strikes twice!”
This well-known saying
means that something unusual can’t happen twice in a row. But there’s no reason
why lightning can’t strike
the same place twice. In fact, lightning strikes the Empire State Building in
New York City around 100 times a year!
“Stop watching so much TV! You’ll
get square eyes!”
Of course, no one believes
your eyes will actually go square from watching too much TV, but many people
tell young children not to sit too close to the television because they believe
it’s bad for their eyes. However, there’s no evidence to suggest that watching
TV causes poor vision.
“Starve a fever, feed a cold!”
People often use this
expression, and it’s commonly believed to be true. However, the truth is, eating
has no bad e#ects on the body when you’re sick. In fact, the reverse is probably
true as food gives us energy. So, if you eat, you’ll be stronger and better
able to cope with the illness.
“He’s just burying his head in the
sand.”
This expression is used to
refer to someone who is hiding from their problems. It comes from the myth that
ostriches hide their heads in the sand when they’re in danger. They do put
their heads in the sand, but not for the reason stated above: they often dig
holes in the ground to protect their eggs from predators.
“If he finds out what you’ve done, it’ll
be like a red rag to a bull.”
People use this expression
to say that something will make someone very angry. However, bulls are colour
blind, so the cloth could be yellow with pink polka dots for all they care.
Apparently, it’s the fast movement of the material that makes them charge.