Adamantium wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
@B9
I like your theory about "strike while the Iron is hot".
The saying probably does come from branding irons, and not ironing irons.
I always thought it was about smithing. The blacksmith must "strike while the iron is hot" in order to shape it.
At least one source I could find quickly agrees:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/stri ... s-hot.htmlQuote:
Meaning
Act decisively and take your opportunities when they arise.
Origin
This old proverb clearly alludes to the imagery of the blacksmith or farrier at his forge. If he delays in shaping the iron when it is hot a pliable the metal soon cools and hardens and the opportunity is lost.
The expression is recorded in Richard Edwards', The excellent comedie of two the moste faithfullest freendes, Damon and Pithias, circa 1566
I haue plied the Haruest, and stroke when the Yron was hotte.
You can hear how the term "strike" is used by a smith in this video:
http://youtu.be/0GQl-oqFTncTo the dear readers of this thread on metaphor, this may get a little deep, ha ha, so if deep is not too hot, then read at your own risk.
I went to the link given and looked up one of the best known sayings, "A stitch in time saves nine."
The person is saying that this (saying) has nothing to do with time even though most people think it does (yeah, ha ha, most people are wrong but not him), but that it actually means that if you sew up a tear in cloth in the beginning then you will save yourself having to make more stitches, as if you do not sew it right away then the tear will get bigger, so "in time" really means "soon enough.". Well this probably did originally mean that to the person who made it--
or did it really mean that or just that?--I will cover this later as it is too hard work for right now, but if you look at this saying very carefully, something is hidden in there that actually is about time and does relate to the number nine, which, as we all know, is an unusual number. I am a deep ponderer but also kind of dense, so about three years ago when I took a deep look at this saying, it took me hours to figure it out..
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a-st ... -time.html
If you go to this link and read to the part about the astronomer and the reference to the boat in the stream, you will find something very interesting. Obviously this saying meant something about time to the astronomer who quoted it.
Context is very interesting.. One of the secrets of life is that context is very flexible, much like the number nine:-)
13 May 2013, 10:54 am
