We use many common expressions without knowing precisely why they mean what they do. Why do we say as easy as pie, when baking pies is actually so complex? Most puzzling expressions can be traced back to more logical origins, however. The phrase as happy as a clam, for instance, probably derives from an older, longer expression. As happy as a clam at high water referred to clams at high tide. Clams are free from most predators at high tide, so it's a time we might presume they would be happy.

Question

We use many common expressions without knowing precisely why they mean what they do. Why do we say as easy as pie, when baking pies is actually so complex? Most puzzling expressions can be traced back to more logical origins, however. The phrase as happy as a clam, for instance, probably derives from an older, longer expression. As happy as a clam at high water referred to clams at high tide. Clams are free from most predators at high tide, so it's a time we might presume they would be happy.
 How does the information about as happy as a clam relate to the paragraph's main idea?
1 It provides an example of a puzzling expression with a logical origin.
2 It establishes a comparison with the expression as easy as pie.
3 It explains that we use expressions without knowing what they
mean.

GPT 3.5 · Answer

1 It provides an example of a puzzling expression with a logical origin.