Humans don’t, but some insects sure do. While some bugs drink blood, certain species of moths, bees, and butterflies drink tears. To them, tears are tasty and nutritious, filled with minerals and salts that they need to survive. Most of these “lacryphagous” insects sip the tears of mammals – even humans! Researchers around the world have also seen bees and butterflies slurping liquid from the eyes of alligators and crocodiles, who don’t seem to mind sharing their tears.
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Friends (or foes) who express phony sadness to gain sympathy are said “crocodile tears.” The expression is an old one, based on the myth that alligators and crocodiles cry when they devour their victims. Crocodiles do indeed cry when they eat, but scientists are stumped by the cause. Some researchers suspect that the hissing noises crocodiles make while eating unclogs their sinuses and turns on the waterworks. Saltwater crocodiles, meanwhile, cry to purge excess salt.
So then, while the crocodile eats, any drops of water that result from it “crying” would be ones of insincerity; its tears would not be from genuine sadness. So a comparison is drawn—when someone is displaying feelings of sorrow that are thought to be insincere, or if they are fake crying about something, then their tears are like that of a crocodile. Hence, they are said to be shedding ‘crocodile tears.’
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When someone (for instance, an older relative) seems stubborn about learning something new (say, how to turn on a computer), he or she might shrug and use this tired expression. And when that person does, clue him or her in to this fact: With the proper training, even stubborn breeds of mutts can learn to heel, sit, and roll over well into their golden years.
Golden people to change their habits or acquire new skills is impossible. puppies are teachable, but older dogs are less apt to be able to be trained, or so popular wisdom had it. by the same token, an octogenarian who has read the morning newspaper for decades is unlikely to be willing, much less eager, to switch to the online edition.
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It’s strategy stolen from ostriches, which supposedly nudge their noggins into the ground to avoid danger. When people would rather not face a threatening situation or awful reality, they’re said to have their heads in the sand. The expression has just one problem (well, two problems if you consider it unhealthy to hide from reality): It’s based on a myth. Ostriches don’t really stick their heads in the sand. They do drop down and press their necks against the ground to hide from threats, but they keep their heads out so they can see what’s going on.
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It is a familiar sensation to anyone who has faced a pop quiz, given a speech in front of classmates, or asked a special someone on a date. Your mouth goes dry, your palms get wet with sweat, your heart goes pitter-patter, and your stomach starts to flutter (hence the expression). Of course, you don’t really have a butterfly bouncing around in your belly. These uneasy feelings are your body’s natural reaction to dangerous or stressful situations – a reaction known as the fight-or-flight response. Your brain triggers the release of chemicals that increase the circulation in your stomach and causes the fluttery effect. It’s your body’s way of getting ready to fight or flee a threat – a holdover from when your ancestors had to contend with saber-toothed predators. Hey, that pop quiz doesn’t seem so bad now.
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Because many bats hunt at night and rely on a sonar system to “see” using reflected sound waves – a system known as echolocation – people once assumed these flying mammals were blind. Hence, anyone with poor eyesight might be called “blind as a bat.” But although many species of bats have small eyes, they can all see quite clearly. In fact, researchers have learned that bats will trust their eyes more than their sonar when flying in low light. Bats evolved echolocation to hunt for bugs at night, which gave them a survival edge over mammals and birds that competed for food during the daylight hours. So think twice before you call someone blind as a bat – unless you actually want to compliment their eyesight!
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