To use a metaphor: A programming language is like a toolbox. Inside it are many different tools you can use to get the job done. Some languages choose to have but a single hammer. Perhaps it is a small hammer good for hanging pictures, or a very large hammer good for removing derelict office buildings, or a hammer that is precisely the right size for most of the jobs you are likely to encounter.

By the same analogy, Perl gives you about five hammers of varying size, from small to large, some easy to hold and comfortable for long periods of use, while others are big and heavy and tricky to use properly. There are even a few things that can work like a hammer, either in a pinch, or by design. On top of that there are things that do hammering quite well but aren't even hammers. There are even things that can be made to hammer, even though they aren't supposed to and people are often shocked that they can.

So where a normal toolbox would have the usual implements, Perl seems to throw in some tools that can't be described in terms of regular tools. There are some "Swiss Army" type tools, and there are some very specific tools for that rare occasion when you need them, but when you do, you'll be glad that they're there.

The great thing about TMTOWTDI is that you can choose which way you want To Do It. Maybe you're only used to working with hammers and screwdrivers and the other things frighten you, which is certainly likely given some of the truly abstract tools found in Perl. Nothing forces you to use all the other ways, of course, excepting the natural urge to explore, and perhaps a good dose of Laziness, Impatience or Hubris.

If anything, Perl could stand to have a few more things thrown in for good measure. With Perl 6 I'm sure there will be a lot of new toys in the toolbox, and Even More Ways To Do It.