Dec 28 2022 - A Change in the Weather

 

Well, we arrive at a change in the weather.  We'll have above freezing temperatures for two weeks, with rain coming.   I wonder what that will do in Buffalo. I think of icebergs floating down main streets.  With this drastic "change in the weather" I wonder if  it one of the 12 common weather phrases?  It doesn't appear to be.  Here are a few: Under the weather - nautical Right as rain - Under debate but thoughts are straight as an arrow Take a rain check - American baseball game rained out Head in the clouds - before flight, considered impossible Every cloud has a silver lining - cloud formation   The calm before the storm - meteorology Red sky at night, sailor's delight - sailing Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning - sailing When dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass - meteorology Mares' tails and mackerel scales make tall ships take in their sails - sailing Dog days of summer - lazy dogs panting vs Greek dog star Sirius  It's raining cats and dogs "One of the best weather phrases there is… and one with many possible explanations. The most common, although with a few variations, is about a proliferation of stray animals. When homes featured thatch roofs, stray dogs and cats would often hide in them for shelter and for temperature regulation. But if it rained hard enough, these animals would either be washed out of the roof, or would jump out on purpose to look for better shelter. Along the same lines, in times when door locks weren’t as common, strays would push their way inside to get out of heavy rain. There is even a darker thought that strays would be washed away in the gulleys on the sides of old streets in a heavy rain, also contributing to the look of it actually raining these animals! Finally, there is some thought that within mythology, cats often had powers over storms, and dogs including the Norse god Odin had influence on storms and windy conditions, so people referenced the cats bringing the rain, and dogs bringing the wind!" They are all explained HERE at weloveweather.tv But wait, there are more - these from preply.com HERE  A tempest in a teapot A bolt from the blue Come rain or shine Raindrops in the drought Get wind of A ray of hope Railroad Day. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dec 11 2022 - Not My Circus, Not My Monkey

 

We have many phrases that we use all the time and know their meaning, though the actual words seem absurd.  I bet there are many more phrases that if we heard them, we would feel like foreign visitors wondering what the conversation means.   Here are a few: 'Not my circus, not my monkeys' It's not my problem, Polish 'Pull an old cow out of the ditch' Bringing up an old argument in Holland. Presumably, the argument, like an old cow, should be just left there 'There is no cow on the ice' Therefore there is no reason to panic, say the Swedes. 'Pretend to be an Englishman' That is, pretend that you are innocent and have no idea what is going on. The Serbs, it seems, have trust issues with the English 'God gives nuts to the man with no teeth' An old Arabic saying that comments on the inherent irony of life.' Going where the Czar goes on foot'   Going to the toilet in Russia. Apparently, it was the only place the Czar wasn't carried to.. 'Feeding the donkey sponge cake' Giving special treatment to someone who doesn't need it, according to the Portuguese. 'I'm not hanging noodles on your ears' Russian for 'I'm telling you the truth.' 'Give someone a pumpkin' In Spain, that's how you stand someone up. I found a site with 83 such expressions HERE.  It is a bored panda article and one of the expressions got my attention:  He who digs a pit for others will fall in it himself (Romanian proverb) with the meaning What goes around, comes around.  I like that an expression interpreted by an expression.  I would definitely add these to the joke library.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

April 30 2021 - GOP Thinking

 

My reaction to the the expression GOP - Good Old Party is negative.  I consider it a term of exclusion where those 'who count' are in the 'good old party'.  To me it gives rise to elitism and superiority - those who can be allowed in and those who are shunned.  Like the popular song from the 1960s "I'm in with the in crowd". How did this come about - this association with exclusion? I think that's because similar expressions speak to this nostalgia for what's past and so is exclusive an age group:  Good old days,  Good old fashioned,  Good old boy This last expression's definition is "usually white Southerner who conforms to the values, culture, or behavior of his peers,"  from Merriam-Webster.  So perhaps I have these things conflated.  On the other hand, the expression has its own issues. Even though GOP and Republican is used almost interchangeably, it doesn't mean everyone knows what the acronym stands for.  A 2011 poll showed almost half of Republicans didn't know what the letters stood for. Some of the guesses for those who weren't sure included "Government of the People," "Grumpy Old People," and "God's Own Party. That makes me wonder about GOP jokes  and a most repeated is the lightbulb joke: How many Republicans does it take to change a lightbulb? None. They're afraid of change- even if it makes the world a brighter place. How many Republicans does it take to change a lightbulb? None.  Trump just says it’s fixed and the rest of them sit in the dark and applaud How many Republicans does it take to change a lightbulb? Change? That’s socialism. How many Republican does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Twelve to investigate Obama’s involvement in the failure of the old bulb, 23 to deregulate the lightbulb industry and 51 to pass a tax credit for lightbulb changes.   Now, there's nostalgia for the 'good old days'  - a postcard with a steam locomotive! Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Expressions We Know

