17 replies to this topic

[Cass]

I love sayings. I love using sayings. I love how ridiculous most sayings are. So... I'm curious for your favourite sayings! Bonus points for translating sayings from foreign languages.

I'll start with some classic Dutchies.

"Iemand blij maken met een dooie mus"
Literal translation: to make someone happy with a dead sparrow
Meaning: presenting something as great that ultimately turns out shit
For example: anything with raisins instead of chocolate chips

"Mierenneuken"
Literal translation: fornicating with ants
Meaning: fuzzing over small details
Like where did the Dutch go wrong. When did bothering too much with small stuff turn into putting your genitals in ants?

"Alsof een engel over je tong pist"
Literal translation: like an angel pissing on your tongue
Meaning: something that's orgasmically delicious
For example: Ben & Jerry's
I'm sorry but not even angel's piss is something that gets me excited why the actual hell is this a positive expression

[Padme]

Religion is like a penis. It's fine to have one and it's fine to be proud of it, but please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around... and please don't try to shove it down my child's throat.

 

I saw this when I was like 10 and thought it was hilarious. Now I hear people say it often.

 

 

Zu viele köche verderben den brei

 

Literally is the german saying for 'too many cooks spoil the stew' I think instead of stew it's mash as in like mashed potatoes. I don't really know German I just heard it a lot because that's my heritage :3

 

 

Zut alors!!!!!!

 

Every single one of my French teachers would say this and never say what it meant. Its really just the equivalent to saying 'Holy smokes' afaik. 

We learned a lot of weird sayings in French class but a lot of things just seem weird when you directly translate it without taking into account that our grammar and sentence structure are different as well one of the biggest things I've found out is that we're far more willing to make up words in English than they are. So we have a bunch of synonyms for words while they usually don't. 

 

My favourite saying in every language though is telling people their head is up their ass. 

Edited by Padme, 18 May 2016 - 10:55 AM.

[Karla]

There's an expression in Japanese I've always found interesting(Though I think the Chinese came up with it first):

 

虎の威を借る狐 (Tora no i wo karu Kitsune)

Literal Meaning: A fox that borrows the authority of a tiger.

It means a lesser person is bragging under borrowed authority of someone bigger. I used to come across a lot of people like this in college, and it pissed me off. I'm just glad I found a phrase that fits their description so I can say it to them.

[Salade]

I saw this when I was like 10 and thought it was hilarious. Now I hear people say it often.

 

 

Literally is the german saying for 'too many cooks spoil the stew' I think instead of stew it's mash as in like mashed potatoes. I don't really know German I just heard it a lot because that's my heritage :3

 

 

Every single one of my French teachers would say this and never say what it meant. Its really just the equivalent to saying 'Holy smokes' afaik. 

We learned a lot of weird sayings in French class but a lot of things just seem weird when you directly translate it without taking into account that our grammar and sentence structure are different as well one of the biggest things I've found out is that we're far more willing to make up words in English than they are. So we have a bunch of synonyms for words while they usually don't. 

 

My favourite saying in every language though is telling people their head is up their ass. 

Germans have so many good sayings. I'm rpoud of us. And Brei is like the stuff you feed to babies? Sweet most of the time. Bit like porridge but not porridge. Slimy most of the time. And there's another great saying containing Brei:

 

Um den heissen Brei schleichen

Literal translation: To sneak around the hot porridge/mash/whatever

Meaning: When you have something to say that's not easy to say so you keep rambling on and kind of avoiding the unpleasant topic.

 

 

My favourite Swiss German sayings:

 

Das chasch em Haas geh.

Literal translation: You can give that to the rabbit.

Meaning: Something is shitty quality.

 

De gschiider git nah, de esel bliibt stah.

Literal translation: The wiser gives in, the donkey stands still.

Meaning: In an argument it is better to give in and get to an agreement rather than being stubborn.

 

Hopp de bäse!

Literal translation: Quick/go the broom!

Meaning: What you say to someone/something being a slowpoke. 

[Daria]

There's a Russian saying
Индюк тоже думал, и в суп попал.
Translation: the turkey also thought and got into soup
Meaning: its kind of hard to translate it to what it means but basically if you have stupid thoughts that don't mean anything or do anything useful then you have no use yourself,
or another thing it could mean is you spend too long thinking and not enough doing
My mum used to always say it to me when I was younger.
I say it to my boyfriend now when he decides to do something Stupid thinking it's good, and he's like "but I thought..." And I'm like "THE TURKEY ALSO THOUGHT AND LOOK WHERE IT IS NOW"

There are so many cool Russian sayings I just completely forgot them all if I remember any more I'll definitely share them. Most of them are really sassy haha

[HiMyNameIsNick]

I love 2 expressions

 

1) Te fuiste al pasto

Literal: It's not that easy to translate

Meaning: Used when someone says something out of place/insulting

 

2) Derrapaste

Literal: Derrapar means yaw

Meaning: Same as te fuiste al pasto.

[Emily]

"Das is mir wurst."

Translation from German: "It's all sausage to me."

Meaning: I don't care/It's all the same to me

 

LOL I love it. I heard about it years ago, and I asked my German friend recently if they actually say that. They do, apparently.

 

I like saying "for Satan" because it just sounds funny to me. My Danish friend burnt her tongue on coffee once and yelled "av, for Satan" and it stuck with me. I just imagine an old school Southern woman just saying "for Satan" when SINNING occurs.

 

I've said these a lot:

- "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." 

- "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

[KittyNikki]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.


Give a man fire and he will be warm for a day; light a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

[Required]

I love 2 expressions

 

1) Te fuiste al pasto

Literal: It's not that easy to translate

Meaning: Used when someone says something out of place/insulting

 

2) Derrapaste

Literal: Derrapar means yaw

Meaning: Same as te fuiste al pasto.

 

 

Derrapaste, de manera figurativa y literal

 

[HiMyNameIsNick]

Derrapaste, de manera figurativa y literal

 

 

 

Que grande Schumy

[Cyka]

This is my life motto:

 

"You don't need to go to church to be a Christian. If you go to Taco Bell, that doesn't make you a taco." - Justin Bieber

[Cass]

"Das is mir wurst."

Translation from German: "It's all sausage to me."

Meaning: I don't care/It's all the same to me

Yeah lol we use it in Dutch as well. Worded slightly differently though, freely translated it's more like "it could be sausage for all I care" but it's great

[saudia]

إيد لوحدها ماتسقّفش .

Translated:No one can clap with one hand.

Which means that people need to cooperate with each other to achieve some common goal

[Sirius]

"Beggars can't be choosers"

 

I work with the welfare population in an inner city. There's nothing wrong with being on welfare - many of them simply need the help. There was a woman who came in the other day who had her request for free housing approved and she was ranting and raving about how it was a 2 floor apartment and she "ain't walking up no god damned steps to go to the bathroom!" and she turned down the housing. I wanted to smack her.

[hotcoldyay]

Take the cold cookie with the gooey center, not the warm cookie with the stale bite.

 

Meaning: Trust those with pure hearts, even if they may seem mean or unfriendly on the outside. Do no trust those with a friendly/kind/nice demeanor, but the impurest of intentions.

[mazz]

my grandma always used to tell me not to cry unless I'm using my tears to salt my eggs....what that means is that you're putting your emotion to a good productive use (salting eggs)

[Kula]

what's dead should stay dead - Dean Winchester

[Zieke]

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." -Gandhi