Category: Words and phrases

Snails and corner shops

By Simon

Volendam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands - 2907

I have been learning Dutch for just over a week now and am enjoying it and finding it interesting. I can guess the meanings of many of the words I encounter as they are similar to German and/or English, but some are completely different. For example, I just learnt that shop is (de) winkel /ˈʋɪŋkəl/, and that shopping is (het) winkelen, which have no similarities to shop or shopping in English, or to their equivalents in German – Geschäft/Laden and einkaufen.

According to Wiktionary, winkel meant corner in Middle Dutch and Old Dutch, and comes from Proto-Germanic *winkilaz (corner, nook), from the Proto-Indo-European *weng- (to bend, bow, arch, curve) [source].

Periwinkles

Winkel is apparently cognate with German Winkel (corner), and the Old English wincel (nook, corner), which is found in the word periwinkle (a type of sea snail). The use of winkel for shop is apparently derived from the meaning “corner in which merchandise is stored”.

Related words include:

  • ijzerwinkel, ijzerwarenwinkel = hardware store (“iron (wares) shop”)
  • platenwinkel = record shop/store
  • webwinkel = online shop/store
  • winkelen = to shop; to go shopping – also boodschappen; het boodschappen doen
  • winkelcentrum = shopping centre / mall
  • winkelwagen = shopping trolley / cart
  • winkeltas = shopping bag
  • winkelassistent = shop assistant, personal shopper, sales clerk
  • winkelier = shopkeeper, storekeeper, retailer
  • winkelhaak = try square; carpenter’s square

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
le tableau noir blackboard bwrdd du taolenn zu
le panneau d’affichage noticeboard hysbysfwrdd; arwyddfwrdd; bwrdd arwyddion planell afichañ
le marron (d’inde) conker / horse chestnut concyr; cneuen gobl(i)o; coblyn kistin
le marronier (d’inde) horse chestnut tree castanwydden y meirch; marchgastanwydden gwez kistin
la châtaigne (sweet) chestnut castan; cneuen gastan; pibgneuen kistin
la tombola raffle raffl; lotri c’hoari sac’h
le billet de tombola raffle ticket ticed/tocyn raffl/lotri bilhed c’hoari sac’h
S.O.S. Amitié The Samaritans Y Samariaid
être d’astreinte; être de garde; être en disponibilité; être de permanence to be on-call bod ar alw (?)
démodé old fashioned (things) hen ffasiwn; henaidd maez a c’hiz; giz kozh
vieux jeu old fashioned (people) hen ffasiwn; henaidd mod kozh
le faîte ridge trum; crib; cefn hedell

Quixotic

By Simon

The word quixotic (/kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/) has come up a number of times in books I’ve been reading recently, and though I sort know what it means, I wasn’t sure, so I thought I’d find out.

According to the QED, quixotic means:

– Of an action, attribute, idea, etc.: characteristic of or appropriate to Don Quixote; demonstrating or motivated by exaggerated notions of chivalry and romanticism; naively idealistic; unrealistic, impracticable; (also) unpredictable, capricious, whimsical.

– Of a person: resembling Don Quixote; visionary; enthusiastically chivalrous or romantic; naively idealistic; impractical, capricious.

It comes from Don Quixote (Don Quijote in Spanish), the hero of Cervantes’ story by the same name, which was published in 1605 and 1615. The word quijote comes from name of a piece of armour, the quixote or cuisse, which protects the thighs.

Is this word used in other languages?

If not, are there any words with a similar meaning?

As flat as …

By Simon

This week in the French conversation group one of the things that came up was the expression “as flat as a pancake” or the slightly ruder version, “as flat as a witch’s tit”. This was being used to describe the flatness of beer. The only equivalent we could find in French was “completement plat” (completely flat), though I’ve since found a couple of others: “plat comme une limande” (‘flat like a dab*’) [source], and “plat comme une lamelle” (‘flat like a sliver/thin slice’) [source].

Other variations of the English phrases I’ve found include “as flat as a board”, “as flat as an ironing board” and “as flat as a trencher”.

What other flat things might appear in this expression?

Are there interesting equivalents of this phrase in other languages?

