Does "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" mean...?

Is it anything to do with the trials and tribulations of sperm?

Ori I'd call your interpretation pretty accurate though we'll undoubtedly hear from skeptics pushing technicalities

Agree with Dale, in both points.

The analogy refers to sailing boats trying to get to windward, against both wind and tide.

Why thank you Mac, you've made my entire week. I was expecting to be dragged across the thorny brush

Don't count your chickens bud, the trolls are never far away.

You do it into the wind?

What is chickens bud? And trolls? Giant monsters?

So why not give me a professional expression? I'm all ears.

Don;'t count your achievements yet, buddy,…."

A troll Ori is someone looking for a way to interpret your posting, however innocent, in such a way as to respond sarcastically or to attract respondents with whom he can so interact

To troll means to fish

Thank you Dale.

But I still failed to understand "chichens bud" - should it be "chicken's bud"? Does it mean "relax, it is too early to flaunt your achievement"?

That's

Don't count your chickens, buddy [= friend],

Are you familiar with the idiom,

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

I wouldn't describe that as an idiom. It's more an adage or a warning.

A despotic king was c0nvinced his nobles were plotting to overthrow him. He assembled a group of earls, barons, and counts and confronted them. "Tell me who is plotting against me or I will cut off your heads. "Who leads the plot", he asked the first one. "My lips are sealed." "Off with his head"> WHACK. And so on down the line. He came to the last of the nobles he'd gathered. "What is the plot?" "I cannot tell you". The ax started to fall. "Wait, wait, it's..."WHACK. The count's change of heart came too late. The next day the nobles he hadn't been able to gather up led the rebellion and cut off the head of the evil king.

The moral of the story is, 'DON'T HATCHET YOUR COUNTS BEFORE THEY CHICKEN. "Before they chicken" is an idiom.

"I have got fifteen eggs. I will have fifteen chickens".
Not necessarily. Your expectations may not be met. Your plans may not come to fruition. Hence "Don't count your chickens (before they hatch)".

Ori, don't think any such word

http://onelook.com/?w=chichens&ls=a

Then you would be mistaken, which of late, seems to be your wont, Jack.

Really? What part of speech is it supposed to be? Can you use it in a sentence, as you can other idioms? How do you use it instead of some other part of speech not an idiom? Can you use it to express anything other than what it says It's a sentence, not an idiom. You're wrong as usual, JTT. You really are making a practice of it, aren't you?

Here are a few random idioms from the Cambridge Dictionary of Idioms. Tell me how "Don't count your chickens before they hatch" functions in any way similar to them or can be used grammatically in a similar way.


the gravy train
bar none
buckle up
give a hand
play ball
alive with
there is no doing
steady as a rock
invest time in
a necessary evil
be a laugh a minute
be heading for a fall
arrange with
retire to
pay back
pull up to
against will
without missing a beat
ring around
all wool and no shoddy
fall out of bed
be on last legs
scoot down
line own pocket

MontereyJack said


As far as idioms go, JTT, "make a practice of" is in fact an idiom. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch" is not similar grammatically. It's an adage or a proverbial saying, but it's not an idiom. You, JTT, are an idiom. No, wait, that's not quite right, something's wrong...oh, yeah, should be a "t" not an "m".