There’s a funny little saying I learned early on in my time in Austria: “It’s sausage to me.” It means, essentially, “Whatever, I don’t care.” It’s not in Jag Bhalla’s wacky collection of regionalisms, I’m Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears and Other Intriguing Idioms From Around the World , but lots of other
As something of a self-professed language nerd, it’s been endlessly amusing to crack open this little book to, oh, the romance section to learn that in France you can call your darling a hen’s egg or that in Japan, having a thick belly means you are brave. It’s a desk reference of peculiar descriptions — my best pal has already adopted the phrase “When snakes wore vests” to signify a long time ago.
The book doesn’t unpack the whys of these phrases, nor does it offer the native language versions of such gems as “having eaten a monkey” (German for losing your heart). In the introduction, Bhalla preempts most objections about what else might be left out of the book — you don’t expect deeper language analysis; it’s more entertainment, a game.
Because of my love for language and because I have the annoying ability to be a smartass in more than one language, I felt like the book was a bit of tease, setting me up with tasty little bites of language appetizers without bringing on the full meal for my brain. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, I am still enjoying having it around the house, still watching my friends who drop in open to such inscrutable phrases as “a cow on skates” — a French description of a cop — burst in to giggles. A cow on skates. Heh.
What I wanted from the book was more, more depth, more phrases, more translations, more context. I’m waiting for the second edition, the one that answers my questions, that gives me the tools to say increasingly bizarre things when called to speak German.
Jag Bhalla talks about his book on NPR, here. Oh, and as always, a disclaimer:Â My copy came from the publisher. You can get your own from Amazon, here. Plus, one minor addtional clarification. I’d hardly call myself bilingual, but I do speak enough German to be hugely annoying in a word bending kind of way when I want to.
My favorite colloquialism in Japanese: “Ron-Pari” for “London-Paris”–used to describe someone so cross-eyed s/he can see London with one eye and Paris with the other.
Oddly enough, my cow collection includes a ceramic cow on skates. I’ll have to call her “Officer.”
… einen (Affen) sitzen haben …to be very drunk. you could also have: einen Narren gefressen haben an jemandem – meaning you are quite fond of someone….
I loved the way my friend in Vietnam would say that she would go “window-nose” when she was window shopping. Jon and I still use the term when we’re just browsing.
“It’s sausage to me.†Never heard that expression before! Would like to read this book and learn other fun and useful phrases.
“When snakes wore vests” I love that, it’s perfect! I need to start talking about the olden days, quick sharp, so I can make full use 🙂