Bumps In The Road

I think it's a misnomer.

A bump generally means something that lifts you higher. Right? If you hit a literal bump in the road, you go higher. A bump in salary means you get more money. In a chat forum, a bump means moving a post to a higher position. A bump in bidding means to increase the price. A speed bump, while it slows you down, also lifts your car higher, momentarily.

So, why do we say we hit a bump in the road when we haven't been lifted up at all?

Shouldn't we say we hit a dip in the road? Or a pothole in the road of life?

Sometimes, it's more like a sinkhole. When something totally unexpected just stops you in your tracks. When your forward momentum isn't slowed down, it's stopped completely. That's not a bump; that's a sinkhole.

No bumps for me today. No sinkholes. Just thinking; that's all.