Idioms and expression
My dad used all kinds of great expressions I don't often hear anymore. I find them fun and highly descriptive. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is pretty common. It means children act like their parents.
What are some expressions you use, in Spanish or English, and what do they mean?
One my dad used was, sorry don't feed the bull dog. I never have figured out what that means.
3 Answers
I once owned a book of "refranes". It was a medium-sized volume but I'm reasonable certain that, had my finances allowed, I could have gotten a much more extensive collection. I also had a "dictionary" of Japanese koto-waza (sayings/expressions), larger than the Spanish book (but I was "better heeled" then).
In both cases, It seemed very likely that many of the expressions/sayings were simply translations of borrowed proverbs/epigrams of other languages. Although cultures differ in their specifics, I believe that a great deal of human experience is common (or can be readily recognized by members of other cultures). Since these pithy sayings often reflect a distillation of human experience, I do not find it surprising that their essential meanings (if not the exact form of expression) should be similar across cultural boundaries.
About "sorry don't feed the bull dog" I found this:
In business, to "feed the bulldog" is to generate sufficient revenue to meet expenses. I don't know much about bulldogs, but I'm willing to bet they get aggressive and insistently unhappy when not fed on a regular schedule. Overhead costs tend to be like that, too. The rent must be paid. The payroll must be met. Productive actions, not mere words, will feed the bulldog.
I have a feeling that there are more idioms in English than there are in Spanish.
I have no proof of this but wondered what others think.
Our Phrasebook aimed at creating 5000 phrases (idioms / expressions) I always thought this was a very low target.
