Unutterably Silly Invent an idiom/aphorism/proverb

[pdurrant]

I was chatting with a colleague on a Slack channel, when somehow we got onto the topic of odd English phrases.

And I thought it would be fun to invent one and see if anyone asked about it. So from nowhere in particular I came up with "Never trust a worried rabbit".

I managed to use it in two meetings earlier today, and in one someone actually agreed with me in an off-hand sort of way.

All: [some discussion about a programming problem at work]
Me: "Well, never trust a worried rabbit"
Colleague: "Yeah".
All: [conversation continues]


Thread rules:
1. You may post 1 (ONE) made up idiom/aphorism/proverb
2. When you have used any one of the made-up phrases posted in this thread in a general conversation, you should tell us about it
3. You may then post another.

Spoiler:

Original rules, now discarded:

So this thread has a two part challenge

1. Invent a new idiom/aphorism/proverb
2. Get away with using it in an everyday conversation.

If you can complete both parts of this challenge, report back here, and share your new phrase with the rest of the thread.

You MUST have used your new phrase in conversation with some people not in on the joke to be able to post it here.

Good luck!

There's another kind of post allowed in this thread. Discussion of the meaning of the new phrases that people post.

So: what does "never trust a worried rabbit" mean to you?

[PoP]

In a context of leadership: rabbits are not particularly brave, and worried ones even less it would seem. I could never trust a leader/boss having such a profile.

Good luck with your interesting thread.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

So: what does "never trust a worried rabbit" mean to you?

My first thought is that if you tried to pickup a worried rabbit, it might bite or scratch you. Or, trying to be delicate, lose control of certain bodily functions all over you.

If I take "worried rabbit" to mean "something that is normally considered to be tame, safe, cute or soft and fluffy but is under some sort of stress", then using the latter action above, the full statement could be:

Never trust a worried rabbit, it might shit all over you.

But, I mentioned this to my wife. Her comment was that all rabbits are worried. They are prey, so should be worried. Maybe the unworried rabbit is what we should not be trusting. What do they know that we don't?

[pdurrant]

I have clearly made the bar too high for this thread.

Rule adjustment:

1. You may post 1 (ONE) made up idiom/aphorism/proverb
2. When you have used one of the made-up phrases posted in this thread in a general conversation, you should tell us about it
3. You may then post another.

[pdurrant]

Having checked back to my original on-line chat with a colleague, I find I mis-quoted my own proverb! I should have said it was "Never trust a frowning rabbit".

I have now used both phrases in conversation, as the third time I used the "worried" phrase. But this time I got picked up on it, and I had to confess - much to their amusement. Even funnier - they thought that I'd used the phrase four or five times earlier in the week, when I know that I used it only twice!

Nice to know it had stuck in their mind. And here's a hint on successful use: Only use it in a group conversation. In group conversations, any individual is much less likely to ask about the new phrase, as they won't want to look ignorant in front of the others!

But in a 1:1 conversation, you may well get asked. Let them in on the joke if you get caught.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Maybe the unworried rabbit is what we should not be trusting. What do they know that we don't?

I do like your expansion of my original. Clearly the second half is just implied and never said.