What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

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tommus
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby tommus » Wed May 17, 2023 6:47 am

In English, if you come last in a contest, you may get the "booby prize". It is sort of a consolation prize.

In Dutch it is a "poedelprijs". Where does that expression come from? Check this link.

Waar komt het woord poedelprijs vandaan?

What is the name of such a prize in other languages?
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby Le Baron » Wed May 17, 2023 4:47 pm

Can I just note that when I was a child not many people said 'booby prize'. I only learned that phrase at secondary school. The thing you got when you came last on e.g. 'sports day' was a giant wooden spoon. This was normally given in an exaggerated comic way to unlucky parents who were press-ganged into doing the 'mums and dads' events like the three-legged race with an egg on a spoon. Where they trick a 6 foot 3 man into tying his leg to the leg of a 5 foot 1 woman, with hapless consequences. They would receive the wooden spoon.
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Wed May 17, 2023 5:51 pm

tommus wrote:What is the name of such a prize in other languages?


It's tröstpris in Swedish (cf. AF: troosprys, DE: Trostpreis, NL: troostprijs).
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby lowsocks » Thu May 18, 2023 4:26 am

Le Baron wrote:The thing you got when you came last on e.g. 'sports day' was a giant wooden spoon.
This was also, at one time, a tradition at the University of Cambridge. It was "awarded" to the person who achieved the lowest exam marks but still earned a third-class degree in the Mathematical Tripos. The last winner was Cuthbert Lempriere Holthouse, in 1909:

https://heartheboatsing.com/2020/09/24/ ... den-spoon/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_spoon_(award)

Judging by the photo, he took it quite graciously.
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby tommus » Thu May 18, 2023 8:36 pm

(Dutch) De neuzen staan nog niet dezelfde kant op

There are lots of English expressions that mean something similar, such as:

Not everyone is in agreement
Everybody is not playing along
Everyone is not pulling in the same direction
Not everyone is lined up behind (something)
Not everyone is on the same team
We're not all on the same frequency (or page)

Here is more detail about the Dutch expression:

alle neuzen wijzen dezelfde kant op
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby tommus » Fri May 19, 2023 2:38 pm

(Dutch) iets met argusogen bekijken --> to scrutinize something carefully

In Greek mythology, Argus was a giant with 100 eyes.

Here is the Dutch interpretation of the expression:

Wat betekent iets met argusogen bekijken en waar komt deze uitdrukking vandaan?

Canada had a surveillance aircraft called the Argus

Canadair CP-107 Argus

Do other languages have expressions about Argus eyes similar to this much-used Dutch expression?
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby luke » Fri May 19, 2023 4:36 pm

tommus wrote:(Dutch) iets met argusogen bekijken --> to scrutinize something carefully

In Greek mythology, Argus was a giant with 100 eyes. [/url]

Do other languages have expressions about Argus eyes similar to this much-used Dutch expression?

Spanish has andar con cien ojos, which would be to walk very carefully.
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby Amandine » Sun May 21, 2023 11:08 am

In order to assure myself I'm doing something productive, not just wasting time, I usually have French subtitles on the non-French Netflix shows I watch. Actually, I do screenshot interesting things and send them to my iTalki teacher to discuss quite freqently so I'm not deluding myself totally.

So it was I was watching the new series of Queer Eye when the slob of the week was described as a 'curmudgeon' which was translated in the subtitles as "un ours mal léché".

A badly-licked bear??

What on earth is a 'badly-licked bear' and, importantly, how does one lick a bear well? (quite carefully for a start)

To quote one of the first references you'll find if you google this, "This expression describes somebody who is antisocial, irritable or ill-mannered." As in, the mama bear via her licking didn't do a very good job of grooming/raising the baby bear to fit well into bear society.

My iTalki teacher speaks very good English but he didn't know 'curmudgeon' so we both got a lesson out of it.
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby Le Baron » Sun May 21, 2023 2:10 pm

From Sranantongo:

Te yu mati barba e bron, yu musu nati di fu yu

Literally: when your friend's beard is burning, you need to wet yours. It means: forewarned is forearmed, or when you see danger take preventative measures.
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Re: What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

Postby Doitsujin » Sun May 21, 2023 5:25 pm

tommus wrote:(Dutch) iets met argusogen bekijken --> to scrutinize something carefully
Also exists in German: etwas mit Argusaugen beobachten
A similar German expression is auf dem Kieker haben (≈ en pik op iemand hebben)
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