sábado, 8 de agosto de 2015

UNIVERSAL IDIOMS

Here are some of the most common expressions that retain their meaning and form across languages (at least, in the Western world):

To take someone else's chestnuts out of the fire
Kiss of Judas
To wash one's own hands
To give Caesar what belongs to Caesar
To walk through fire and ice (or water)
To serve two masters
Wolves in sheep's clothing
Nothing new under the sun
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed one is king
Who lives by the sword shall die by the sword
One's days are numbered
Pearls before swine
Black sheep
Cinderella
Prince Charming
(Colossus on) Feet of clay
(Speech is silver), Silence is golden
Forbidden fruit
To harden one's own heart
To turn the other cheek
The ends of the Earth
David vs. Goliath
Pride comes before a fall
Pandora's box
Apple of discord
Trojan Horse
Ariadne's thread
Daily bread
(Not) to know one's right hand (or foot) from one's left 
Faith moves mountains
The eleventh hour

2 comentarios:

  1. On that note, Sandra. Pearls before swine, has a Nepalese equivalent that is something like— A coconut in the hands of a monkey, or when Bel (a kind of shelled fruit) ripens, the crow is neither happy nor sad. There are many equivalents of the ones you mentioned above, but the music and rhythm in the idiom is not preserved in translation. If you are interested in idioms, which I think you are, I would be most elated to provide you with appropriate seemingly interesting idioms and contribute in the growth of a talented writer.

    Cheers!

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    Respuestas
    1. In Japanese, "pearls before swine" is "neko ni kóban", "gold coins given to cats". Actually, a monkey can use a coconut, while neither pigs have much use for pearls nor cats for gold.

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