Make sure you understand an idiom before you use it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Dilbert cartoon is titled Eat Our Own Dog Food, and has the following dialogue between his Pointy-Haired Boss (PHB) and Dilbert:

 

PHB:      We need to eat our own dog food.

Dilbert: You mean we need to use our company’s

               products as if we were customers?

PHB:       I’m not sure what I mean. I once heard our CEO say

                the dog food thing and I liked how wise it sounded.

Dilbert: It means we should use our own products.

PHB:      That doesn’t sound right. Why would we use our products

               when we can use good ones?

Dilbert: Because…it will make our products better over time.

PHB:      To be honest it made more sense

               when I thought it meant dog food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wikipedia has an article on Eating your own dog food, which suggests a better phrase would be Drinking Our Own Champagne. When using an idiom, you also need to get the spelling right. On April 19, 2010 I blogged about Right out of the shoot? Another type of YAKWIRM! It should be the rodeo inspired phrase ‘Right out of the chute.’

 

The image of a dog food sign by Carol M. Highsmith came from the Library of Congress, and an image of a champagne bottle came from Wikimedia Commons.