Mishmashing Cliches

[Gromit]

We live in a country with 11 official languages but English is becoming the most predominantly spoken amongst the S'African blacks in the urban areas with a penchant for clichés - this apparently is an exhibition of the superior command of the language. Being lost in translation often tickles me pink. Here are a few of my favourites:

Like rain off a chicken - Water off a duck's back
Running around the shrubs - Beating around the bush
One rotten potato spoils the bag - One rotten apple spoils the bushel
The tree on your back - Splinter in your eye
The cheap on your arm - Chip on your shoulder
Leave by the knife, die by the crime - Live by the sword, die by the sword

Gotta love Africa

 

[shanered6]

its funny how stuff gets mixed up !

 

[hemibee]

Some interesting takes on the old sayings

 

[Rocky]

 

[Bonnie79D]

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DaveM]

Only in SA, the scary thing is I am starting to understand some of them and use them myself

 

[DaveB]

My favourite is from years ago. An Afrikaner, whose command of the English language was not quite as good as he imagined it to be, was overheard giving road directions. A 'click' in this context means a kilometre.

He said: Agh, it's the road to the North, about fifty clicks as the fly crows.

 

[DaveM]

I think the way the grammar works in Afrikaner makes it hard for them to speak English especially if the do a direct translation. I must admit I don't speak much Afrikaans at all but can understand it.

 

[Lucky-Les]

My Afrikaans is also limited, but something's just sound right:-

 

[devo]

I think the way the grammar works in Afrikaner makes it hard for them to speak English especially if the do a direct translation. I must admit I don't speak much Afrikaans at all but can understand it.

this is very true.I have the same problem with dutch which a lot of Afrikaans comes from.
For eg, "I cant understand you" in English is ' Ik verstaan ye neet'(sp?) " I understand you not" in Dutch.

 

[CarlS]

We live in a country with 11 official languages but English is becoming the most predominantly spoken amongst the S'African blacks in the urban areas with a penchant for clichés - this apparently is an exhibition of the superior command of the language. Being lost in translation often tickles me pink. Here are a few of my favourites:

Like rain off a chicken - Water off a duck's back
Running around the shrubs - Beating around the bush
One rotten potato spoils the bag - One rotten apple spoils the bushel
The tree on your back - Splinter in your eye
The cheap on your arm - Chip on your shoulder
Leave by the knife, die by the crime - Live by the sword, die by the sword

Gotta love Africa

Gotta love it!

 

[Gromit]

There's been a video posted on a SA news page of a young child, coached by her mother, stealing a cell phone out of a patron's handbag in a restaurant. Here's a classic post on the website:
Triumphant Voice - October1, 2013 at 14:56
So no one ever read Oliver Twist ?

She's just the Artfull Dashess ( Dasher is her privileged counter part whobenefitted from notoriety and was immortalized in classical fiction)
Reply to Triumphant Voice | 2 comments(hide) | Delete

Athena - October1, 2013 at 15:55
Artful Dodger. Learn to google before you type.

 

[CarlS]

That mother ought to be shot.

 

[Gromit]

Carl, this proves the cliché that a little knowledge is dangerous. We deal with these 'smartasses' everyday.

 

[CarlS]

That is a sad commentary.