Why is it that when somebody says something that is familar to you, that you go 'that rings a bell!'
Or when someone is telling you something that seems like a fib, 'your pulling my leg!'.
What are they all about? Do they have a meaning?
2007-02-04 03:28:45 · 16 answers · asked by pussy cat 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Yes - They are metaphors, "That ring's a bell" = "Thats familia, it is known to my mind".
2007-02-04 03:31:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
No-one is sure where those two sayings came from and there a many theories for each.
The most common theory on the derivation of the phrase "pulling my leg" is that it refers to the pulling on the legs of someone being hanged in order to speed up the process.
2007-02-04 11:49:09 · answer #2 · answered by epbr123 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are idioms & figurative expressions. They are used often in our conversations. They are groups of two or more words which must be learnt as a whole because the meaning of the expression may be different from the meanings of its parts.
'Thats ring a bell' means : your mind had remember or recall back something that you had known before or familiar.
While 'your pulling my leg / pull one's leg' means : try to make someone believe an untruth as a joke.
There's lots of idioms & figurative expressions & it's really fun & inteeresting to use them.
2007-02-04 11:44:47 · answer #3 · answered by ...~*kaRin*~... 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
that rings a bell, means I have heard that somewhere before. Your pulling my leg means you think they are joking or lying to you.
2007-02-04 11:35:17 · answer #4 · answered by ruth4526 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They are idioms - phrases which don't make sense if you take them literally but used in the right context are understandable to those who speak the same language. Most languages have them (I was going to say 'all languages' but I don't have a great knowledge of the Oriental languages - forgive me if they have idioms too!)
2007-02-04 12:07:34 · answer #5 · answered by Sioned 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes, Tink...like re-reading jokes from certain 'Answers' punters who can't regurgitate enough Peter Kay for us poor bastards to read again, and again...and again! Rings a bell?
You betya!
2007-02-04 11:39:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
theyre just common sayings and yes they mean
that rings a bell : i remember that from before
2007-02-04 11:32:37 · answer #7 · answered by mocho22 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Of course they do, look! You`ve just understood them havn`t you.
Tink x
2007-02-04 11:34:09 · answer #8 · answered by Tink 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
it's just things people used to say a lot... and it's just stayed around.
2007-02-04 11:32:08 · answer #9 · answered by page starshiine.™ 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Have a look at this, I think it's right up your street. www.idiomsite.com
2007-02-04 11:44:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