Not the Time, Not the Place

Have you noticed the similarities between animals and people? While watching “mommy TV” (which is what the kids call my TV show preferences), I saw part of a show about lions. While male lions protect their pride, female lions do most of the hunting. Once they take down an animal on the prairie, they all rush in to enjoy the feast. Normally the King of the Jungle eats first, and the rest of the pride follows his lead.

The show revealed how the cubs and females tried to share in the meal as the males ripped away chunks of meat. At one point, one of the babies did something to earn a gentle swat from the massive paw of its papa. The baby, in all of its miniature cuteness, had the gall to swat back! Maybe the pair wrestles when things get slow on the prairie, but returning daddy’s swat during dinner is a dangerous no-no. Here’s another daring decision:   

                                          https://youtu.be/SoDmvuHZQEQ  

Can you say, “playing with fire?” The narrator said he was defending his territory, but it looked like playtime to me. I’m not sure his “playmates” enjoyed the fun. One slip of the hand and things could have turned deadly. Sometimes we head out in a direction that makes sense, but by the end of the road, we wind up on an unexpected path. In daily life, how do you know that you’re making the right choices?                       

Not Just Monkey Business

I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Why would anyone say that? It seems the saying became popular in the 1920s when people use it to indicate unexpected surprise, the way we might say, “Amazing, imagine that!” Here’s a better explanation of being a monkey’s uncle.  English is peppered with idioms that make no literal sense. I can imagine the confusion these sayings cause for anyone learning to speak English and seeing this video wouldn’t help. Take a look:

                                          http://youtu.be/X8Ofgy5btNY

 I wonder how railway management came up with that idea. Did you catch the seriousness of the gentleman surrounding Mr. Miyan?  I love the way no one seemed shocked by him. It reminded me of New York City where you can witness all sorts of interesting sights.  The scene may look odd, but Mr. Miyan claims his method works. What’s the most unbelievable thing you‘ve heard, and realized later that it made perfect sense?