Volume XXIV

I. In the limelight 🔦

Before LEDs and selfie rings, theaters used literal limelight to illuminate the stage. At least, that’s what it was called when you burned quicklime (aka calcium oxide) with oxygen and hydrogen gases to produce that bright white glow.

So standing “in the limelight” meant you were under that glowing rock with all eyes on ya.

Today, it’s the same idea minus the chemistry. Think when you’re on stage, up to bat or the only one with camera on for the Zoom call.

II. Squeeze blood out of a stone 🪨

This one comes from the Brits. It’s about trying to squeeze something out of someone — a few extra bucks, one more hour of help, a shred of enthusiasm — when they either don’t have it or simply won’t give it.

Americans, always one for a playful twist, came up with their own version: You can’t get blood from a turnip.

One’s hard and lifeless, the other soft and earthy, but the point stands: asking for blood from either is asking the impossible.

III. Dark horse🏇

A nod to the degenerates of the past, this one-liner galloped out of 19th-century horse racing. When a horse’s record was unknown, bettors had to take a blind leap wagering on the mystery runner no one saw coming.

These days, it’s not just for Thoroughbreds tearing up Churchill Downs. It’s Andrew Yang’s 2020 presidential run, those frisky Eli Manning Giants teams, or the quiet job candidate who crushed the interview despite a less-than-impressive résumé.

Keep on sending on. Forward to a friend.