A new study from Idiotic Idioms Inc. finds that the commonly used phrase “a walk in the park” may not be as benign as many have assumed it to be. The study surveyed over 3,500 disabled individuals across the United States, and 95% of participants said that the meaning of the idiom strongly misaligned with their lived experience. Ninety-two percent said that walking in the park was among their top five most difficult activities, citing chronic pain, limb differences, and “there are no real parks in this urban hellscape” as the most common contributing factors.
Perhaps the most interesting finding from the study is that 13% of survey responders actually use the phrase for the opposite of its intended use.
“When I’m about to get on the phone with insurance, I tell my partner, ‘Today’s going to be a real walk in the park,’” said 43-year-old wheelchair user Gregory Jones. “Or trying the low FODMAP diet — totally a walk in the park.”
When asked for alternative proposals to better reflect their experiences, participants offered “a roll in the park,” “a cane-assisted hobble on the sidewalk,” and “a five minute scurry followed by a thirteen minute sit at the bus stop.” Idiotic Idioms Inc. has attempted to submit these suggestions to thesaurus.com, but was rudely rejected for their lack of “roll-off-the-tongue-ability,” a word that yielded no results on the aforementioned platform.
The organization does not see this as a setback, but as further motivation to continue their idiotic, idiomatic agenda. According to many survey participants with dietary restrictions, they also concluded that eating a piece of cake is not, in fact, a “piece of cake.”