this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024
163 points (97.7% liked)

Ask Lemmy

25999 readers
1904 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either [email protected] or [email protected]. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email [email protected]. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

What are some (non-English) idioms, and what do they mean (both literally and in context)? Odd ones, your favorite ones - any and all are welcome. :)

For example, in English I might call someone a "good egg," meaning they're a nice person. Or, if it's raining heavily, I might say "it's raining cats and dogs."

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

"Masamang damo", or weed, as in unwanted grasses in your garden, not the marijuana. You call that to someone undeniably evil (or to just someone whom you hate) but just won't go away or die, especially old corrupt politicians.

"Huwag kang pilosopo" which literally means "don't philosophise" but its casual meaning is "don't be a smart ass". However, knowing people in my country especially after electing the son of a former dictator thanks to "Facebook researches", this expression implies to someone not to think critically.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The Germans have a similar expression, "Unkraut vergeht nicht", it means something like "weeds do not go away", but it is usually used in a self-deprecating way, for example as a response to wishes for good health when ill.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Weeds don't wither would be a better translation

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

It is, thank you