5 Idioms That Won't Make Sense in 2025
Don't put the cart before the horse. Don't be under the weather. In the next 10 years, what other phrases will no longer add up?
Walk on eggshells; blow off steam; be under the weather; put the cart before the horse. When you stop think about the phrases we casually toss out, half of them exist today only as metaphors. Unless you’re Amish, chances are that horses and carts are not current concerns of yours. As the world is changing and technological advances send us towards the future at an increasingly rapid pace, we predict that the next decade will render these five idioms to be just as nonsensical.
Drone on
With drone technology becoming more widespread — including invisible drones and drones potentially replacing your delivery guy — when somebody says “my great uncle wouldn’t stop droning on about his bodily ailments,” pretty soon, somebody will be jumping to a very different conclusion about your great uncle.
Can’t judge a book by its cover
This one is more depressing, but with the publishing industry flailing and e-books becoming more prominent, it’s possible that physical pages might become obsolete. Then again, with major publications boldly declaring that print isn’t dead, it’s possible we’ll still be able to judge books by their covers for a long time to come. (And let’s not rule out advances in cover design making snap judgements quite simple and effective.)
When pigs fly
With genetic technology advancing to a place where scientists are comfortable tinkering around with human embryos, animal embryos are child’s play. Who’s to say one smartass scientist who’s had a long day and a few end-of-day beers won’t decide give a pig wings in the near future? Be careful next time you promise to do something “when pigs fly.” It could be sooner than you think.
Face the music
With VR headsets and wireless earphones set to become more widespread, the idiom “facing the music” is about to become much more confusing. Which way should you face?
Look like a million bucks
With income inequality on the rise and space tourism set to literally set rich and poor a world apart from each other, not to mention a shifting global economy, who knows what the hell “a million bucks” will look like in the future. Maybe that will mean looking even better than we now think of it — or maybe it will mean looking like garbage.
