Archive for Lost in translation
German salty pig hand
Jeff DeMarco writes:
"Saw this on Facebook. Google Translate gives 'German salty pig hand' which I presume refers to trotters. Not sure how they got sexual misconduct!"
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Making the goats dance
According to abcduvin.com ("tout sur le vin, ses techniques, son vocabulaire"), the phrase "À faire danser les chèvres" ("To make the goats dance") means "Vin trop acide, désagréable à boire" ("Wine that's too acid, disagreeable to drink").
The Dictionnaire de L'Académie Française cites the same expression: "Du vin à faire danser les chèvres, du vin très acide".
Although the metaphor is not entirely transparent, "make the goats dance" could be used in English, and indeed has been.
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"Bien je jamais"?
Boris Johnson started a recent interview segment this way:
| Interviewer: | Did you really call the French turds? |
| Boris Johnson: | Well I doubt- I have no- I have no recollection of this- uh of- of- of this- uh of this- this comment um but you know I- I notice- I notice that um it is- you know it is- it's not very well sourced this story but anyway um |
| Interviewer: | well it seems to have come from the foreign office what do you read into that? |
| Boris Johnson: | bien je jamais as we say um uh in french um I think- I think- um look the- the serious question uh that perhaps under- underlying all this uh and- and perhaps what- what everyone wanted to know is uh can I get a fantastic deal from our country from our french friends can we go forwards in a collegiate uh friendly way and yes of course we can |
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Toilet revolution, an unfinished business: beware!
Sign on a toilet door:
Source: "In the first flush: China's toilet revolution remains in full swing", Week in China 453 (5/24/19)
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Cold shoe, hot boot
From Stephen Hart (the object pictured is a camera attachment for microphones, lights, and the like):
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Let's have Mr. and Mrs. Smith for lunch
From Charles Belov:
While restaurant hunting in the East Bay, I happened upon these dishes with the intriguing English names of "Mr and Mrs Smith" and "Boiled Omasum with Chili Pepper." Omasum turns out to be an obscure name of a variety of tripe, but I'm puzzled as to how the Smith family made it into Chinese cuisine.
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Playing a small abacus
A learned colleague observed:
A few days ago, a Chinese military spokesperson was criticizing U.S. Department of Defense budget priorities. The spokesperson said, "We have noticed that the U.S. defense department always likes to play 'small abacus' when seeking military budgets, in an attempt to gain more benefits for itself by rendering the threat of other countries [sic]."
The colleague went on to ask:
That must have sounded better in Chinese. What did he mean by that? Does it refer to lowballing budgets? Is it like "penny-wise-pound-foolish?"
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Electromagnet inhales passwords
From frequent commenter bratschegirl:
Seen backstage on a locked storage cabinet.
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