Saving Your Bacon
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (342285)
Rockingham, Australia
February 5, 2017 4:51am CST
I am becoming more and more aware of the idioms and colloquialisms that I use on here. Although English is used exclusively on myLot, the individual's understanding and comprehension varies according to their country of origin and whether or not their first language is English.
So the other day I was about to write about something that 'saved our bacon' and I stopped in the middle of typing and decided to use 'plain' English.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to 'save one's bacon' is to ' escape injury to one's body, to keep oneself from harm'. The first recorded use of the expression is 1691. Bacon is cured pork and was often hung on hooks in the fireplace or a special smoke-house to be smoked, thus ensuring it would keep until consumed. Which gives me an excuse to put up a photo of one of several pigs we saw in a mall in Adelaide, South Australia.
32 people like this
35 responses
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
5 Feb 17
I think we all need to be aware when we use colloquialisms that it makes it much more difficult for Mylotters who's first language isn't English to understand.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Feb 17
Do you find though that there are a great many? Now that I'm more aware of them, I seem to continually be trying to avoid them.
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
5 Feb 17
@JudyEv we use idioms and colloquialisms so often, we are often unaware that we are even using them. I know that I must pay close attention or I throw in a few.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Feb 17
@Morleyhunt It is easy to fill a discussion with them if you don't take care.
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
5 Feb 17
I have found that if a phrase/word is used and someone doesn't 'get it' they usually ask. While others might do a little complaining that we should use words everyone understands...you can't please everyone.
3 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
5 Feb 17
@JudyEv What confuses me more is the C and F for temps!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Feb 17
@AbbyGreenhill I have a rough idea but don't like to put both unless I've checked on a conversion chart. I can't do heights though. If someone is 1m whatever I have no idea what they are.
@rebelann (113015)
• El Paso, Texas
5 Feb 17
I love that photo. It must be a wonderful place to spend time.
It's an old phrase I used to hear a lot when I was still living at home all those decades ago 
cheeeeze, talk about gettin old, but no one I know has used it recently, I think English is morphing again.
cheeeeze, talk about gettin old, but no one I know has used it recently, I think English is morphing again.2 people like this
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
5 Feb 17
I don't go out of my way to avoid idioms. I do try not to be obscure, though. Interestingly enough, a former co-worker of mine who was originally from Vietnam mentioned that the expression "eyes bigger than your stomach" is the same in Vietnamese as it is in English.
2 people like this
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
5 Feb 17
@JudyEv Some years ago, my mother and I were in a store talking about something or other. At the register, the clerk said something to her she didn't catch. She asked her, "Wie bitte?" The odd thing was, we'd been speaking in English. We both laughed. And the poor clerk, who had a strong accent, thought we were laughing at her. I had to say, no, we weren't. I just said, "My mother meant to speak to you in English and spoke to you in another language."
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Feb 17
I have used that saying many times. I absolutely love your pic, especially the pig trying to get a drink or is that a garbage can?
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 17
@fishtiger58 I just love them. They look so self-assured somehow and not out of place at all! :)
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
6 Feb 17
@JudyEv and I would have to sit on it too
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
5 Feb 17
That's one I've never heard before.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Feb 17
Most have heard it. But that's fine. You have now learnt your 'something new' for today. :)
@Hate2Iron (15727)
• Canada
5 Feb 17
What I found most interesting was the first recorded use!! We take everything so for granted and then to see a common expression that old... boggles the mind!!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Feb 17
I'm just off the bed so I hope you have a lovely day. :)
@moffittjc (121737)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Feb 17
I've heard the term "save one's bacon" before, so I knew what it's definition was, even if it isn't a common idiom used here in the US. I will often hear "save one's hide" more here, so that must be the local version of your idiom.
2 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Feb 17
The piggy looking into the trash container is funny.
2 people like this
@allknowing (138003)
• India
5 Feb 17
Is there any way the pigs can 'save their bacon' 
2 people like this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16797)
• China
5 Feb 17
It is hard to understand for some idioms.The other expressions of "Save one's bacon"are "save one's skin "and "save one's neck".The pigs are true to life.
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
7 Feb 17
And now I want very badly to walk up to the store for some bacon!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 17
@teamfreak16 I hope you didn't get on your bike and pedal off into the sunset!
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
8 Feb 17
@JudyEv - I resisted, but temptation is rising again. Oops, store closes in three minutes and it's a half mile away.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Feb 17
I think there are four in total quite close together.
@Brittnyrose (1444)
• Aberdeen, North Carolina
7 Feb 17
I love the photo. Was this photo recent?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 17
@Brittnyrose Compared to some we do; compared to others we don't. 
When my husband was working there was a conference in a different capital city every 3 to 4 years so we visited all the capitals over time and often had an extra week or two off to spend a bit more more around the area. We now have a son living in Ireland so we've been over there a few times and combined it with other travels.
When my husband was working there was a conference in a different capital city every 3 to 4 years so we visited all the capitals over time and often had an extra week or two off to spend a bit more more around the area. We now have a son living in Ireland so we've been over there a few times and combined it with other travels.1 person likes this
@Brittnyrose (1444)
• Aberdeen, North Carolina
8 Feb 17
@JudyEv cool. Do you and your husband travel a lot?
1 person likes this
@stapllotik (1933)
• India
5 Feb 17
Thanks Judy for sharing this. I love English and by the grace of god, it has such a wide global presence.If you are interested , you can learn every day different aspects of this wonderful language. Please everybody,use words, phrases, patterns etc whichever is allowed here. because sometimes the hitch or concern of one may be act as a base for learning to others.
2 people like this
