Recently I've wondered about two idioms which have a strange relationship.
Come Hell or high water
Lord willing and the creek don't rise
- Grammatical accuracy, alternative formulations, and questionable folk etymologies, and literal meanings aside, why do these two phrases (often used interchangably) have such different implications?
My thoughts so far have centered around the former being an expression of an internal locus of control (i.e. I will make this happen) and the latter of an external locus of control (i.e. I hope this won't not happen).
- Why does the more apparently positive formulation reference Hell while the less (certainly) positive one mentions the 'Lord?'