*Dab = a species of small flat-fish, Pleuronectes limanda, similar to a flounder [source]

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
les chaussures (f) de marche walking boots esgidiau cerdded; esgidiau cryfion boteier kerzh
passer à côté de la question to miss the point camddeall; methu’r pwynt/ergyd
rater/louper to miss (train/bus/target) colli c’hwitañ
completement plat flat as a pancake mor wastad â thalcen iâr; mor llyfn â charreg y drws; llyfn fel bwrdd
éventée flat (beer) fflat; diflas; merfaidd; marw avelet
bémol flat (note) meddalnod bouc’h
dièse sharp (note) llonnod lemm
en moyen on average ar gyfartaledd

Aw, Snap!

By Simon

Aw, Snap!

I noticed recently that when a webpage crashes in the Google Chrome browser, you get an error message beginning with “Aw, Snap!”, which always amuses me. It’s not an expression I’ve ever used, and seeing it got me wondering whether it is in common use in other English-speaking countries. If you don’t use this expression, what others might you use in similar circumstances?

I’d probably say something like “Oops!” or “Oh dear!”.

What are equivalents of these expressions in other languages?

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
diriger to run (a business; department; country) rhedeg dirijañ; sturiadañ
tenir to run (a shop; hotel; house) rhedeg; cadw tiegiñ
la piste runway rhedfa riboul
le vestiaire changing room; cloakroom ystafell newid gwiskva
la cape cloak mantell; clogyn; clog kap
l’accordeur de piano(s) piano tuner dyn tiwnio pianos songeider piano
accorder to tune (an instrument) tiwnio; cyweirio; tonyddu toniañ

Taking the fly

By Simon

I discovered an interesting French idiom today – prendre la mouche – which means literally ‘to take the fly’ and is the equivalent of ‘to go off in a huff’. Huff refers to ‘a passing mood of anger or pique’ A French equivalent of ‘to be in a huff’ is être vexé. Are there similar expressions in other languages?

La mouche means fly, button or patch comes from the Latin mŭsca (fly)

Here are some other expressions featuring this word:

– bateau-mouche = pleasure boat (on the Seine)
– fine mouche = sharp customer
– oiseau-mouche = hummingbird (‘fly bird’)
– pattes de mouche = spidery scrawl (‘fly paws’)
– poids mouche = flyweight
– papier tue-mouche = flypaper
– mouche du coche = back-seat driver (‘coach fly’)
– mouche à miel = honey bee (‘honey fly’)
– faire mouche = bull’s-eye

Source: http://dictionary.reverso.net/

Thumbs and inches

By Simon

I discovered today that the French word for thumb, pouce, also means inch, which makes sense as the length of the inch is apparently based on the width of a man’s thumb.

Related expressions include:

– se tourner les pouces, se rouler les pouces = to twiddle one’s thumbs
– manger sur le pouce = to grab a quick bite to eat (“to eat on the thumb”)
– déjeuner/dîner sur le pouce = to have a quick lunch/dinner (“to lunch/dine on the thumb”)
– donner un coup de pouce à quelqu’un = to help someone out (“to give a blow of the thumb to sb”)
– mettre les pouces = to throw in the towel; to give in; to give up (“to put the thumbs”)

The word inch comes from the Latin word uncia (a twelfth; ouce; inch), as does the word ounce, which is a twelfth of a troy pound [source]

The word for inch is the same as the word for thumb in Italian (pollice), Dutch and Afrikaans (duim), and Czech and Slovak (palec). How about in other languages?

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
la pastille pour la toux cough lozenge/sweet losin at y frest; losin peswch; da-da annwyd pastilh an paz (?)
le pastille pour le mal de gorge throat lozenge/sweet losin gwddwg; da-da dolur gwddw pastilh an lo(v)rniet ma goûg (?)
la puce flea chwannen c’hwenn
le pouce thumb bawd meud
le gros orteil big toe bawd troed meud an troad
le deuil mourning galarus kañv
pleurer to mourn galaru gouelañ; garmat; leñvañ
prendre le deuill to go into mourning dechrau/cychwyn galaru ober e gañvoù; (g)ober begin
bruyant; chahuteur rowdy; noisy swnllyd; stwrllyd; terfysglyd; tyrfus trouzus
les nuisances sonores (fpl) noise pollution llygredd sŵn noazadurioù e-keñver trouz
délier la langue à qn to loosen sb’s tongue llacio tafod rhywun distagellañ
diversifier to diversify amrywio; amrywiaethu liesaat; dizunvaniñ
la forge smithy gefail gof govel
le forgeron blacksmith gof gov
ériger/dresser des barricades to set up a barricade codi baricêd savelladenniñ stoc’hoù
tenir des barricades to man the barricades gweithio baricadau
le feuilleton (TV/radio) serial cyfres romant -kazetenn