old cows?

One of the side benefits of speaking multiple languages is that you can amuse yourself with disecting idioms and expressions.

Have you ever noticed how some expressions are exactly alike in several languages, where others are just different enough to trip you up and others still don't translate at all, or at least you can translate them, but end up with people staring at you like you belong in a lunatic asylum. Here are some examples:

'Don't drag old cows out of a ditch' is a perfectly common expression in Flemish meaning 'let bygones be byones'. Somehow though, the cows never crossed the ocean to the UK or USA. I guess the belgian tradition of farming close to ditches in the polder fields has something to do with the origin of this particular one. In case you're wondering, translated, the expression goes like this 'haal geen oude koeien uit de gracht.'

Also in the England 'it rains cats and dogs', whereas in Belgium you'll find 'it rains pipe stems.' (het regent pijpestelen). Indeed, it makes one wonder whether Renee Magritte had something to do with that. ..remember, he's the belgian (not French!) painter know for the 'ceci n'est pas une pipe' surrealist painting.

Another untranslatable beauty is 'all craziness on a stick' (alle gekheid op een stokje), often said for 'all kidding aside, ...'. Why we put craziness on a stick in the low countries, I don't know either, but I love the expressions.

Finally, another tribute to the Flemish agricultural past is 'you fell with your ass in the butter' (je bent met je gat in de boter gevallen' a more colorful way of saying 'you lucked out'. Indeed, butter used to be more of a luxury good and a sign of excess. Funny how these things hang on even in an era when everyone long has butter in their fridge.

We should savor expressions and idioms. They are what enriches a language and add culture and depth to everyday life. I often bemoan the casualization of our language, particularly the american language. I can't help but feel we're losing out on more than just some beautiful expresssion by the ever more common usage of 'plain and lazy speak'....