A list of confusing terms by a very confused man!
How come glowworms are not worms but fireflies? And fireflies not flies but
beetles?
How come a greyhound is not always grey? And a panda bear or a koala bear
not a bear? A woodchuck is actually a groundhog but a groundhog isn't really
a hog. And the guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. It's really
a South American rodent.
How come a day begins at midnight? Nightmares can take place in broad daylight.
On the other hand, you can daydream all night. And morning sickness, for
that matter can occur any time of the day.
If female nurses are called sisters, how come male nurses are not called
brothers? Midwives could be men too, you know. And, oh brother, while it's
noses that run, it's feet that smell. A fast colour doesn't run, either.
Far from being quick, quicksand takes its sweet time to drown its victim.
And while rush-hour can be painfully slow, idle rumours certainly go around.
Then again, how come boxing rings are square? the sitting area in a stadium
is called the stands. On the other hand, a standing committee normally sits
around talking and not doing much else.
A lead pencil is actually made from a mixture of graphic and clay. No plastic
is used in plastic surgery! And a Black Hole is neither black nor is it a
hole. It's just a void in space where a star has collapsed.
How come a meteoric rise denotes upward mobility when a meteor actually falls?
So, is common sense all that common?
Clever minds put on the thinking cap but write on foolscap. At 18, young
men can choose their MP's but not their life-partners. If women are given
more to crying, how come men carry bigger hankies? Kids are not the only
ones to be kidnapped. A woman can man a station but can a man woman it? A
king can rule his kingdom but can the queen of UK claim her United Queendom?
Opportunity knocks. How come it doesn't call or ring the doorbell? Since
the white pawn makes the first move in the chess, is it a game of apartheid?
When you go down to the country, you go up country. And when you have business
to attend to downtown you go uptown. Shipment can be transported by trucks
but can cargo be trucked by sea? If the world is becoming smaller, how come
the airfares keep getting steeper? Why is Greenland anything but green? Most
important, how come you have time to read such nonsense?