actually, the one that really drives me nuts is "i could care less".
it is supposed to be "i couldn't care less", which when you think about it makes a hell of a lot more sense.
The latter is correct, it's just one of those phrases that got shortened by casual use, which I imagine is how a lot of sayings end up seeming nonsensical.
Another one that originally made sense is "Have your cake and eat it too", which, when you think about it, is no trick at all.
The original phrase is "Eat your cake and have it too", which better conveys the notion of having it both ways.
You're right. 'Hope against hope' suddenly seems to make no sense whatsoever. Jeez. \
Every language contains phrases that may have lost their original meaning. Those are especially odd for non-native speakers. E.g. I'll probably never get used to "You're welcome" as a reply to "Thank you".
The phrase derives from the Bible (Romans 4:18 ): Saint Paul is writing about Abraham, 'Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken.'"
Don't know for sure, but I'd guess that "hope against hope" is meant in the sense of "one hope after another", or "one hope supporting another".
As in "brick against brick, they built the wall."
Carol: you know I'm still reeling from the peeing thread revelations, this choad stuff may put me over the edge.
Apparently I've lived a sheltered life.
Were you around for the 'bidet' thread? After that one, nothing much surprises me now!
I liked the peeing thread. It's fun to get the real skinny from all this 'boy talk'. heh.
I've never seen a choad.
I never hope to see one.
All I know is that
I'd rather 'see' than 'be' one.
(Not really true. I'm always willing to see pretty much anything. I mean, what can it hurt? In fact, I would be 'very' interested in seeing the second meaning I listed above.)
I love it too, but that Bible passage does nothing to put the phrase "hope against hope" into modern-day context. The only reason people say it, is because they heard it on a news show or some such. Does anyone really think all those people are aware of the Bible passage and are using it because they believe it to be analogous?
Heck even the Biblical version doesn't make much sense logically, and I bet it is the result of a goofed / inexact translation from Aramaic or Hebrew.
It's short for "you are welcome" to whatever you are thanking me for.
Carol, I don't have any good jokes about ink blots but it's sure fun to rub my chin pensively and pretend like I'm analyzing people.
The art teacher at my school, a good friend of mine, had studied handwriting analysis. When she looked at my handwriting sample, I'm SURE that she told me only the good stuff and left out the bad stuff.
It would be tricky having a shrink for a friend. All one's little quirks would be such transparent, tell-tale indicators of one's neuroses for them. (eek!)
You mean in psychologists' magazines, they don't have cartoons about stuff? Jeez, that's a shame.
The art teacher at my school, a good friend of mine, had studied handwriting analysis. When she looked at my handwriting sample, I'm SURE that she told me only the good stuff and left out the bad stuff.
It would be tricky having a shrink for a friend. All one's little quirks would be such transparent, tell-tale indicators of one's neuroses for them. (eek!)
You mean in psychologists' magazines, they don't have cartoons about stuff? Jeez, that's a shame.
My favorite psychologist cartoon: An angry looking guy in a suit is lying on the couch. The shrink is leaning over him slightly, smiling and saying: "My secretary has an interesting theory. She thinks you're just an asshole."
In another thread - can never remember which one - someone brought up the term 'chode' or 'choad'. Iirc, two people said it meant two different things: a) a hairball just in front of the anus (on a guy!), and/or b) a penis as wide as it is long.
Sorry, my bad. When I heard the word "hairball", I thought about things that form up inside the stomach for people who swallow lots of hairs, so that was something else altogether. The stomach hairballs are called "trichobezoars". I had forgotten the name and for a moment thought that the terms you used were about the stomach hairballs.
It's short for "you are welcome" to whatever you are thanking me for.
I know. But when you tranlate it literally to german, it is "Sie sind willkommen" which would be more adequate to greeting one (like in "welcome home". In german, there's a different word for answering "thank you": "bitte".
I know. But when you tranlate it literally to german, it is "Sie sind willkommen" which would be more adequate to greeting one (like in "welcome home". In german, there's a different word for answering "thank you": "bitte".
And what does "bitte" actually mean?
Btw, isn't it 5:40 in the morning there, GSpotter?
