Volume XII

I. Set in stone 🪨

This one’s so classic you may not have clocked that it was an idiom.

It’s a go-to for punting a work deadline or refusing to commit to weekend plans you may want out of. As long as it’s not set in stone, you’ve got a little leeway.

The phrase has biblical roots, dating all the way back to the Ten Commandments, which God gave to Moses etched onto stone tablets — implying that these laws were to be unchangeable and absolute. There was no secret Commandment #11 tacked on after the fact, and definitely no Control + Z.

Of course, in real life, most things aren’t unchangeable, but calling something set in stone is still a good way to lay down the law with a little extra authority.

II. Let the eagle scream 🦅

We all know the stingy guy who dodges every Venmo request, asks for gas money when it’s his turn to drive, and buys all his groceries at Aldi (with all due respect). He’s not just frugal, he’s cheap to a fault.

The phrase letting the eagle scream comes from this exact spirit of stinginess. It refers to avoiding spending money so much that the freshly minted eagle on a U.S. silver dollar practically imprints on your tightly gripped fist. The expression popped up in American newspapers and literature as early as the 1930s, when thrift wasn’t just a choice, it was survival.

But listen, it’s not the Depression anymore, pal. You don’t have to pinch every penny like it’s the last one on Earth. Go on — loosen the grip a little. Let the eagle breathe.

III. Dog days 🐶

When we talk about the dog days we’re not talking about lazy Labradors refusing to go on walks past noon. It actually comes from the “Dog Star,” Sirius, which rises and sets with the sun during the hottest, stickiest stretch of the year. Romans believed its combo with the sun added extra heat to the earth, sparking fever, drought, and general misery.

Today, it’s less about astrology and more about that work project you got saddled with in mid-July. A string of 8pm nights at the desk followed by a shoulder-to-shoulder subway home means you’ve officially entered the dog days.

Keep on sending on. Forward to a friend.