Why are we "reduced" to tears, per se, and other idioms and language idiosyncracies? (More details inside.)

We “jot down” a note, we “keep” a diary, we print a newspaper, we “write”, then publish an article; can you think of some of these little idiomatic sayings that appeal to you, and why?

I am not looking for a list, I am looking for some “off the top of your head” – when do you use it and how, its history – or maybe, your own personal history with a term, a phrase, an idiom a parable…

Talk to me.

ZENOUT