That term was popularised by Mark Twain, who attributed it to a former British prime minister, but take one quick look at the statistics in the Super 15 this year and they make you scratch your head.
One obvious question arises from them.
How are the Highlanders bottom of the competition?If you look at the statistics they are the leading team in many categories.
They have carried the ball 1863 times, which is well ahead of the Waratahs, who are next on 1828.
They have run the most metres with the ball, equal with the Waratahs, on 7248m.
The Highlanders have beaten the most defenders with 366 - again the Waratahs are second on 307.
In offloads the Highlanders are first on 186, tied with the Waratahs.
In scrums, the side has a 94% success, which is the best of all 15 teams.
Its tackle success sits on 85.6% which is 12th-best, although all teams are from 89% to 85%.
The lineout has a success rate of 80.3% which is 12th, with the Bulls on top at more than 90%.
In players, the statistics for the Highlanders are also healthy and Ben Smith and Hosea Gear stand out.
In carries, fullback Smith has the third-most of any player in the competition with 174. Blues fullback Charles Piutau has the most with 182.
Winger Gear is fifth with 150 carries.
Smith has made 17 clean breaks in the competition, the fifth-highest, while Gear has made 14, the ninth-highest.
Smith has beaten 49 defenders, which is fourth-best, while Gear has beaten 45 defenders, which is fifth-best in the competition.
Again Smith features prominently in the metres gained, with 1269, second behind Piutau. Gear is fourth with 1015m.
Smith, who has been the best player for the Highlanders this year, has 26 offloads, which is fourth best in the competition.
So having looked at all these statistics why are the Highlanders last instead of first?Many reasons. They carry the ball a lot because they are a possession-based team. That is the way they play the game.
Many times those carries come to nothing. The Bulls are dead last in this category but they prefer to kick the ball.
The Highlanders may have beaten the most defenders but they often come to nothing as the loose forwards are too slow in support. Same with the offloads.
Smith and Gear make breaks but no-one is in support or a pass is dropped when the ball is moved on.
The scrum statistic is surprising as the Highlanders scrum has looked far from invincible.
But that is the thing about statistics. They are more than often meaningless.
In the end there is only one statistic that matters. The scoreboard after 80 minutes.
Highlanders
The achievements
• Top in carries
• Top in metres run
• Top in beating defenders
• Top in offloads
• Top in scrum success