One Stranger, Sammy, recently sent me the content of a text exchange she had with a friend, which was spurred by her use of "twice up the barrel, once down the side." This is a nice demonstration of the power of such a phrase.


5:44pm, Mar 19 - Maude: I see. Kind of like, twice up the barrel, once down the side. 5:45pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: Go on... 5:47pm, Mar 19 - Maude: Well, it's similar to over the tally and passed the shoot. You know? 5:47pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: You know I don't. 5:48pm, Mar 19 - Maude: Okay, so it's out through the window and shut the door. 5:49pm, Mar 19 - Maude: But more specific. 5:49pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: You're making this up as you go along, aren't you?
5:52pm, Mar 19 - Maude: You seriously don't know what I'm talking about? Or are you just holding the dancecard and refusing to take names? 5:54pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: I don't know anymore. 6:11pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: Welp, that was constructive. 6:12pm, Mar 19 - Maude: What was? 6:13pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: Laying the tracks to derail the train. 6:17pm, Mar 19 - Maude: Well, if the foot walks in the right direction... 6:19pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: ...then you're just going in circles to see around the bend. 6:20pm, Mar 19 - Maude: So, you're telling me that when the hammer hits the tooth bites? 6:21pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: No, that would be like the hand pointing at its fingers. 6:23pm, Mar 19 - Maude: We wouldn’t want to make the horse grunt on a humid day. 6:23pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: Well, you know what they say, if the loaf rises, the bread slices. 6:24pm, Mar 19 - Maude: I know what you mean, the candle can't light without the flame. 6:26pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: And you can't have both if you beat them to the punch. 6:27pm, Mar 19 - Maude: Haha, exactly! The bust busts the bustier! 6:28pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: At that point you're just sacrificing the wagon to bolster the wheels. 6:30pm, Mar 19 - Maude: Don't be ridiculous! That would be like me holding the number and making it count. 6:31pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: How am I being ridiculous? A bucket full of rain is still a singular droplet. 6:32pm, Mar 19 - Maude: Yeah, but if the order isn't made it never gets delivered. 6:33pm, Mar 19 - Maude: And we all know you can't stop a mountain from looking to the east. 6:36pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: No, but when the sun goes down, the wind blows blind. 6:38pm, Mar 19 - Maude: But who measures time by the length of his nose? 6:38pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: The same man who would brine the world to escape a pickle. 6:39pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: I guess that's like being stuck between a door and its hinge. 6:40pm, Mar 19 - Maude: Yeah, right... And his neighbor has an apple with his sister, if you know what I mean. 6:41pm, Mar 19 - Maude: It's nothing like that. It's being handed a goat and scraping for gold. 6:44pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: First off, his sister is dumb. She couldn't chew the fat without tearing the bone. 6:44pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: And a goat is only as smart as its hairs. 6:46pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: Next you're gonna say that you'd rather swing from the weakest branch than disturb the roots. 6:46pm, Mar 19 - Maude: If that's true, then I'm going to go to the forest and build a fire. 6:48pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: You can't give a thumbs up without making a fist. 6:49pm, Mar 19 - Maude: And words don't speak without clicking your tongue. 6:52pm, Mar 19 - Charles Robicheaux, III: I'm shooting the pace rabbit, here. 6:53pm, Mar 19 - Maude: In that case, grab the bushel and pull.  Please respond to this post by leaving in the comments your own made-up phrase that sounds real. ~It Just Gets Stranger