There are expressions that never die out.  The top expression at eslbuzz.com is: 1. I'd better get on my horse.  This is an expression I've never heard anyone say.  So as number 1 in the list, the my 'take-away' is that this is a very old list. These are expressions from my childhood... 2. Break a leg!  Good luck! (Usually said to someone who is going to appear in front of an audience.) 3. Dig in!  You can start eating your meal. 4. Bite your tongue!  Keep quiet! 5. Butt out!  Go away and mind your own business! 6. By the skin of my teeth.  Only just. 7. Beats me. I don’t know. 8. Drop me a line.  Write me (a letter). What about current jargon?  I found a list that looks more current at babble.com by JOHN-ERIK JORDAN 21. What’s up? / Wassup? / ‘sup? Meaning: “Hello, how are you?” No matter what you learned in English lessons, do not greet a friend or acquaintance with, “How do you do?” What’s up? or the even more informal ‘sup? mean the same thing without making you sound like you should be doffing a top hat. In more formal situations, it’s better to say, “Nice to meet you” or “Nice to see you.” The beauty of What’s up? is that it is not really a question in need of an answer. Just like the French “ça va?” you can respond to “What’s up?” with… you guessed it: “What’s up?”! We know you’re thinking it, so here’s the beer commercial that made the phrase world famous. 20. Awesome! Meaning: great In the old days, awesome was a word reserved for the truly powerful, fear-inducing and sublime: the view from a mountaintop, the sea during a storm, the voice of God emanating from a burning bush. You know, massive, awe-inspiring things that “put the fear of God in ya.” But awesome has expanded in the American lexicon to include the less awe-inspiring, like a hit single, a hamburger, some new sneakers… if you’re even just mildly excited about something, it can be awesome: “I saw the new Star Wars in IMAX over the weekend.” “Awesome. Did you like it?” “Oh yeah, it was awesome. Hey, can I get a sip of your iced tea?” “Sure.” “Awesome, thanks.” 19. Like Like can be used as multiple parts of speech (comparing similar things, in similes, a synonym for “enjoy”), but it’s slang usage — introduced into youth culture by “valley girls” in the 1980s — is hard to pin down. “Oh my god, it was like the worst date I’ve ever been on. Richard was like such a jerk!” In this example, like could be mistaken for a preposition meaning “similar to,” but it’s actually not! When dropped into sentences in this manner, like is a discourse particle or discourse marker which denotes topic changes, reformulations, discourse planning, stressing, hedging, or back-channeling. In practical terms, “like” is the word that just falls into the gaps in speech when you might otherwise say “um” or “uhhh.” If you want to hear like in action, there is no better example than Shoshanna from the TV show Girls. She’s like the best! Important note: Peppering too many likes into conversation can make one sound childish and frivolous — fine for parties but probably not job interviews (but most Americans under the age of 35 say the word more often than they probably realize). 18. I hear you / I hear ya Meaning: I empathize with your point of view With only three words you can make it plain that you are really listening to someone and relate to what they are saying: “I’m kinda sad to be back from vacation. I wish I was still on that sandy tropical beach.” “I hear ya. After I got back from Acapulco, the view from my apartment depressed me for weeks.” “Tell me about it,” is the sarcastic alternative, as in “don’t tell me about it because I already know too well!” 17. Oh my God! This exclamation is not as pious as it sounds. In fact, conservative religious types would probably find it tasteless (not to mention that it breaks the fourth commandment!) and would likely substitute with “Oh, my goodness!” Denizens of the internet probably recognize the version of this phrase that’s become enshrined in meme-dom as “ermahgerd.” The rest of the countdown is HERE. Gerry visits the steam tractor museum today.  I realize my pictures are from Winter, and may not be as much fun as what he'll experience today.  On the other hand, steam is wonderful any time of year.

