Cool Breeze  +  434870 Thu, 25 Oct 07 10:57 PM I have always wondered why the English proverb He is as poor as a church mouse is He is as poor as a church rat in Finnish. What is it in your language? Can you give us some examples of equivalents of English proverbs or sayings are in your language, please. Here are a couple of other examples: To carry coals to Newcastle. Finnish: To go further than the sea to fish. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Finnish: In a country in the country's way. (That's awkward in English!) All that glitters is not gold. Finnish: The same, just a slightly different word order. CB Cool Breeze Joined on Fri, Apr 7 2006 Senior Member 3,979 "I hope you'll all live to be 150 years old - and the last voice you hear is mine!" Frank Sinatra on stage in Oslo, Norway, 28 September 1991 Verbs, Word Order

	Doll  +  434884 Thu, 25 Oct 07 11:18 PM They are really so different in Turkish too.    You will be shown the door --- in Turkish you wil find yourself outside of the house or you will find yourself on the other side of the door.    I have to eat loaves of bread or I have toı eat a full bakery of bread ( this may not mean anything in English) ---- in English I still have a long way to go.   Early bird eats the worm -- in Turkish, the one who gets up early will go farther     Doll Joined on Sat, Mar 10 2007 Senior Member 2,813 Verbs

	Dew 2007  +  437497 Thu, 01 Nov 07 08:32 AM Yes, there are different and in many ways queer meanings of the same proverbs. When in Rome - do as the Romans do = You shouldn't come to a convent with your own law. (Russian version) To carry coal to Newcastle = To go to Tula with your own samovar. The last straw that breaks the camel's back = The last drop of the full cup. Dew 2007 Joined on Sun, Jun 17 2007 Russia Contributing Member 1,352 Keep wondering! Verbs

	Tanit  +  437552 Thu, 01 Nov 07 12:28 PM In Italian: He is as poor as a church mouse >> He is poor in reed. (it's not a misspelling for "red" ... it's the plant! it doesn't make sense, does it?) When in Rome, do as the Romans do. >> Town where you go, tradition that you find.  ( not only is it ungrammatical, it's also weird!) All that glitters is not gold. >> Exactly the same, apart from word order (I wonder whether it's the same order as in Finnish ...) The last straw >> The last drop (which makes the vase overflow) A leopard cannot change its spots >> Lions lose their fur, but not their habits. Cannot think of anything similar to "To carry coal to Newcastle". Tanit Joined on Mon, Jul 31 2006 Senior Member 3,040 There is no greater pain than to remember a happy time when one is in misery. (Dante) Verbs, Spelling, Word Order

	Zerox  +  437756 Thu, 01 Nov 07 08:36 PM Hi CB. Just out of curiosity, what would be equivalent in Finnish to: charity begins at home? I can't figure out anything suitable. Zerox Joined on Wed, May 10 2006 Full Member 295 -It is rational that the irrational contradicts with the rational- Verbs

	Cool Breeze  +  437782 Thu, 01 Nov 07 10:44 PM  Zerox wrote: Hi CB. Just out of curiosity, what would be equivalent in Finnish to: charity begins at home? I can't figure out anything suitable. Sorry, Zerox, nor can I. If I can think of something later, I'll come back with it. For some previous posters: The saying is to carry coals to Newcastle, not: to carry coal to Newcastle. CB Cool Breeze Verbs

	Francesca  +  437790 Thu, 01 Nov 07 11:30 PM I've always wondered why in England "One swallow does not make a summer" while in Italy it doesn't make a spring  Tanit wrote: A leopard cannot change its spots >> Lions lose their fur, but not their habits. In Tuscany we say wolves Francesca Joined on Tue, Oct 11 2005 Contributing Member 1,786 Verbs

	MrPedantic  +  437794 Thu, 01 Nov 07 11:43 PM I think it may be because "summer", in older usage, consisted of the warmer half of the year. "Spring" is a relatively recent term for the vernal season (14th/15th century); previously, "Lent" was used, which doesn't alliterate very well with "swallow". Though I suppose they could have changed the bird. ("One little ringed plover doesn't make a Lent"?) MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Verbs

	Francesca  +  437798 Thu, 01 Nov 07 11:56 PM Nice one MrP I guess your explanation could be more correct than mine: in fact I thought that swallows go to England in summer because English spring is colder than Italian one Francesca Verbs