Home for Irish Setter Lovers Around the World
You lucky dog!
I'm thinking about some paradox. We all love dogs and know that they are wonderful creatures, our best friends...
But in our languages (I mean first of all mine) there are plenty of phrases, also idiomatic expressions, proverbs with a dog in very negative context or meaning. Linquists say that languages change slower than a world around us. A houndred years ago our attitude to dogs was more like objects. The life of the dogs was definitely tougher, they were first of all functional, working. And in the lanquage is recorded this time.
In Polish still there is a lot of negative expressions with a dog. Some are similar to English: "to lead a dog's life", "you dirty dog!", "to treat somebody like a dog", "to go to the dogs", "dog in the manger". Poor dog is involved as a subject in many others. We use him to bad-mouth somebody ("wieszać na kimś psy"), to lie through one's teeth ("łgać jak pies"), to serve faithfully ("służyć jak pies"), to call inedible mushrooms, foul weather....We even call cop a dog - "pies". Dog is used as a part of many curses too.
I went through English vocabulary and found a lot of bad phrases. And only few fine, f.e "dog days" - I like it!
How is in your languages, your tradition, your culture. Do you have more positive expressions with a dog.
Maybe we should create new phrases, new expressions to voice our care, enthusiasm and love for dogs. As James has said: Life is better with a setter! What next...
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by rob winemaker on
-
"You lucky dog."
-
-
OOPS I missed the title.
There is ' dog eared ' but that could be negative.
-
-
Ooh ooh 'dog tired'
Could be negative again. I'll go sleep on it.
Very funn Anna.
-
Permalink Reply by Kimberly Simmons on
-
No I think "dog tired" is positive, a tribute to our working dogs : )
-
Permalink Reply by Sherry Miller on
-
Pretty as a speckled pup....grew up hearing my grandparents saying this. My favorite memory of hearing it was a new Grandpa telling me his just born grand daughter was pretty as a speckled pup. Stunned silence from listeners who had never heard the saying before....then laughter and congratulations as Grandpa was a slave to his two dogs.
-
Permalink Reply by Angela Clarke on
-
A new phrase could be, "Faithful as a dog"
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Kazimierowicz on
-
Lot of wonderful phrases, thanks!!
Haha, I must have thought much about dogs so i wrote "houndred" - maybe this is my tribute to dogs - let's change this word!
We talk in Polish: faithful as a dog , but sometimes it' could be quite contemptous.
I have now three repairmans at home so I will wrote more in the evening.
How about other languages?
-
Permalink Reply by James Doran on
-
In the business woof it's 'dog eat dog'. A bit ruff in that environment if you ask me!
-
-
Elvis sang" You're nothing but a hound dog."
Jimi Hendrix used to say if something was boring or 'run on'- "blahblahwoofwoof"
-
-
Thanks for your answers. Not so bad with our four legged friends in English:-) It seems to be balanced.
@ Pat: "puppy dog eyes" is wonderful,
@ Rob: dog eared comes maybe from some terriers' ears:-)
@ Mel: puppy love is lovely, we have the same expression with puppy faithfully following somebody too.
dog tired - I agree with Kimberly, I think it depends on context
@ Sherry - brilliant story, I can see that situation! Not doggish people are always astonished hearing how we can talk about/to our dogs and other members of our famielies, ha ha.
@ Susan: be careful!
@ James and Rob: fine examples!
Thanks,
-
-
Three Dog Night was a Canadian band but it meant a night was so cold you needed to cuddle up with 3 of your canine friends.
© 2024 Created by Gene.
Powered by