"You're welcome", of course In fact it has a double meaning: "please" also translates to "bitte". We have summer time since the weekend, so it's actually 6:50 now. Unfortunately, I have to work today even though it's my birthday...
I spent last semester in Austria, and found it very interesting all of the uses that "bitte" has. "Please" and "you're welcome", but also "bitte? "as in "Your order please?" and "come again?" ("please repeat yourself"). It really got me thinking about translation. Sure bitte translates into English as Please and You're welcome, but those are two different concepts in English, so bitte can't literally translate into either of them. It has its own meaning that may or may not be really translatable into other languages... It's fun to think about.
One thing that I found amusing, is sometimes, while speaking to someone in English they would answer my "thank you" with "please" ("please, thank you" "pleae") since it makes sense in German ("bitte, danke" "bitte")
Sigh...Ich möchte zurück gehen...
(one final thought..."you are welcome" conveys the idea that a person is indeed welcome to whatever it is they have thanked you for. i.e. "thank you for the cookies" "you are welcome(or)no problem" both phrases (and others) indicate that it is perfectly ok for the first person to have the cookies. Alright, I've talked enough.)
I spent last semester in Austria, and found it very interesting all of the uses that "bitte" has. "Please" and "you're welcome", but also "bitte? "as in "Your order please?" and "come again?" ("please repeat yourself"). It really got me thinking about translation. Sure bitte translates into English as Please and You're welcome, but those are two different concepts in English, so bitte can't literally translate into either of them. It has its own meaning that may or may not be really translatable into other languages... It's fun to think about.
One thing that I found amusing, is sometimes, while speaking to someone in English they would answer my "thank you" with "please" ("please, thank you" "pleae") since it makes sense in German ("bitte, danke" "bitte")
Sigh...Ich möchte zurück gehen...
(one final thought..."you are welcome" conveys the idea that a person is indeed welcome to whatever it is they have thanked you for. i.e. "thank you for the cookies" "you are welcome(or)no problem" both phrases (and others) indicate that it is perfectly ok for the first person to have the cookies. Alright, I've talked enough.)
Hi SledgeHammer -
This talk of 'bitte' makes me think of the way the English say "sorry"? If the person doesn't quite catch what you're saying, he'll say, "Sorry?" - indicating that you should repeat what you've said.
Or if they're making their way through a crowd, instead of saying 'excuse me', they'll say "sorry". I wonder if they actually say 'sorry' when they really *are* sorry. Probably not. heh.
When I was in Argentina, I overheard some teenage girls talking. And they *constantly* kept saying "Viste?" - which would be like our teenagers saying "you know?" They also kept saying the phrase "Que barbaro!", which would be the equivalent of "How gross!" Wonder what they say for "cool"?
This talk of 'bitte' makes me think of the way the English say "sorry"? If the person doesn't quite catch what you're saying, he'll say, "Sorry?" - indicating that you should repeat what you've said.
Or if they're making their way through a crowd, instead of saying 'excuse me', they'll say "sorry". I wonder if they actually say 'sorry' when they really *are* sorry. Probably not. heh.
When I was in Argentina, I overheard some teenage girls talking. And they *constantly* kept saying "Viste?" - which would be like our teenagers saying "you know?" They also kept saying the phrase "Que barbaro!", which would be the equivalent of "How gross!" Wonder what they say for "cool"?
"Que barbaro" is my new favorite phrase. I'm going to make it my business to introduce it in America.
"Did you see the new J-Lo Ben Affleck movie? Que barbaro!"
My favorite is "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." In other words, if someone's giving you a horse, don't be rude and check its age/health before accepting. Just take the damned thing!
Comments
Originally posted by alcimedes
actually, the one that really drives me nuts is "i could care less".
it is supposed to be "i couldn't care less", which when you think about it makes a hell of a lot more sense.
The latter is correct, it's just one of those phrases that got shortened by casual use, which I imagine is how a lot of sayings end up seeming nonsensical.
Another one that originally made sense is "Have your cake and eat it too", which, when you think about it, is no trick at all.
