Shhh! Nobody tell them about "inside out."
this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2024
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
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Don't tell them about insid-- dang! Too late
Why isn’t it outside in?
It could be to do with something called “ablaut reduplication”. Very basically English has a - kind of - untaught sound order that native speakers inherently apply to the language. Wikipedia will have an article to explain it better. Specifically the vowel order I-A-O. A great example is the phrase “Bish bash bosh” which is getting coverage recently. (One notable exception is “shit, shower, shave” but that is probably down to the chronology of the actions.)
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How else would one interpret it?
It's not really that I interpret it in another way, but I never really thought about the structure of the word 😅
Go further. For example, people say 'gypped' without knowing it's a pejorative reference to the word 'Gypsy' which is itself a pejorative of the Romani.
My favorite recently is sophist from the pejorative Platonic definition. It really puts words like sophisticated in a different etymological light and subtle contextual meaning.
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I’ve had similar realizations about words like “across” and “again”.
I get "across", but what about again?
A gain. In addition to.
“A gain” as in one more. Gain meaning “an increase in amount”
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I think the pronunciation, specifically the blending of the end of "upside" and beginning of "down", turns it into one of those compound words that your brain interprets as an independent word, rather than a combination of its composite parts.
Unused to wonder if the radio announcers that are always reciting the station call letters found that the letters stopped sounding like individual sounds, and the whole recitation became a sort of "word" for them. Like "You're listening to 102.9FM WBLM!" Did it stop being "double-you bee ell emm," and turn into more of a mashup of "dubbleyabeeyelmm"?
True, the difference is pretty subtle, especially to a listener, but I wonder strange things sometimes...
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Now explain why some people are "down for things" while others are "up for it"
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Wait until you find out “bottoms up” isn’t about a group of people taking an elevator to get mimosas
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Brave of you to post this
Good grief...
TIL that people didn't get this. I had a similar situation where I would pronounce unleaded as unleeded
Oh, I used to do this all the time. You see a word in print, but you never hear anybody say it, so you wind up pronouncing it wrong.
I think the best was when I pronounced "misled" as my-seld because I thought it was the past tense of "misle".
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Does "right-side up" mean the right side is up or the "right" side is up? English does not make sense
also hi binette
Right = correct
"The correct side is up"
I agree, English is a mess.
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Always funny to see native speakers discover trivial facts about their language
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This reminds me of the time I had a co-worker tell me "That's why they call it 'work'. 'Cause you're working!"
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I'm my language it's "bottom up" (ondersteboven).
Also came to a similar realization in my language with "averechts", which means the other way around.
Rechts = right (side, from my pov)
Averechts = ave ( dialect for "your") right side.
You're basically communicating "my right or your right". Asking for right or left can be done by saying rechts or averechts.
Also besides ondersteboven and averechts, we have achterstevoren, which means back side in front.
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The opposite of "upside down" is not "downside up", but "right-side up".
The opposite of "right-side up" is not "left-side down", but "upside down".
Ladies, gentlemen, and all in between. The English language.
The up side is the right side. The down side is the wrong side. Quite logical to me
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Once you get a handle on inside out you can check out this ok go song
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And then someone tries that again with "Just realized that "downside up" means "the down side is up", making it downside up" to see if it makes anymore sense.
Holy shit does that mean that inside out means the inside is out? 🤯
Heh good insight.
(Ps I also have these thoughts about breaking words down (unicorn is uni-corn) and some people get really snarky about it. Don't let bad comments get to you.)
In-sight
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Wonder if OP thinks "right side up" means the left side is down
Glad you finally made it to the party! Meaning we’ve all been having a party that you just made it to.
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