‘Cute as a Button’ and Other Confusing Sayings That Make No Sense at All

Call me crazy but I just don’t understand some old time sayings. What were our ancestors thinking? For instance, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too”. Why? What is the point of having a cake if you can’t eat it? What are you supposed to do with the cake? Cakes are for eating. Is there a support group for cake hoarders? Are people really making cakes and just leaving them sit around because you can’t have it and eat it? I don’t understand this one. I have never had a cake that I didn’t eat.

“Cute as a button”. What the heck is that? I have never looked at an adorable baby and thought of comparing their cuteness to a garment fastener. “Oh what a gorgeous blouse Susan. Those buttons are cute as a baby”. I can’t see someone saying that. Sorry but buttons are not cute.

One more that has driven me nuts through the years is “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. I know the thought behind this one is that if you don’t ask for something you may not get it. You need to speak up to be heard. I have found in my professional career that the squeaky wheel gets replaced. Feel free to squeak all you want. You may get greased but you may also end up in a big tire pile in a farmer’s field somewhere.

What old saying makes no sense to you?