By Bonnie Mills, Quick and Dirty Tips
Today we’re going to talk about idioms that come from foods. We ll take a peek into history, traveling all the way back to ancient Rome. Some of these foods may be more appetizing than others: We cover everything from cake to liver.
1. Take it with a Grain of Salt.
Our first food idiom is to “take it with a grain of salt,” which means to accept something but to be somewhat skeptical of the information. [1] For example, if you re unsure about a relative s knowledge of the stock market, you might say, “I took his financial advice with a grain of salt.”
Here s a great example: In one of his first jobs Michael sold a sales training programme called KISS - Keep it Simple Salesman. Michael sold this programme to companies with a number of salespeople and found that he was getting three people saying yes for every five sales presentations that he made. Michael would do about three appointments a day. He hated cold calling so he would phone people, qualify them and make an appointment to show them the programme. Then Michael fell in love with a brand new Mercedes 280SL sports car and knew that he had to own one. He quickly realised he needed to make at least 10 sales presentations a day to get his sales target and buy the Mercedes.
Chicago Bookstore Launches National Black Literacy Day By Alex Green | Jan 29, 2021
DL Mullen, owner of Chicago’s Semicolon Bookstore, has dedicated the last year to implementing innovative ideas that support readers in her community. Now, Mullen is adding a national holiday to that effort, and hoping others will join the celebration.
This February 14, Semicolon’s employees will spread out across Chicago in celebration of National Black Literacy Day, a holiday Mullen and her bookselling team devised last summer. Mullen hopes it is the beginning of a lasting celebration that others will take up nationwide. She has submitted a petition to Mayor Lori Lightfoot asking her to issue a proclamation supporting the holiday, and if Lightfoot does it, then Mullen can reach out to Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker to see if he will do the same statewide.
KEVIN BURNHAM
Photo by Robert Mitchell
I don’t know about you but I am tired of the negativity that has been around for … too long.
February is perhaps best known as the month of love, with Valentine’s Day smack dab in the middle.
However, I found some other days in the National Day Calendar that will hopefully inspire others to look and act on the bright side of life.
Starting with Feb. 1, National Get Up Day, is a day for picking ourselves up after experiencing a fall or a roadblock, to persevere when something hasn’t gone your way. You can also help others overcome their problems that day.
Today is National Hugging Day
It s probably been a while since you ve had the chance to hug as many people as you would ve liked.
According to National Day Calendar, January 21 is national hugging day! Honestly a nice warm embrace from your loved ones is usually pure bliss.
Also, when I mention pure bliss, I m really talking about those feel-good hormones, known as oxycontin. Hugging releases those hormones and helps you feel relaxed and eases stress.
Hugging also helps lower your blood pressure, eases anxiety, and lowers your risk of heart disease.
Seeing as we re in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us probably won t be hugging a ton of people. Social distancing guidelines asks that we stay 6 feet away from others, and try to only interact with those that live within our household.