Top o' the Morning

"Top o' the Morning" is considered Irish in origin but is not an expression used there.  It turns out that it is shunned by the Irish.  It is considered a stereotyping phrase  - known as Irishism.  While it occurred in literature in the late 1800's, it was already considered an affection by then.  The expression receded from Irish English and entered the American consciousness.  It is popularly used in the U.S. when imitating Irish people.  Wikipedia has an entry for Hollywood Irish - Irish people and culture as stereotypically portrayed by the movie industry, particularly from the USA. Many people can remember the Lucky Charms ads - full of Irishisms.  The expression's intent is to wish the best part of the morning to the person being greeted.  The traditional response is "And the rest of the day to you". Another idea put forth in forums is that it is a symbolic offering of morning cream that has risen to the top of the milk jug.  Both such quaint ideas and reminding us of simple times. This picture of the Minneapolis Arboretum's Herb Garden was taken from a viewing platform - makes me think of what it would be like to be Gulliver.

Finnish Translated

Wake Up on the Bright Side  I haven't known anyone from Finland.  They have a lot of unusual expressions that seem hilarious to me.  I found them at matadornetwork.com.  I also found the Expat Finland website for more on their curious language.  They have a page on Finnglish Faux Pas. But back to the many expressions they have that are so different from own English versions.  There's a rude alert for some of them.   1. The Finns aren’t “in a very bad mood”… they are like “a bear shot in the ass” (Kuin perseeseen ammuttu karhu). 2. The Finns aren’t “broke”… they have their “ass wide open” (Persaukinen). 3. The Finns aren’t in a “great hurry”… they “run using a head as a third leg” (Juosta pää kolmantena jalkana). 4. The Finns don’t think someone is “crazy”… they doubt “if one has all the Moomins in the valley” (Olla kaikki muumit laaksossa). 5. The Finns don’t use a “computer”… they have a “knowledge machine” (Tietokone). 6. The Finns don’t “get big-headed”… they have “piss coming up to their head” (Nousta kusi päähän). 7. The Finnish children don’t wait for a Santa Claus on Christmas Eve… they wait for a ‘’Christmas goat” (Joulupukki). 8. The Finns don’t ask “how are you?”… they ask “what are you hearing?” (Mitä sinulle kuuluu?). 9. The Finns don’t call remote places “godforsaken”… they state that a place is “behind God’s back” (Jumalan selän takana). 10. The Finns don’t say women are curvy… they say that women “have something to get a hold on” (Olla jotain, josta pitää kiinni). 11. The Finns don’t say “fuck you”… they tell you to “sniff cunt” (Haista vittu). 12. The Finns don’t have fairytales about “dragons”… they tell stories about “flying snakes” (Lohikäärme). 13. The Finns don’t say someone looks extremely happy… they say one “smiles like a sun in Naantali” (Hymyillä kuin Naantalin aurinko). 14. The Finns don’t say something “vanished into thin air”… they say it “disappeared like a fart in Sahara” (Kadota kuin pieru Saharaan). 15. The Finns don’t say that “as a result of a rush something was implemented poorly”… they say something was “pissed while running” (Juosten kustu). 16. Angry Finns don’t say they will “kill you” …they offer to “take you behind the sauna” (Viedä saunan taakse). 17. The Finns don’t encourage you (or themselves) to “drink more”… they just say that “a drop won’t kill and you can’t drown in a bucket” (Ei tippa tapa eikä ämpäriin huku). 18. The Finns don’t think something is “very heavy”… they think it “weights like a sin” (Painaa kuin synti). 19. The Finns don’t say that “it’s water under the bridge”… they say “it’s snow of the past winter” (Menneen talven lumia). 20. The Finns don’t “bite the dust”…they “kick the emptiness” (Potkaista tyhjää).

Dog Talk

This is Dezi, our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  Is she a little grumpy here?  I think so. It seems to look like she's saying: "Why are you bothering me with your camera?" or even "Stop that". So the experts tell me that: Canine body language is the sum of a dog's facial expressions and body postures that communicate their emotions and intentions to those around them. It’s up to us to learn how to interpret this language. What is your guess on Dezi's words? I found some fun and interesting things on dog talk. Here's a funny joke site: 33 Hilarious Things Dogs Would Say if They Could Talk: https://www.distractify.com/texts-from-dog-1197821597.html Here's the analytical article on dog language: http://thebark.com/content/do-dogs-understand-our-words