Bob McNair is really driving social media nuts right now. His comment, in regards to kneeling for the national anthem, "We can't have the inmates running the prison," was two things - a mistake, and an idiom.
"Idiom: (Noun) A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deductible from those of the individual words"
Basically, if someone uses an idiom, you have to understand the idiom itself, the individual words in the idiom typically do not mean anything even close to the meaning of the group. Idioms are different across cultures, languages, states, and even cities! Language is such a weird thing, and it definitely changes over time. Millenials may need someone to explain idioms of a time that is long gone, so here is a list that may come to your aid in the future.
1. "We can't have the patients running the asylum."/"We can't have the inmates running the prison."
While most people use the asylum reference, others, like McNair use the prison reference, which is most common in the south. This, in today's world, basically means "Someone has to be in control here." McNair never meant anything by calling these people "inmates" (which, some people are calling racist. That makes no sense to me. Only a racist would assume that only black men were incarcerated, so it seems that those that are pointing their finger at McNair might need to dust their own doorstep first. Ha! Another idiom!)
2. "It's like the pot calling the kettle black."
This is not about race or drugs! It is about hypocrites! A pot and a kettle are both burnt by the flame that they are placed on, therefore, they turn black. If a pot could talk, and it pointed at the kettle and said "Ha! Kettle, you're burnt!" then it would be dumb because the pot is also burnt. So, if someone is joking about your shoes and they're also wearing ugly shoes, say this. This one is from the novel Don Quixote.
3. "Let sleeping dogs lie."
This one is often mixed up. I've heard many people say, "Let sleeping dogs die," which isn't the actual saying. This one means do not disturb a situation that is not that big of a deal because it will result in more trouble than it's worth. If your phone is working fine, and you decide you want to open it up to check the battery for whatever reason, you'll end up breaking it. So, just leave it alone.
4. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Basically, don't be critical of a gift. Just awkwardly smile and act surprised like the rest of us.
5. "She's dressed to a tea."
Surprisingly, it's not "Dressed a T" or "Dressed to the teeth". This one is a short way of saying that someone is dressed to go to a tea, which was a formal event way back when.
6. "Can you drop a dime?"
Basically, make a phone call.
7. "That's horse sense!"
Most people use this one wrong. It really means that something is common sense. If I asked you what you wanted to eat, you would say, "Pizza, that's horse sense!" This isn't supposed to be used as an insult to intelligence. Horses are actually pretty smart animals.
8. "At the eleventh hour."
At the last possible minute.
9. "Face the music."
This could mean one of two things - the first being to face the truth, and the second meaning to face your punishment, sometimes even both.
10. "You've got irons in the fire."
This one is thanks to the blacksmiths. It means to be doing a lot of things at once. So, if you're working, studying, and trying to check your email, you have irons in the fire.
11. "Cut the mustard."
To be successful.
12. "You've got to strike while the iron's hot.
Back to the irons! This one means that you have to jump on the opportunity before it disappears.
13. "Like buying a white elephant."
Buying something that is rare, expensive, and/or pointless.
14. "I take it with a grain of salt"
This is normally used after someone describes someone that someone said about them that wasn't true. That's incorrect usage. It actually means that when you hear something that you don't trust, you take in what was said, but you have doubts/ you are skeptic about it. This became a saying because, way back when salt was believed to have healing properties and was treated just like a medicine. Specifically, salt was believed to prevent death by poison. If you thought that someone around your food may be out to get you, you would take a grain of salt with your meal to avoid death.
15. "On the straight and narrow."
Not about sexuality! It actually comes from the Bible. It has been changed over time to reflect a direct path to a goal, whether it be to get a new job, new house, or anything else.