ODD SAYINGS

People have their favourite sayings which they utter under appropriate circumstances, or what they think of as being appropriate circumstances. Here are a couple that have puzzled me.

1. It would be cheap at half the price - This is one of the favourite shouts of many market traders. I assume they mean it would be cheap at twice the price. Of course it would be cheap at half the price, but they are not offering it at half the price.

2. You want your cake and eat it - This is supposed to convey that someone is expecting too much from a deal or situation. Apart from the rather strange grammar, I've often wondered why anyone would want cake if they were not planning to eat it?

3. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - That was no doubt true before the words "bird" and "bush" acquired more modern alternative meanings.

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