Over the weekend, I was watching the
Mythbusters episode which was testing the idiom "
It's like taking candy from a baby." The phrase is used to imply that something is as easy as, well, taking candy from a baby. But long ago, I realized that phrase makes no sense at all. Anyone who's every been around babies knows that if a baby wants something, then even if you can easily take it from them, what you're really going to have is whatever you took away plus an unhappy baby. If the something you are taking away is candy, then you're likely to get tears from the baby, too. So taking away candy from a baby is just mean. I think that's a better representation of the idiom. What said you on the poll?
Clearly, most people went with the traditional meaning. The three "other" responses all included meanness or cruelty in some way. Still, most people (3:1 from this non-scientific poll) seem to think it is easy and not that mean or cruel to take candy from a baby.
4 comments:
I would like to publicly announce that I voted "easy" because that's what I was taught, but I really think it's just plain wrong! And kind of wondering what kind of people give babies candy in the first place....
I feel like the first that I remember this phrase was in (oh god) the Little Mermaid tv show...there was a "mobster lobster" who used that phrase a lot to mean something would be easy. It's definitely the historical meaning, even if it nothing short of cruel.
I think it's grandparents and aunts and uncles giving the candy to babies. :-)
Every time I hear this phrase I know what is trying to be said, but I always think it's a little goofy.
With all of the fat babies around these days? You're doing them a favor.
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