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| Author |
Message |
davel
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Proverbial entry
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Nov 10 04:40 UTC 1992 |
A recent issue of _Smithsonian_ had an article on proverbs (built around
a proverbologist, to coin a barbarism). The current issue has some letters
in response, including a real beauty I'd never heard: "Rock falls on egg,
egg breaks. Egg falls on rock, egg breaks." (To someone who expressed
willingness to play checkers on condition that he move first.)
Does anyone else love proverbs & have any good ones to share? *Real*
proverbs here - I'm about to enter another item for mutated & otherwise
contrived ones.
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| 13 responses total. |
griz
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response 1 of 13:
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Nov 11 18:15 UTC 1992 |
What exactly do you mean by "proverb"?
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davel
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response 2 of 13:
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Nov 12 00:18 UTC 1992 |
I intended to leave that open unless a lot of wildly inappropriate ones
are entered. At the present rate that doesn't look likely, does it?
(Or was the question theoretical rather than practical?)
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danr
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response 3 of 13:
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Nov 12 00:34 UTC 1992 |
I like Chinese proverbs. Can't think of any right off, but I'll
keep my eye out for them.
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griz
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response 4 of 13:
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Nov 12 12:57 UTC 1992 |
Would something like "You're making a mountain out of a molehill" count
as a proverb, or its German equivalent "Du machst eine Muecke aus einem
Elefanten (You're making a mosquito out of an elephant)"? My favorite
sayings like that are the ones that appear with very different wording, but
meaning the same thing, in other languages. I'll try to think of some
more.
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davel
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response 5 of 13:
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Nov 12 15:39 UTC 1992 |
I certainly meant it to include cliches of that sort; not sure if those
who formally study proverbs would include them, but if they're any good
bring them on!
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arthur
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response 6 of 13:
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Nov 12 17:16 UTC 1992 |
For 'it's nothing to get excited about':
"It's no cow on the ice." It's European, I think, and
Scandinavian. Not exactly a proverb, but....
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tsty
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response 7 of 13:
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Jan 4 10:48 UTC 1993 |
REal proverb - don't know from where though
Never marry someone outside of the peal of your church bell.
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robh
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response 8 of 13:
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Jan 4 22:40 UTC 1993 |
Great, and here I am praticing Wicca, and we don't even HAVE
church bells. Feh.
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rcurl
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response 9 of 13:
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Jan 5 04:22 UTC 1993 |
Re #4: Was that *really* "You're making a mosquito out of an elephant"?
That has the reversed meaning of "Making a mountain out of a molehill".
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tsty
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response 10 of 13:
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Jan 10 09:16 UTC 1993 |
Well, sort of ......
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rcurl
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response 11 of 13:
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Jan 11 06:35 UTC 1993 |
Actually, mosquitos *can* be made out of elephants. The proverb must
refer to the weather.
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griz
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response 12 of 13:
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Feb 18 02:59 UTC 1993 |
Re #9:
No, I misspoke. Sorry. <blush>
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davel
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response 13 of 13:
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Feb 18 10:54 UTC 1993 |
Welcome back, Jennie!
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