Comments on: superfly guy

By: Hippie

Hippie — Sun, 30 Jan 2005 19:17:05 +0000

Love this post! Thanks :)

By: kurt

kurt — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 11:35:40 +0000

Fun article! I enjoy playing these language games, too. I’m an American living in Austria, so I’m usually translating things into German, but it’s fun to compare idioms from different languages.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:00:52 +0000

The book Merde Encore! has a whole section on animal-related French idioms. Recommended.

By: Antipo Déesse

Antipo Déesse — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 09:26:57 +0000

Germans don’t get a bee in their bonnet about something, but mice in their head! (Mäuse im Kopfe).

By: Annika

Annika — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 23:44:01 +0000

“Chicken skin” is also an expression in Spanish, (piel de pollo). Imagine my face when a boyfriend once told me (in English) that I had chicken skin. I was (and still am) just barely conversational in Sp. and so had never encountered that expression. Your blog is great! I’ve been reading for some time now…

By: Maurine au bout du monde

Maurine au bout du monde — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 22:33:09 +0000

“Laid comme un crapaud” is probably slightly less abusive than “c’est un vrai thon”/ she’s a tuna.. used to describe an unattractive girl :oops:

Little Miss Frog in NZ => hi Petite NZ in France :grin:

By: Andrew Gallix

Andrew Gallix — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 18:38:02 +0000

Hi there,

It’s Andrew from 3:AM. Gothamist are launching a Parisian blog which I’m editing, and it would be great if you contributed to it now and again. Please email me if you’re interested. Cheers,

Andrew

By: Silence

Silence — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 18:27:48 +0000

L’équivalent plus académique de “splitting hair” est “couper les cheveux en 4″. C’est moins grossier (mais moins amusant) que “Enculer les mouches” !

By: nardac

nardac — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 18:03:15 +0000

‘a proverb and one expression’

Chat échaudé craint l’eau froide – Boiled cats fear cold water (once bitten, twice shy)

être comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles – to be like a dog among bowling pins (very hard to translate, to be somewhere where you’re absolutely not necessary, and make a mess…closest relation could be like an elephant in a china shop)

By: Sigmund Carl and Alfred

Sigmund Carl and Alfred — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 17:12:35 +0000

I suspect Ms Bardot won’t be saying much. Seems her opinions come at a cost.

As for ‘splitting hairs,’ well, we english speaking prudes probably appreciate our grandmeres remaining coy.