Lost in Translation -- for Dayna
It is raining a lot today.
In English we would say it is raining cats and dogs. In Portuguese, we say it is raining jacknifes.
There are lots of phrases that I would not know how to translate.
Here when the cow goes to the swamp, it means that the situation went downhill. But to my ears, it just doesn't ring the same.
If it is time for jaguar to drink water, you can be sure that things took an unexpected turn for worse. Or you can say that the snake went out for a smoke. And if you are trying to solve a delicate matter, you are probably trying to peel a pineapple.
More disoriented than a blindman during a gunfire means that one is completely clueless.
And when you refer to a buzzard as "blondie", you are so needy that you will take whatever comes your way. In other words, you are trying to get rid of wild dogs by screaming.
Some people drown themselves in a glass full of water, which is similar to turn molehills into mountains.
And if I exclaim: "Is this Benedict?", it means that I cannot believe my eyes.
When you want to send annoying people away, you can always tell them to go see if you are standing at next block's corner. Or you can suggest that they to go groom monkeys, a job that will certainly keep them busy for a long time.
3 Comments:
Livia I love learning different customs and sayings. I think some of these rank right up there with dappy cow!
I love to learn colloquialisms too. I didn't know dappy cow. ;-)
Hey, I can be happy if you guys send me a list of these. :-)
Livia, I love these. I think I shall make it my mission this week to tell someone to go and groom monkeys.
Post a Comment
<< Home