Phraseological Fun

I learned a few new things this week during my travels through literature. I found them interesting so I thought that I would share a few of them. These first two terms I learned by reading the graphic novel, "Death: The High Cost of Living." See, comics can be edumacational...

L'Esprit D'Escalier
Literally, it means "the spirit of the stairway" but there's no real axiom for it in english. It refers to the clever responses that you think of as you leave a place or a situation. Those great comebacks and that amazing argument that you should have used rather than standing there quietly like a fool.

Myoclonic Twitch
This is an involuntary twitch of a muscle. If this happens just as you're falling into deep sleep then it might be referred to as a hypnic (or hypnagogic) jerk. It might be your eyes moving or your eyelids fluttering, it might be an arm contraction. For me, it sometimes results in a brief spasm in of one of my legs. And the next time you're ticked off with someone, call them a hypnic jerk and see what the person does with it...

Acknowledge The Corn
This term is used to mean no acknowledgement at all. If you're arguing with somebody and you say, "I acknowledge the corn," then you're actually saying that you concede nothing. For the story behind this term, I will quote from the book "Why Do We Say It?" published by Castle Books (with no author listed, oddly enough).

"The story is told of a man that bought two flatboats, loaded one with corn and the other with potatoes, and sailed down the Mississippi River to make his fortune. Upon his arrival in New Orleans, the man went to a gambling house and there lost all his money - and the two boatloads of produce. On his return to the wharf, he found that the flatboat of corn had sunk. Later, when the person who held his notes for the produce demanded delivery, he said, "Stranger, I acknowledge the corn" - which was easy enough since the corn was at the bottom of the river - "but, by thunder, the potatoes you can't have!"