Words, Words, Words

Generally, words have double meanings.  And I thought a lot about that today.  However, we have been conditioned to think that certain words put together in a phrase will mean a certain thing.  For example, the phrase "I drink too much" will often lead people to believe that the person who said it drinks a lot of alcohol or has an alcohol problem.  But, it could very easily mean that you drink too much in one sitting, thus causing you to have bladder control problems.  In which case you should probably be running to the nearest bathroom right about now.  Of course, alcohol can cause you to require a bathroom as well.  Or so I am led to believe.

Moving on.  Though this is still related to bathrooms, oddly enough.  The particularly phrase I was thinking about tonight includes four words: the, bathroom, in, and bugs.  But not in that order.  No, the phrase I am thinking of is "Bugs in the bathroom."  Normally, when I think of it, I think of two or more bugs dwelling inside mine or somebody else's bathroom.  For instance, today, my own bathroom had at least twenty bugs frolicking about because our window was open.  Go figure.  This bothered me because a bathroom is supposed to be about cleanliness but these bugs, who so resembled miniature flies, seemed to emanate a quite unclean feel.  However, if you think about it.  "Bugs in the bathroom" can also mean that bugs are in their own bathroom, washing up.  In which case, I am sure the bugs would be quite clean, and allowed in other cleaning places such as my bathroom.  Sadly, I have yet to discover a bug who owns a bathroom and so that theory is out the window, down the toilet, moot, irrelevant, etc.

It is pretty easy to tell why "Bugs in the Bathroom" means one thing and not another to the general public.  But what has caused society to associate "drink" with alcohol?  If anybody has an answer for me, I would love to hear it.  As well as a meaning for why we take certain meanings from pretty much every phrase in the English language.  It can't be just me who has a problem with words.