The idea of «peeling» an eye is so viscerally uncomfortable to think about, and yet it’s one of the more common phrases in the English language. We’re always saying we’ll do it. And yet the thought of it unfolding in real life is enough to send a full-body chill down your spine. It’s one of those mysteries of language. 

Have you ever used a phrase around a new group of people and realized it’s not something most people actually say, and you’ve been misinformed? It has definitely happened to me. I’m always saying «fit to be tied,» which makes sense if you’re in the American South, but almost nowhere else. «Fit to be what?» They say, thinking you’re crazy. But I think we should all be embracing our own strange little turns of phrase. Whether or not anyone else understands you, it’s important that you’re expressing yourself authentically. Or at least trying.