The original phrase is "Eat your cake and have it too", which better conveys the notion of having it both ways.
Originally posted by Carol A
You're right. 'Hope against hope' suddenly seems to make no sense whatsoever. Jeez.
Every language contains phrases that may have lost their original meaning. Those are especially odd for non-native speakers. E.g. I'll probably never get used to "You're welcome" as a reply to "Thank you".
"Hope against hope"
The phrase derives from the Bible (Romans 4:18 ): Saint Paul is writing about Abraham, 'Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken.'"
Originally posted by GSpotter
I'll probably never get used to "You're welcome" as a reply to "Thank you".
Carol, I don't have any good jokes about ink blots but it's sure fun to rub my chin pensively and pretend like I'm analyzing people.
Originally posted by torifile
Carol, I don't have any good jokes about ink blots but it's sure fun to rub my chin pensively and pretend like I'm analyzing people.
Damn, I knew it. $200 an hour my ass.....
Originally posted by addabox
Don't know for sure, but I'd guess that "hope against hope" is meant in the sense of "one hope after another", or "one hope supporting another".
As in "brick against brick, they built the wall."
Carol: you know I'm still reeling from the peeing thread revelations, this choad stuff may put me over the edge.
Apparently I've lived a sheltered life.
Were you around for the 'bidet' thread? After that one, nothing much surprises me now!
I liked the peeing thread. It's fun to get the real skinny from all this 'boy talk'. heh.
I've never seen a choad.
I never hope to see one.
All I know is that
I'd rather 'see' than 'be' one.
(Not really true. I'm always willing to see pretty much anything. I mean, what can it hurt? In fact, I would be 'very' interested in seeing the second meaning I listed above.)
Originally posted by alcimedes
[B]i love the internet....
I love it too, but that Bible passage does nothing to put the phrase "hope against hope" into modern-day context. The only reason people say it, is because they heard it on a news show or some such. Does anyone really think all those people are aware of the Bible passage and are using it because they believe it to be analogous?
Heck even the Biblical version doesn't make much sense logically, and I bet it is the result of a goofed / inexact translation from Aramaic or Hebrew.
Originally posted by torifile
Carol, I don't have any good jokes about ink blots but it's sure fun to rub my chin pensively and pretend like I'm analyzing people.
The art teacher at my school, a good friend of mine, had studied handwriting analysis. When she looked at my handwriting sample, I'm SURE that she told me only the good stuff and left out the bad stuff.
It would be tricky having a shrink for a friend. All one's little quirks would be such transparent, tell-tale indicators of one's neuroses for them. (eek!)
You mean in psychologists' magazines, they don't have cartoons about stuff? Jeez, that's a shame.
Originally posted by Carol A
The art teacher at my school, a good friend of mine, had studied handwriting analysis. When she looked at my handwriting sample, I'm SURE that she told me only the good stuff and left out the bad stuff.
It would be tricky having a shrink for a friend. All one's little quirks would be such transparent, tell-tale indicators of one's neuroses for them. (eek!)
You mean in psychologists' magazines, they don't have cartoons about stuff? Jeez, that's a shame.
My favorite psychologist cartoon: An angry looking guy in a suit is lying on the couch. The shrink is leaning over him slightly, smiling and saying: "My secretary has an interesting theory. She thinks you're just an asshole."
Originally posted by Carol A
Eating-related disorders?
In another thread - can never remember which one - someone brought up the term 'chode' or 'choad'. Iirc, two people said it meant two different things: a) a hairball just in front of the anus (on a guy!), and/or b) a penis as wide as it is long.
Sorry, my bad. When I heard the word "hairball", I thought about things that form up inside the stomach for people who swallow lots of hairs, so that was something else altogether. The stomach hairballs are called "trichobezoars". I had forgotten the name and for a moment thought that the terms you used were about the stomach hairballs.
http://www.keratin.com/ar/ar012.shtml
Originally posted by torifile
I know. But when you tranlate it literally to german, it is "Sie sind willkommen" which would be more adequate to greeting one (like in "welcome home". In german, there's a different word for answering "thank you": "bitte".
