Have you also ever felt stumbling with English sentences that look confusing and weird? Understanding such peculiar phrases while communicating is not less than solving the puzzle. The English language is full of strange English phrases that make no sense, such as idioms, proverbs, terminologies, slang, expressions, etc.
These sayings or confusing sentences don’t have any comprehensive sense literally, but when we carefully think and look at them, they convey a profound meaning beyond their literal interpretations.
Idioms in the English language have metaphorical or symbolic meanings understood by only native speakers. And when we hear them, they look extraordinary, and we often get lost in conversation if English is not our mother language. Let’s look at some confusing sentences highlighted with non-literal meanings.
If we look at the literal meaning of this phrase, it says that animals are falling from the sky out of bad weather. But its literal meaning is a heavy rain or downpour outside. Various theories provide the origin of this sentence.
But the most ordinary or familiar one is that the animals would live in the rafters of the homes in Britain. When heavy rain occurs, these animals would either fall or run to a safe place out of fear, leading to this commonly used phrase.
Example: Please take an umbrella because it is raining cats and dogs.
Break a leg is an idiom used in English phrases that make no sense in their interpretation. Actors use it in theater or performing arts to wish someone “good luck”. When deciphering the meaning, it is one of the funny sentences that confuse the brain.
It is pretty horrible to break someone’s body part on the stage. But the meaning implies wishing performers and musicians good luck before they go for auditions or performances.
Example: Both actors told each other to break a leg before going to the stage.
“Bite the bullet” actually represents the definition of what is an idiom in the English language. Because it is also one of the confusing sentences that misleads the readers when taken literally, but it conveys the meaning of facing hardships and difficulties with determination and courage. It originates from the days before the anesthesia when soldiers would bite the bullet during the surgery process to help them bear the pain.
Example: He bit the bullet and asked for a salary raise.
Eww, we treat this as one of the odd English phrases that make no sense. In today’s modern world, we often see children and teenagers teaching their grandparents many things. For instance, how to use smartphones, buy something online, or take control of the TV remote.
However, have you ever taught or seen someone teaching their grandmothers to suck eggs? Isn’t it a phrase that makes no sense? Yes, it is a very odd phrase that refers back to the time when sucking raw eggs out of the shell was standard practice.
The elders knew this art well and could have learned how to do this. So, this expression means to teach someone who is already more expert at doing anything than the person trying to teach.
Example: I can provide you with my tips, but I don’t want to teach my grandmother to suck eggs.
“Barking up the wrong tree” is an English phrase that makes no sense when taken as it is. However, it means going in the wrong direction or taking the wrong steps to achieve something. It originates from days back when hunting dogs would bark at the base of the tree where they believed their prey was hiding.
However, the prey would have climbed up to different places, and the dogs would be barking at the wrong tree. In a broader sense, this is a sentence that makes no sense. But, exploring it profoundly conveys that someone is looking for answers or solutions by putting effort into irrelevant or unproductive things.
Example: Looking for help for an English scholarship essay from a Persian teacher is just barking up the wrong tree.
“Hold your horses’ ‘ is often seen in paragraph that make no sense. It is an idiomatic expression which speakers use to ask someone to be patient and calm down. It originates from the world of horse riding and carriage driving, where it was necessary to control the horse to ensure safe transportation and journey. Whenever the horse would try to move forward unintentionally, the driver would tell him to “hold ” or “wait” by pulling the reins. It has become a common expression in English to instruct someone not to rush ahead and to remain patient.
Example: Hold your horses and let us gather all the information.
“Spill the beans” means to reveal or disclose confidential information. This idiomatic expression converts phrases that make no sense when read at first glance. Although the exact origin of this sentence is uncertain, one theory suggests its usage back in ancient Greece.
It originated when the concept of secret voting was practiced. The voter would place a white or black bean into the container, indicating the positive or negative vote. If someone knocked over the container, the beans would spill out, revealing a secret ballot.
Example: During the exemplification essay examples presentation, the presenter accidentally spilt the beans about the surprise guest speaker.
“Take a rain check” is an expression that means to decline someone’s invitation or offer politely and suggest it to accept later. When you use it, it sometimes leads to funny sentences that confuse the brain. It originated in America’s basketball games in the early 20th century. Once, a game was stopped due to rain, and the spectators were given a rain check ticket to watch the future match instead.
