My opinion of the phrase 'Touch-wood'

Jango said:
That's not a positive spin, it's just a lie. People were arguing against me as if I was trying to start an argument.

For example when simulatorman said '.... and nothing to get annoyed about. ', shows that he was trying to say that what I think is wrong - thus assuming that it is an argument - rather than simply giving his viewpoint, which was the whole point of the thread, to see other people's viewpoints. And so far no-one agrees with me! :)
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You say tomayto, I say tomato. So far no-one had directly said you're wrong, they've given an opinion as you did in the original post, it's a discussion forum, you're discovering that people don't agree with you up to now.

kylew said:
For phrases that truly make no sense, look at "you can't have your cake and eat it", I understand what's trying to be said, but relating the phrase to the intended meaning is beyond stupid. There is no point in wanting cake if you're not intending to eat it. To simplify it you're basically saying "you can't want to own food and be able to eat it" That's the only purpose of food anyway...
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But that's not quite what the phrase means, it's suggesting that you want to be able to eat your food and yet still retain it as if it was uneaten. The saying is to suggest that you've got to make a choice - you can either keep the cake as it is to have at some later date (or just to look at) but once you use it (eat it) then it's gone.

Fantom said:
Do americans say "knock on wood"? Just remember Brian saying it on family guy...
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And Amii Stewart had a song of the same name if memory serves.
 
kylew said:
'I won't break my arm tomorrow, touch-wood' is a poor example because breaking your arm is often out of your control. It's not about believing it. Most people don't want to break their arm, but to believe that they're not in full control of it doesn't mean they some how want to break their arm a little bit.

For phrases that truly make no sense, look at "you can't have your cake and eat it", I understand what's trying to be said, but relating the phrase to the intended meaning is beyond stupid. There is no point in wanting cake if you're not intending to eat it. To simplify it you're basically saying "you can't want to own food and be able to eat it" That's the only purpose of food anyway...
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Ok, that might be a stupid example, but you get the concept:

When you say 'touch-wood' at the end of a sentence, it shows that you don't really believe what you just said. So it potentially makes the start of your sentence a lie in my opinion.

semi-pro waster said:
You say tomayto, I say tomato. So far no-one had directly said you're wrong, they've given an opinion as you did in the original post, it's a discussion forum, you're discovering that people don't agree with you up to now.
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Simulatorman said '....and nothing to get annoyed about.', thus saying that I am being irrational. He didn't say: '...and nothing to get annoyed about in my opinion', did he? He didn't give his viewpoint; he said that I am wrong. So he did directly say that I was wrong.

But yes, fair enough, I agree most people are just giving their viewpoint. :)
 
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semi-pro waster said:
But that's not quite what the phrase means, it's suggesting that you want to be able to eat your food and yet still retain it as if it was uneaten. The saying is to suggest that you've got to make a choice - you can either keep the cake as it is to have at some later date (or just to look at) but once you use it (eat it) then it's gone.
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When people use it though, they seem to use it wrongly. Still though, I feel that it's a poor phrase as the meaning could be put across much better in a different way. To want to eat your food while retaining the exact same food is bordering on lunacy anyway, you'd have to be crazy to think you could do that. :p
 
Personally, I've always hated "it's always in the last place you look" - ****ing duh, once you found it you're gonna stop looking, so of course it's gonna be in the last place you look.

I know it's supposed to be 'think of looking', but people never say that.
 
Jango said:
Ok, that might be a stupid example, but you get the concept:

When you say 'touch-wood' at the end of a sentence, it shows that you don't really believe what you just said. So it potentially makes the start of your sentence a lie in my opinion.
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Not really, it's just superstition.

You'd say something like 'My car has never broken down, touch wood'. You're not lying or anything, your car never has broken down, the touch wood is just a superstition to avoid tempting fate and having your car break down the next day.

It's just used when you comment positively on something that could go horribly wrong outside of your control really, it's nothing to do with believing what you just said. Just a superstitious attempt to appease the gods of fate and stop them making you look an idiot by ruining whatever you were just boasting about :p
 
Kenai said:
Not really, it's just superstition.

You'd say something like 'My car has never broken down, touch wood'. You're not lying or anything, your car never has broken down, the touch wood is just a superstition to avoid tempting fate and having your car break down the next day.

It's just used when you comment positively on something that could horribly wrong outside of your control really, it's nothing to do with believing what you just said.
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I think that we're on different wavelengths.

The concept I mean is where you say: '*This* will/won't happen, touch-wood'
I'm talking about the use of the phrase in the future tense, not the present/past tense.
 
Optimism sucks, how many doors, that when you opened and walked through a great bucket of **** fell on your head would you have to walk through before you come to expect the ****?

I've given up being optimistic and now expect the **** at every turn, at least you can shut your eyes.
 
That's not really how 'touch wood' is supposed to be used though, so anyone saying things like that are stupid anyway.

You only append it to comments made in the past or present tense, making a prediction and saying it is pointless, that's not how it's meant to be used.

It seems it's not the phrase that's bothering you, just that everyone you know that's using it seems to be using it when they shouldn't :p
 
Kenai said:
That's not really how 'touch wood' is supposed to be used though, so anyone saying things like that are stupid anyway.

You only append it to comments made in the past or present tense, making a prediction and saying it is pointless, that's not how it's meant to be used.

It seems it's not the phrase that's bothering you, just that everyone you know that's using it seems to be using it when they shouldn't
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Hmm, yes I see what you mean. Fair enough. :)

LAOM said:
I've given up being optimistic and now expect the **** at every turn, at least you can shut your eyes.
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Well, it's the opposite for me. I used to be pessimistic, but since I've become more optimistic, I feel more positive and happy and my life seems to have generally improved. I'm not saying that everyone should be optimistic, but I'm sorry that optimism didn't work out for you.
 
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