Ol’ Dutch has always enjoyed the different phrases that decorate the English language. Many of these are local in origin and use but some have become so commonplace that everyone seems to use these idioms to express themselves on a daily basis.
Now most of you probably know that Ol’ Dutch has had his share of experiences with idiots but this is a totally different animal completely -- which is an idiom in and of itself as that phrase has nothing to do with animals of course but means there is a difference between the word “idiom” and “idiot” just as there are between animals.
Down in Texas and across the South, people are always wanting to “carry” Miss Trixie and I somewhere and I always have to roll my eyes at that suggestion as Ol’ Dutch goes a solid 16 stones and would be quite the lift. I would comment on how many stones Miss Trixie weighs but she would just throw them at me so best leave a sleeping dog lie. Another idiom.
Other sayings such as “get off my back” and “the proof is in the pudding” are used by everyone to express an idea to someone else. I am not sure why we just can’t say “leave me alone” and “the results are proof of your efforts?” But we tend to cling to those idioms like Cleopatra to Antony albeit a little less sweaty.
Ol’ Dutch had to do some Googling to find out about the Devil being in the details and just like a lot of things these days, old Satan seems to have horned in on God even in that saying. For you see it really originated with “God is in the details” and was meant to mean that small things are important.
Going back to the Italian phrase, Il diavolo sta nei dettagli, we can see that they meant God all along. (I put that in there so I could impress you with my foreign language experience, thanks to the internet -- again.)
The originators of the Italian saying wanted people to be aware and check all the facts of any transaction or job. But as more and more scammers came along it took on a more sinister meaning and in fact pretty much guarantees a person that there is evil lurking in the fine print.
Which most of us can attest to having bought cars, rented hotel rooms, flown on airlines, attended school, joined a church or gotten married.
That fine print has often risen up to bite us in the derriere after a while and we all wish we had read the fine print before we signed on the dotted line.
Ol’ Dutch heard about a little boy attending his first day of first grade. He got up at noon to go home and the teacher had to inform him that first-graders go to school all day not half a day as in kindergarten. Dismayed at not getting the memo or reading the fine print he was heard to remark, “who the hell signed me up for that?”
To which all of us can say an “Amen.” Been there done that.
I can recall sitting in church while new members were sworn in - well not really swearing as that isn’t biblical - and the pastor went through a long list of what they were agreeing to as far as support and committee work. The look on some of the men’s faces let Ol’ Dutch know that this was the fine print and that he didn’t want any part of that monkey business.
And while I am already in trouble for that last little story and this week is Valentine’s Day, I might as well mention entering into marriage definitely leaves out a lot of the details or none of us would do it.
I guess some of that can be attributed to being young and foolish, old and lonely or just plain crazy. And we know that all men want their wives to never change and the wives want their husbands to change a lot.  And they end up both being wrong. Darn those devilish details.

Kevin Kirkpatrick and his Yorkie, Cooper, fish, hunt, ATV or hike daily. His email is [email protected]. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.