Clichés. What Is The Logic Behind Them ? (Page 3/3) Kitskaboodle JUN 15, 10:34 AM “Hang up the phone”. Comes from the old fashioned crank phones. After you finished your call, you were supposed to “hang up” the earpiece back onto the U shaped bracket on the top / side of the phone. Kit 82-T/A [At Work] JUN 15, 07:11 PM The best cliche's taken literally, are in the movie Airplane! ... damn I love that movie. cliffw JUN 18, 11:24 AM Under the weather. - Sick. Under water. - As of an issue. Zeb JUN 18, 07:08 PM quote Originally posted by cliffw: Gas Lighting ... gas lit ? What does that even mean ? "Gaslight" is an old movie, based on an older play: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslight_(1944_film) To gaslight someone is to lie to them to make them doubt their sanity. Or at least that's what I'll tell cliffw. (Everybody agree with me. It'll drive him nuts.) cliffw JUN 18, 07:20 PM Zeb, you assume I believe I am sane, . Thank you. I thought it meant to light the old street lamps by hand. Which used to be an occupation. Basically it is propaganda ?