Author |
Topic: English Sayings (or translated into english) (Read 18202 times) |
|
EZ_Lonny
Full Member
Real anarchists play chess without the king
Gender: 
Posts: 168
|
 |
English Sayings (or translated into english)
« on: Sep 28th, 2004, 7:12am » |
 Quote  Modify
|
I am not that familiair with english sayings. So I 'd like to get to know some.
In Holland, where I live, there are some real dumb ones.
e.g.:
Behind the clouds, the sun is shining.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
East, West, Home best.
Like the clock is ticking at home, it's ticking nowhere.
Do you have other suggestions? I wonder if any of them mean anything in english.
|
| « Last Edit: Sep 28th, 2004, 7:12am by EZ_Lonny » |
 IP Logged |
There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge - Bertrand Russel
|
|
|
towr
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Some people are average, some are just mean.
Gender:
Posts: 13730
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #1 on: Sep 28th, 2004, 8:26am » |
Quote Modify
|
Bah, they're not stupid.. Unless you translate them..
But pretty much any saying is stupid after you've translated it to another language, literally.. Moreso pretty much everything translated literally to another language is stupid..
If you want ones that are the same in (many) different languages, try ones of biblical origin.
Like "an eye for an eye", "oog om oog" or "You reap what you sow", "je oogst wat je zaait" etc
|
|
IP Logged |
Wikipedia, Google, Mathworld, Integer sequence DB
|
|
|
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.
Gender:
Posts: 4863
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #2 on: Sep 28th, 2004, 8:37pm » |
Quote Modify
|
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" (Meaning: children tend to be similar in character/behavior/talents to their parents) is a common English saying as well.
I have also heard "East or west, home is best" before, but only once or twice.
"Behind the clouds, the sun is shining" is new to me, but appears to be similar in meaning to "Every cloud has a silver lining" (meaning: there is good in every situation, if you look for it).
"Like the clock is ticking at home, it's ticking nowhere" appears to be a classic case of what towr was refering to: the actual meaning is lost in translation. It makes no sense to me.
|
|
IP Logged |
"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
|
|
|
towr
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Some people are average, some are just mean.
Gender:
Posts: 13730
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #3 on: Sep 29th, 2004, 12:40am » |
Quote Modify
|
It might have been phrased a bit better imo, but even then the true meaning would have been just as lost.
Basicly it's equivalent to "there's no place like home", even the ticking of the clock (imagine a pendulum clock) is different elsewhere (even if it's the same type of clock, it just feels different.
Actually, after my dad had the living room repainted the ticking of the clock there didn't sound like home anymore either, the acoustics had changed  )
|
|
IP Logged |
Wikipedia, Google, Mathworld, Integer sequence DB
|
|
|
towr
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Some people are average, some are just mean.
Gender:
Posts: 13730
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #4 on: Sep 29th, 2004, 12:54am » |
Quote Modify
|
btw, if you are interested in the prevalence of words, phrases or saying, google is a nice tool.
"east, west, home best" gives some 600 hits for instance
and "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" gives over 5000
It may not have the authority of a proper linguistic survey, but it's much cheaper and nonetheless gives a decent indication.
|
| « Last Edit: Sep 29th, 2004, 12:56am by towr » |
IP Logged |
Wikipedia, Google, Mathworld, Integer sequence DB
|
|
|
Noke Lieu
Uberpuzzler
pen... paper... let's go! (and bit of plastic)
Gender:
Posts: 1884
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #5 on: Sep 30th, 2004, 6:28pm » |
Quote Modify
|
there's a spanish saying about having monkey's on your face- roughly translated as "stop looking at me as if I was stupid".
Actually, there are many cool spanish sayings that translate wierdly but nicely in to english.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
supposed to be optimistic. But the truth is that its far more likely that every cloud has a lining of lead from the pollution we keep pumping out, so we are slowly killing our selves with every glass of water we drink.
don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
It's not over till the fat lady sings.
One swallow doesn't make you my girlfriend. sorry, make a summer.
Don't rest on you laurels... all mean roughly the same thing. obviously subtly different. Don't take anything for granted.
|
|
IP Logged |
a shade of wit and the art of farce.
|
|
|
helenislovely
Newbie
Posts: 15
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #6 on: Dec 21st, 2005, 10:30am » |
Quote Modify
|
all that glitters is not gold
mighty oaks from little acorns grow
a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
kissing don't last, cookery do
nothing weeps more copiously than a block of ice
even a piece of paper has two sides
talking pays no toll
blood is thicker than water
Favourite proverb isn't English and is probably bastardised in my translation but I love it anyway...
Man with mouth open wait long time for roast duck to fly in
And perhaps a new one that I should pay attention to...
novels don't get written by reading riddle sites
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
|
egnorant
Newbie
Gender:
Posts: 10
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #7 on: Feb 21st, 2006, 12:09pm » |
Quote Modify
|
One that heard recently is:
You cannot aim a duck to death.
Bruce
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
|
kiochi
Newbie
Posts: 42
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #8 on: Jan 6th, 2007, 1:07pm » |
Quote Modify
|
I have heard many nonsensical sayings. One I heard just today went something like, "A horse won't drink when the barn doors are closed."
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
|
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.
