Is a hackneyed phrase something we say in a cab?
Does anyone know that a hackney was a kind of carriage?
Silly things we say and we don't know where they came from (which often leads to their mutilation and misquotation).
"Money is the root of all evil" , for instance, is an incomplete quote. It should be: the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Money can be used for many things, but greed or lust for it is what drives people to behave immorally.
Got any others?
Very interesting! I'll have to think on this. Cliches are all around, but to blurt one on the spot is tough. I do always feel an inner cringe when I say one aloud, though, and try to break it down, figure out the phrase's origin.
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