Idioms obviously make very little sense when taken literally - that's part of what defines them.  But they make even less sense when you think about two idioms that essentially mean the same thing. A little random I know, but I was just thinking about how "net net" and "at the end of the day" are the same.  And for some reason, people in business love saying "net net", while analysts on ESPN can't stop saying "at the end of the day."  When all is said and done, in the final analysis, everyone should really be focused on the bottom line and just get to the point.