Gender:
Posts: 4863
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #9 on: Jan 7th, 2007, 3:36pm » |
Quote Modify
|
That one, and the one from egnorant above it, both sound like malapropisms to me, rather than real proverbs (A malapropism is a common saying that the speaker messes up. Yogi Bera is famous for them.)
The horse one is probably a mixing of "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" and "Closing the barn door after the horse has escaped."
|
|
IP Logged |
"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
|
|
|
kiochi
Newbie
Posts: 42
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #10 on: Jan 7th, 2007, 9:58pm » |
Quote Modify
|
I agree about the horse one, but I think the duck saying, "you can't aim a duck to death," is probably not a malapropism. I think an intended meaning might be something like "preparation alone won't get you anywhere--at some point you have to act."
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
|
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.
Gender:
Posts: 4863
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #11 on: Jan 8th, 2007, 3:42pm » |
Quote Modify
|
You're right. I was interpreting it as "aiming the duck" rather than "aiming at the duck", which made no sense. But once I got the right interpretation, it is sensible.
|
|
IP Logged |
"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
|
|
|
Aurora
Junior Member
Gender: 
Posts: 81
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #12 on: May 27th, 2007, 11:46pm » |
Quote Modify
|
Never mind about the meaning, it's the origin of some of these sayings that fascinate me:
"Don't throw the baby out with the bath water"
and
"Saved by the bell" are two that are particulaly good.
|
|
IP Logged |
"In these days, a man who says a thing cannot be done is quite apt to be interrupted by some idiot doing it."- Elbert Green Hubbard
|
|
|
ThudnBlunder
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
The dewdrop slides into the shining Sea
Gender:
Posts: 4489
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #13 on: May 28th, 2007, 12:58am » |
Quote Modify
|
on May 27th, 2007, 11:46pm, Aurora wrote:
Probably comes from boxing.
|
|
IP Logged |
THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.....................................................................er, if that's all right with the rest of you.
|
|
|
Aurora
Junior Member
Gender:
Posts: 81
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #15 on: May 28th, 2007, 6:53am » |
Quote Modify
|
Surprisingly ThudanBlunder, the phrase "Saved by the bell" originated in the same way that "Dad ringers" did. In the days when medicine was very basic, it wasn't uncommon for people to be put in a coffin and buried when only unconscious, but still alive. At first, these people would knock on the inside of their coffin, hoping for a reply, until someone had the idea of attacting one end of a piece of string to a bell and placing the other end inside the coffin. There was always someone to listen for the ringing of a bell and, if necessary, would dig out the person who would have been "Saved by the bell".
|
|
IP Logged |
"In these days, a man who says a thing cannot be done is quite apt to be interrupted by some idiot doing it."- Elbert Green Hubbard
|
|
|
Aurora
Junior Member
Gender:
Posts: 81
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #17 on: May 28th, 2007, 7:23am » |
Quote Modify
|
Still, it makes for a pretty good story, don't you think?
|
|
IP Logged |
"In these days, a man who says a thing cannot be done is quite apt to be interrupted by some idiot doing it."- Elbert Green Hubbard
|
|
|
JiNbOtAk
Uberpuzzler
Hana Hana No Mi
Gender:
Posts: 1187
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #18 on: May 28th, 2007, 10:34pm » |
Quote Modify
|
on May 28th, 2007, 2:12am, towr wrote:
We have a similar one in Malay, loosely translated as " Burning the mosquito net, because you're mad at the mosquito "
|
|
IP Logged |
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
|
|
|
ima1trkpny
Senior Riddler
"Double click on 'Yes'... Hey!"
Gender:
Posts: 452
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #19 on: May 30th, 2007, 2:05pm » |
Quote Modify
|
I heard the same story as Aurora. People in the Victorian era were absolutely terrified of being buried alive, in fact they used to have watchmen who would sit in the graveyard all night listening for the bells to ring and that is how we got the term "graveyard shift" we use for jobs where you work in the middle of the night.
|
|
IP Logged |
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." -Churchill
|
|
|
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.
Gender:
Posts: 4863
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #20 on: Jun 3rd, 2007, 1:04pm » |
Quote Modify
|
on May 28th, 2007, 10:34pm, JiNbOtAk wrote:| We have a similar one in Malay, loosely translated as " Burning the mosquito net, because you're mad at the mosquito " |
|
That one strikes me as closer to the english proverb "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face". This is similar to the meaning of "don't throw out the baby with the bathwater", but differs somewhat: the nose proverb warns against deliberate harm, the baby proverb warns against carelessness causing accidental harm.
|
|
IP Logged |
"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
|
|
|
iatkrox
Newbie
Gender:
Posts: 45
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #21 on: Jul 2nd, 2012, 10:29am » |
Quote Modify
|
My heart bleeds My heart bleeds
Wear your heart on your sleeve Wear your heart on your sleeve
Brighten up the day Brighten up the day
Many a happy colt makes a fine horse Many a happy colt makes a fine horse
Riches alone make no man happy Riches alone make no man happy
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
|
fredy210
Newbie
Posts: 15
|
|
Re: English Sayings (or translated into english)
« Reply #22 on: Feb 5th, 2014, 5:12am » |
Quote Modify
|
WOW great collection of nonsensical sayings, Thanks guys!
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
|
|
RIDDLES SITE
WRITE MATH!
Home 
Help 
Search 
Members 
Login 
Register
Reply
Notify of replies
Send Topic
Print