Author: Kirsten
Hvad ved bønder om agurkesalat? (what do farmers know about cucumber salad)
This is a self-depreciating saying to indicate that the person saying it feels incompetent to judge concerning a certain issue. The basis is, I suppose, that the cucumber salad mentioned involves very thin slices of cucumber, pickled, and a suggestion that farmers would not go in for such fine slicing or such refined food.
Hver so synes best om sine egne grise (every sow prefers her own piglets)
I guess the meaning of this one is obvious; it suggests that parents praise (or excuse, I suppose) their own children and/or their behavior, perhaps in comparison to other children.
Ingen kender dagen før solen går ned (no one knows the day until the sun goes down)
A reminder that you can’t know what a day has brought you until the day is over. Said as a warning or a reminder not to be too satisfied/dissatisfied with something too soon. Usually only used as the abbreviated Ingen kender dagen! No one knows the day!
Man må hyle med de ulve man er iblandt (One must howl with the wolves one is among)
Another obvious one, I think; it means more or less the same as the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans”.
Finally, among my father’s favourite sayings if I got greasy/messy around the mouth/face while eating when I was a child was “Du ser ud som om du skal ud og hyre folk (You look as if you are off to hire staff)”. I don’t know how common that is, but it is based on (he claimed) the habit of farmers of old who would grease their faces when off to hire farm hands in order to indicate that they had eaten well, and therefore would be good people to work for. Hmmm.
Comments
3 responses to “Some sayings from Denmark”
Takk, Kirsten, for noen fine danske ordtak — som vi faktisk ikke har på norsk! Hilsen en annen skandinav i Leicester (det finnes faktisk en del av oss) 🙂
When my mum came to visit us, she would like to sing a Chinese folk songs for my toddler.
‘Little white bunny, white upon white, Two little ears, standing upright, Loves eating carrots and some fruit, Bounce-bounce jump-jump oh so cute.’
‘The little swallow, brightly dressed, come here every year.’
When she is singing, it always reminds me my lovely childhood with my mum. I can feel the power of love and parenting through her singing. It makes me want to a supportive and kind mother for my child.
Thank you very much, Marianne. Why not considering sharing some Norwegian ones? 😊
And come and join the event next week. Please see the blog post: https://dlit.le.ac.uk/2024/06/27/celebrating-diaspora-leicester-in-translation-sharing-our-sayings-poems-and-songs/