Originally posted by GSpotter
I know. But when you tranlate it literally to german, it is "Sie sind willkommen" which would be more adequate to greeting one (like in "welcome home". In german, there's a different word for answering "thank you": "bitte".
And what does "bitte" actually mean?
Btw, isn't it 5:40 in the morning there, GSpotter?
In Spanish, doesn't "de nada" mean 'for nothing'?
Originally posted by Carol A
And what does "bitte" actually mean?
"You're welcome", of course
Btw, isn't it 5:40 in the morning there, GSpotter?
We have summer time since the weekend, so it's actually 6:50 now. Unfortunately, I have to work today even though it's my birthday...
Originally posted by GSpotter
"You're welcome", of course
Happy Birthday, Aries the Ram!
Is your wife taking you to dinner tonight?
One thing that I found amusing, is sometimes, while speaking to someone in English they would answer my "thank you" with "please" ("please, thank you" "pleae") since it makes sense in German ("bitte, danke" "bitte")
Sigh...Ich möchte zurück gehen...
(one final thought..."you are welcome" conveys the idea that a person is indeed welcome to whatever it is they have thanked you for. i.e. "thank you for the cookies" "you are welcome(or)no problem" both phrases (and others) indicate that it is perfectly ok for the first person to have the cookies. Alright, I've talked enough.)
Originally posted by Carol A
Happy Birthday, Aries the Ram!
Is your wife taking you to dinner tonight?
Careful, Carol, remember how you got ganged up on when you last spoke of astrology...
Originally posted by addabox
Careful, Carol, remember how you got ganged up on when you last spoke of astrology...
Damn! I was hoping I could slip that in with no one noticing!
Originally posted by SledgeHammer
I spent last semester in Austria, and found it very interesting all of the uses that "bitte" has. "Please" and "you're welcome", but also "bitte? "as in "Your order please?" and "come again?" ("please repeat yourself"). It really got me thinking about translation. Sure bitte translates into English as Please and You're welcome, but those are two different concepts in English, so bitte can't literally translate into either of them. It has its own meaning that may or may not be really translatable into other languages... It's fun to think about.
One thing that I found amusing, is sometimes, while speaking to someone in English they would answer my "thank you" with "please" ("please, thank you" "pleae") since it makes sense in German ("bitte, danke" "bitte")
Sigh...Ich möchte zurück gehen...
(one final thought..."you are welcome" conveys the idea that a person is indeed welcome to whatever it is they have thanked you for. i.e. "thank you for the cookies" "you are welcome(or)no problem" both phrases (and others) indicate that it is perfectly ok for the first person to have the cookies. Alright, I've talked enough.)
Hi SledgeHammer -
This talk of 'bitte' makes me think of the way the English say "sorry"? If the person doesn't quite catch what you're saying, he'll say, "Sorry?" - indicating that you should repeat what you've said.
Or if they're making their way through a crowd, instead of saying 'excuse me', they'll say "sorry". I wonder if they actually say 'sorry' when they really *are* sorry. Probably not. heh.
When I was in Argentina, I overheard some teenage girls talking. And they *constantly* kept saying "Viste?" - which would be like our teenagers saying "you know?" They also kept saying the phrase "Que barbaro!", which would be the equivalent of "How gross!" Wonder what they say for "cool"?
Originally posted by Carol A
Hi SledgeHammer -
This talk of 'bitte' makes me think of the way the English say "sorry"? If the person doesn't quite catch what you're saying, he'll say, "Sorry?" - indicating that you should repeat what you've said.
Or if they're making their way through a crowd, instead of saying 'excuse me', they'll say "sorry". I wonder if they actually say 'sorry' when they really *are* sorry. Probably not. heh.
When I was in Argentina, I overheard some teenage girls talking. And they *constantly* kept saying "Viste?" - which would be like our teenagers saying "you know?" They also kept saying the phrase "Que barbaro!", which would be the equivalent of "How gross!" Wonder what they say for "cool"?
"Que barbaro" is my new favorite phrase. I'm going to make it my business to introduce it in America.
"Did you see the new J-Lo Ben Affleck movie? Que barbaro!"