cross-posted from: https://feddit.nl/post/19798927

Sure, the whole world is on fire right now, but there are also little things to be upset about. ☝😉

  • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    43·
    3 months ago

    Reminds me on a German proverb “to add your mustard to it”, which apparently came from a time at which mustard was rare and exquisite. So they added it to any kind of food just to “up it’s prestige”.

    • towerful@programming.dev
      14·
      3 months ago

      What a great origin. I Googled it, and it now means “to add your opinion”.

      1. Seinen Senf dazugeben

      Literal translation: To add your mustard to it.

      Actual meaning: To give your opinion on something./To give your two cents.

      Where there are sausages, there also must be mustard. If you want to ask someone for their opinion and sound like a fluent speaker when doing it, you better invite them to add their mustard.

      https://www.mondly.com/blog/german-idioms/

      In the process, I found some other great German proverbs with hilarious literal translations.

      Literal translation: To talk around the hot porridge.
      Literal translation: To ask for an extra sausage.
      Literal translation: I believe I spider. (Edit: I believe I spin, see comment).
      Literal translation: To have tomatoes on one’s eyes.
      Literal translation: I can only understand ‘train station.’.
      Literal translation: You’re walking on my cookie.
      Literal translation: The bear dances there.
      Literal translation: Everything has an end. Only the sausage has two.

      But, I guess that’s always the case with idioms. Their literal translation/meaning is useless. Regardless, I find German ones particularly titular

      • VlynEnglish
        10·
        3 months ago

        As a German they are all technically correct, but one of them isn’t a proper translation.

        I believe I spider.

        “Ich glaube ich spinne.” isn’t in regards to spiders, the last word is a verb. “spinnen” means “to spin”, originally coming from spinning yarn, which then became spinning a thought :)

        • towerful@programming.dev
          2·
          3 months ago

          That makes a lot more sense!
          I’ve edited my comment. Feel free to contact the blogger. “I believe I spider” is hilarious. But “I believe I spin” is much more believable!

      • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        3·
        3 months ago

        Yeah sorry, forgot to mention the actual meaning :) But I can add some more:

        • My dear Mister singing club
        • shit at the wall
        • one has seen horses puke Maybe I’ll remember some more with good English “translations”.

        Something else I just remember is a discussion between Erasmus students (Erasmus is a student exchange program in Europe, so you study for a semester in another country, ergo that group was quiet diverse) about how you call very strong rain: German: is raining cow shit (although that might be local, because those phrases often differ quiet much between German dialects) British: is raining cats and dogs Greek: is raining the legs of Zeus I don’t remember the others… But anyway… what is the deal with English speakers and cats??? A lot of languages have a proverb like “many paths lead to Rome”… But in English apparently it is “there are many ways to skin a cat”… dafuq?

        • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          3·
          3 months ago
          • I believe my hamster is sweeping
          • I believe my pig is whistling
          • you don’t have all cups in the cupboard