Actually the bootstraps one is a good example of the general public missing the point entirely. Originally, the phrase was used to describe something impossible, and was repeatedly used sarcastically to describe an inherently unjust economic system that makes upward mobility impossible.
Yep, and people still try to use it as a metaphor for something completely different. Just something that no longer makes logical sense all on its own.
Actually the bootstraps one is a good example of the general public missing the point entirely. Originally, the phrase was used to describe something impossible, and was repeatedly used sarcastically to describe an inherently unjust economic system that makes upward mobility impossible.
Yep, and people still try to use it as a metaphor for something completely different. Just something that no longer makes logical sense all on its own.