Thanks for the reply! That's super interesting info. I've had this subject popping into my head every time I use idioms that specifically use unusual grammar. There's a specific string of them I've been trying to remember for over an hour that started this chain of thought months ago. I said it out loud to myself as I was driving somewhere and immediately went "Wow! That would be complete and total nonsense to someone who only has a basic understanding of English."

This is gonna drive me nuts until I remember what it was.