Photo: pinterest. Meaning: He dares to speak of himself, he stands his ground, he is strong and fearless. Provenance: Usually people give as an explanation that it is a proof of strength and courage if one has a lot of hate. This is said to have been transferred to the teeth. It is more likely that hair is an old word for sharp, pointed bumps, such as those that appear on the molars of horses. This led to the idea of strong teeth and further to the meaning: biting away. Because people no longer knew the word hair, they thought of the other hair. In Groningen (NL) one even says: to have hair around the molars and the German scholar Kluge thinks of a beard, which after all is also around the molars, as a sign of masculinity. Related to hair = unevenness is perhaps the verb bristle, e.g. to bristle a scythe = to remove the unevenness; to sharpen the scythe.
That goes below the belt line.
Photo: willingo.com. Meaning: cheating, breaking the rules, dishonest, immoral. Origin: In ecclesiastical Latin, sub cingulo (below the belt) referred to the genitals, the naming of which was rather taboo. In boxing, punches below the navel are considered unsportsmanlike.
Woe to the wolf who stands in evil rumour.
Photo: Halina Z. Meaning: The one who once has a wrong name is unhappy forever; even if he does something right, people look for something evil behind it.
A wise man weighs his words on a gold scale.
Photo: bodour. Significance: He thinks carefully about what he will say and is very precise in his expressions. A gold scale belongs to an exceptionally sensitive balance. Origin: Apocryphal Bible book Jesus Sirach 28:29 ‘Bind your gold and your silver together, and make for your words a scale.’
To look too deeply into the glass.
Image: Peter van Geest – AI. Meaning: drinking too much alcohol.
To play the first violin.
Photo: Joe Oliver. Meaning: Being the leading force, being the centre of a circle, setting the tone. Claiming all the attention. Origin: From the music world, where in small orchestras the first violin sets the beat.
To have a memory like a sieve.
Photo: Petra. Meaning: having a bad memory.
He is in the evening/autumn of life.
Image: Peter van Geest – AI. Meaning: He is already old. His last stage of life.
Autumn also has sunny days.
Image: Peter van Geest – AI . Meaning: One can also enjoy in old age.
To live on a big foot.
Photo: Hilde Peeters en Luc Buelens. Meaning: living beyond one’s means, living lavishly. Origin: A saying coming from France that says oversized shoes meant particularly high prestige.
To stand on a good foot with someone.
Photo: pietersgilde.nl. Meaning: friendly intercourse, being able to get a lot done from someone.
To kill two flies with one swat.
Image: Peter van Geest – AI. Meaning: achieve two things at once with one action.
To sail under a false flag.
Photo: nostalgicamerica. Meaning: pretending to be different from what one is, conducting untrue identity.
To adorn oneself with other people’s feathers.
Image: Peter van Geest – AI . Meaning: To gain honour from the work of another. Origin: Reportedly, particularly brave Indians were allowed to wear a feather headdress made especially for them.
To laugh into one’s little fist.
Image: Peter van Geest – AI . Meaning: malicious gloating. Origin: The hand held figuratively in front of the face is meant to hide overt mockery.
Red thread.
Photo: M W. Meaning: A trace, a path or even a guideline. A red thread can also be a recurring motif. Something runs through something like a red thread. Origin: The phrase was adopted into everyday language from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Elective Affinities”: “We hear of a special arrangement in the English navy. All the ropes of the royal fleet, from the strongest to the weakest, are spun in such a way that a red thread runs through the whole thing, which cannot be unwound without unravelling everything, and by which even the smallest pieces can be recognized as belonging to the crown.” (Part 2, Chapter 2) “Similarly, a thread of affection and attachment runs through Ottilie’s diary, connecting everything and describing the whole.” (Part 2, Chapter 4) The continuous red thread in the ropes is compared here with the recurring motif in Ottilie’s diary.
To lose the thread.
Photo: Peter van Geest – AI. Meaning: Getting confused while speaking or trying to explain something. Origin: This saying probably has its origins in Greek mythology. With the help of the thread Ariadne gave him, Theseus found his way out of the labyrinth of Daedalus, where he had just defeated the Minotaur. If Theseus had lost the thread, he would not have known what to do next. However, it is more likely to come from the language of weavers, where a lost thread meant, among other things, loss of time until the thread could be picked up again.
To create a donkey bridge for oneself.
Photo: gezondergenieten. Meaning: A tool for memorising or memorising something easily. Translation of Latin pons asinorum. Origin: Donkeys are very afraid of water and stubbornly refuse to wade through even the smallest watercourses, even if they could easily handle it physically (“stubborn donkey”), because a donkey cannot see how deep the stream is because of the reflective water surface. Therefore, small bridges were built for them at ford sites, known as “donkey bridges”. Analogously, a proverbial donkey bridge is a diversion or special effort that nevertheless leads faster – if at all – to the destination. Moreover, donkeys will not cross every bridge because they only put their hooves on ground that seems perfectly safe to them. They only cross bridges that offer them safety. So the “donkey bridge” also stands for safety.
Until the bitter end.
Photo: michitogo. Meaning: Persevering with something, even at the risk of failing.
Luring someone out of their tent.
Photo: Liza Johnson. Meaning: getting someone to speak their mind, provoke.
Eating with long teeth.
Photo: taal-nl. Meaning: eating reluctantly.
Walking on eggs.
Image: Peter van Geest – AI. Meaning: overly cautious action in a delicate situation, vulnerability.
Crows and pigeons never fly together.
Photo by unknown. Meaning: Like seeks like.
He will still dream of the bear.
Photo by John F.Meaning: He will sometimes think back on his actions and then regret it.
Other people are people too.
Photo by Gerd Altmann
He will dream of the goat.
Photo by Maxime Agnelli. Meaning: He will get a proper reprimand.
To get something in the wrong throat.
Photo by Luz Fuertes. Meaning: To misunderstand something in a negative way resulting in unjustified anger against someone else
Where there is sunshine, the doctor starves.
Photo by isnca.org
It is a bread-eating prophet.
Photo by Kate Remmer. Meaning: Someone who makes worthless predictions. Taken from Amaziah’s snideness to the prophet Amos. “After that Amaziah said to Amos: ‘Visionary, get out and go to the land of Judah. Earn your living ( eat your bread ) there and go prophesy there.” (Amos 7:12)
To not be able to take a hint.
Photo by Chien Nguyen Minh. Meaning: To not be able to take a hint. ( Literally Having a plate in front of the head )
Dreams don’t come true.
Photo by Yohann LC
The man of your dreams.
Photo by Alexander Hipp. Meaning: The ideal husband.
Door Peter
Mensenmens, zoon, echtgenoot, vader, opa.
Spiritueel, echter niet religieus.
Ik hou van golf, wandelen, lezen en de natuur in veel opzichten.
Onderzoeker, nieuwsgierig, geen fan van de mainstream media (MSM).