Example: Thanks for the invitation to the game tonight, but can I take a rain check due to a prior commitment?
We often use this phrase as an idiomatic expression to describe something straightforward and easy to understand. It is derived from the literal contrast between black and white colors, opposite ends of the color spectrum.
Here is an example of a “black and white” idiom in the context of English phrases that make no sense.
Example: Teachers describe the concepts in black and white, and there is no need for revision.
“Hard nut to crack ” is a proverb that speakers use to describe the problem or things that are difficult to solve or understand. While its exact origin is still being determined, it has been used in random sentences that make no sense for several centuries.
And now, it has become a common expression to signify something hard to deal with.
Example: Remembering all the steps to write a discursive essay is hard nut to crack, especially with a tight deadline.
This looks like a phrase or paragraph that make no sense due to the tongue twister and repetition of the pattern. But to your surprise, it is a correct grammatical statement that conveys a precise meaning.
Meaning: ” A ship that transports other ships that are shipping goods and cargo.”
This sentence is confusing due to its frequent use of the word “had” and gives a sense of funny sentences that confuse the brain. In this phrase, the repetition of the word “had” is used to convey past actions or events.
Meaning: A situation where someone has an excellent or good performance did not influence the team’s performance.
This sentence makes use of the center embedding rule in the English language. This rule allows using phrases within another phrase to increase the number of phrases without grammatical mistakes.
Meaning: “The dog chased the cat, and the cat killed the rat that ate the malt”.
This sentence shapes the English phrases that make no sense because they can have two interpretations.
Meaning: It can be taken that the speaker saw a man on the hill using a telescope. Moreover, It can also convey the meaning as the speaker saw a man while they were on the mountain and using the telescope.
This is a confusing statement due to the ambiguous placement of the word ”complex”. It can lead to random sentences that make no sense if not used carefully. For instance, it can have a meaning of the housing complex that accommodates the married soldiers, single soldiers and their families.
Or, it can reflect that the houses are made of complex structures.
The phrase “under the weather” doesn’t make any sense when we try to understand it from its literal meaning. However, its actual meaning implies that feeling unwell or in bad health. When someone says he is under the weather, he is experiencing illness, fatigue, or discomfort.
Example: He couldn’t take his nursing assignment because he was under the weather.
“Over the moon” does not convey the meaning of going over the moon, etc. Rather, it means someone feeling extreme happiness and joy.
Example: Harry felt over the moon because he received the job offer.
Ostensibly, it looks like they are physically beating someone or being around the tree bushes. But it is an idiomatic expression that conveys the meaning of talking irrelevantly without coming to the main points and agenda.
Example: List the english phrases that make no sense without beating about the bush.
It is a short phrase that is simple. However, its actual meaning goes beyond its literal interpretation. It conveys the sense of advice to someone to proceed slowly and carefully.
Example: Easy does it, John; take your time and read the statements carefully.
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Actual Meaning: It is often used to say sarcastically that someone is exaggerating and twisting the facts.
Example: Person 1: “I won a cash prize the previous month!” Person 2: “Sure, and the moon is made of cheese.”
Although it seems that someone saw an elephant flying in the market, the meanings are different.
Actual Meaning: This sentences is used when someone tells the fictional story and go against the facts and truth
Example: Person A: “I won the lottery yesterday!” Person B: “Sure, and the moon is made of cheese.”
Actual Meaning: This idiomatic expression makes English phrases that make no sense. It is used figuratively to explain a situation where something unusual or magical is happening.
Example: “The students listened, enchanted, as the teacher described the grass singing a beautiful song, fostering their imagination and love for nature.”
This proverb does convey the correct meanings when we try to understand them literally. It is a figurative saying that has different interpretations.
Actual Meaning: it is used to describe an unexpected or extraordinary situation or experience. It explains a dramatic shift from one situation to another that involves a sense of astonishment.
Example: Jack was struggling with a career but then walked through a wall and ended up in outer space.
Which English phrases that make no sense from the list seemed most fascinating to you? It’s always interesting to learn the history behind some of our crazier expressions. Figuring out how our language developed over time is fascinating, wouldn’t you say?
Some of the above sentences are still head-scratchers to figure out what they’re trying to say. Even those born into English must admit it’s a peculiar thing at times!
Did learning about where these originated satisfy your curiosity at all? Do you want to look again at some more weird phrases next time? Give us a shout, and we will put together another collection of oddballs to think over.
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