Idioms:A barking dog never bites & Do unto the others as

[bmo]

1. A barking dog never bites.

A. There are a lot of angry words, but there is no action, like someone threatening to do something but never carries it out.
B. Must it be shouting and yelling? Can you use it in a benign way? How about just lots of nagging and there is no action. Basically, word only, no deed.

2. Do unto the others as you would have them do unto you.

A. Always cast it in a negative way? (If you don't like ...)
B. Can you say "Since I would like to be treated like a gentleman, I should treat the rest of my group like gentleman or lady?"

Thanks. BMO

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by bmo

1. A barking dog never bites.

A. There are a lot of angry words, but there is no action, like someone threatening to do something but never carries it out.
B. Must it be shouting and yelling? Can you use it in a benign way? How about just lots of nagging and there is no action. Basically, word only, no deed.

I think both of your interpretations are correct. I wouldn't give that one a lot of credence though. After all, in real life a barking dog might very well bite. :wink:

Originally Posted by bmo

2. Do unto the others as you would have them do unto you.

A. Always cast it in a negative way? (If you don't like ...)
B. Can you say "Since I would like to be treated like a gentleman, I should treat the rest of my group like gentleman or lady?"

You could put it either way. For example: "If you don't like to be yelled at it might be a good idea not to yell at other people." Or: "Since I would like to be treated like a gentleman, I should treat the rest of my group like gentlemen or ladies."

:)

[RonBee]

What do you think?

:)

[bmo]

Originally Posted by RonBee

What do you think?

:)

Thanks RonBee,

I, for one, am accustomed to only one interpretation of idioms, but when you look deeper, you start wondering if there are other explanations, such as the "Do unto ...." phrase.

BMO

[Tdol]

I don't see the second as negative, just good advice.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by tdol

I don't see the second as negative, just good advice.

He was, I think, using the word negative for the "do not" sentence because the "do not" negates something else. Do you have another term for that?

[Tdol]

I thought he meant in general terms about the sentence as a piece of advice.

[RonBee]

How about:

"If you don't like to be yelled at it might be a good idea not to yell at other people. If you want to be treated respectfully you should treat others respectively."

What do you think?

:)