Michael Rosen’s Word of Mouth (Radio 4, BBC) features an episode on Family Sayings (13 February 2024): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001w73h
In Leicester, the diverse languages will render us sayings with wisdom and humour from many different cultures.
Please share sayings or expressions of your family other than English here by adding a comment.
1.) Write the saying in the original language (if you can);
2.) Translate it in a literal way;
3.) Provide some background or explanation.
Or you could send it to dlit@leicester.ac.uk, let us know if you would like to have a separate post to feature your contribution.
Comments
8 responses to “Sayings Collection 1”
“nai mamar cheye kana mama bhalo” (Bangla)
Literal translation
“a blind uncle is better than no uncle”
Meaning Something is better than nothing.
Thank you very much! I guess many cultures have similar expressions, but the Bangla expression emphasises the kinship.
Portuguese Sayings:
First Portuguese saying:
‘Nem oito, nem oitenta’
Literal Translation:
‘Nor eight, nor eighty’
This can be used in many contexts. It means to not take things to either extreme: either doing too little or too much. It is best to find a balance.
Second Portuguese saying:
‘Deus escreve certo por linhas tortas’
Literal Translation:
‘God writes correctly with messy lines’
This is a saying with a religious connotation. It’s to reassure and motivate people. If things are not going well, it reminds people that God has something better planned. This saying is also used after somebody accomplishes something after going through difficulties.
Thank you so much for sharing these with us, VJ! I can imagine that both sayings come in handy in everyday life! Can you tell us a little more about Portuguese in your family, and what it means to you to maintain the Portuguese language and culture?
Gujarati phrase my mum used to use with me and my siblings when we were younger:
‘Huve rovana thya che’
Meaning ‘you will now cry’
This was used when we were younger and we used to get hysterical and hyper just before bed. I could never understand why we would cry when we were having so much fun but now because I have my own kids, I now use the phrase as they also get hyper when it’s past their bedtime and it all eventually ends in tears 🙈
Thank you so much for sharing this saying, V.Soni! You have described it very vividly! I can imagine what it is like for the parents as well as for the kids 😀
In my family, our most favourite Polish saying which my British husband adopted is as follows:
Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy’ which translates into English as: “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” It’s a way of saying, “Don’t drag me into your drama and your issues—I’m not getting involved.”
In short, it could be translated as having the same meaning of “I mind my own business” or ‘’it’s none of my business’’, but in a broader sense, it’s usually used to enhance the fact that you are not the one to judge someone else’s actions, even when you don’t necessarily agree with them. As if the mess someone else has found himself in, is not your mess to worry about, and the people taking part in that mess are not the ones you can control.
Thank you so much for sharing this saying, Gosia! It seems the wisdom has already been adopted, but it is certainly worth further spreading.