Don’t judge a book by its cover
ngam tae rup, jub mai horm (Thai) great looks but bad breath
l’abito non fa il monaco (Italian) clothes do not make the monk
quem vê caras não vê corações (Portuguese) he who sees face doesn’t see heart
odijelo ne čini čovjeka (Croatian) a suit doesn’t make a man
het zijn niet alleen koks die lange messen dragen (Dutch) it’s not only cooks who carry long knives
11.
Stretching Your Legs
zemheride yoğurt isteyen, cebinde bir inek taşir (Turkish)
he who wants yoghurt in winter must carry a cow in his pocket
Travel broadens the mind, they say. But in these days of mass tourism and carbon footprints there’s a lot to be said for staying exactly where you are:
dlanyaa (Tsonga, South Africa) to lie on one’s back with one’s legs apart, gorged with food
lezarder (French) to lie around basking in the sun like a lizard
bafalala (Tsonga, South Africa) to lie face down in the sun, to lie asprawl in the open
naptakhpaya (Dakota, USA) to lie on one’s belly and rest on one’s arms
ngumulo (Tagalog, Philippines) to put both hands under the head when lying down
kagwia (Yamana, Chile) to go upstairs and lie down
Presiding
Not that you have to remain entirely supine to relax:
sumernichat (Russian) to sit outside in the evening doing nothing
seranggong (Malay) to sit with one’s elbows on the table
kem-lo-re (Car, Nicobar Islands) to sit on someone’s knee
upa-nishád (Sanskrit) sitting down at the feet of another to listen to his words
mâhove’êsee’e (Cheyenne, USA) to have a tired bottom from sitting
babaran-on (Ik, Nilo-Saharan) to sit in a group of people warming up in the early morning sun
On reflection
Go to hell
‘See Naples and die’ we’re all told, but what do you do after you’ve visited these admirably named places?
Ecce Homo, Switzerland
Egg, Austria
Hell, Norway
No Guts Captain, Pitcairn Island
Saddam Hussein, Sri Lanka
Sexmoan, Philippines
Silly, Belgium
Starbuck Island, Polynesia
Wedding, Germany
Enviable
The Yamana people of Chile have clearly had plenty of time to think about the many permutations of sitting: utapanus-mutu is to sit by the side of a person but not close to him; usata-ponur mutu is to turn round and sit facing someone; mumbu-moni is to sit holding anything between one’s lips; while kupas-aiiua-mutu is to sit envying a person.
Upright
If you get to your feet it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re on the move:
pratyutthā n (Hindi) rising from a seat as a mark of respect
hó’kôhtôheóó’e (Cheyenne, USA) to stand leaning on a cane
suka-a.-moni (Yamana, Chile) to stand dreaming
hangama (Tsonga, South Africa) to stand with one’s feet wide apart (like a man taking up all the space before a fire)
távoeóó’e (Cheyenne, USA) to stand looking goofy
Pedestrian
But once you’ve put one foot in front of the other there’s really no going back:
semeioton (Greek) walking on the spot
diváviharana (Sinhala, Sri Lanka) walking about in the day time
hanyauka (Rukwangali, Namibia) to walk on tiptoe on warm sand
ha shtatin (Albanian) to walk backwards in a bowed position
Tip-tip-toe
Although this simple action comes in many different styles:
vukurukuru (Tsonga, South Africa) the noisy walk of a person in a bad temper
endal (Malay) to walk with the head and shoulders held back and the breast and stomach thrust forward
bikrang (Bikol, Philippines) to walk with the legs apart as if there was some injury to the area of the crotch
onya (Setswana, Botswana) to walk at a slow pace nodding one’s head
lonjak (Malay) to walk affectedly on tiptoe
vydelyvat krendelya (Russian) to stagger, to walk crookedly (literally, to do the pretzel)
uluka (Mambwe, Zambia) a person who walks as if he were carried by the wind
The trees are blazed
Be sure you know where you’re going…
gembelengan (Indonesian) moving around without any certain direction
sakgasakgile (Setswana, Botswana) to wander about like a homeless orphan
… that the way ahead is clear:
jimbulwila (Luvale, Zambia) to walk in an unknown place, where there is no clear path
tlhotlhomela (Tsonga, South Africa) to wriggle one’s way through thick bush
… that you’ve decided whether to cover your tracks:
kodhola (Oshindonga, Namibia) to leave marks in the sand when walking
kikinawadakwaidade (Ojibway, North America) marks on the trees for the traveller to find the trail through the wood (literally, the trees are blazed)
tuuna-gamata (Yamana, Chile) to walk over where others have walked before and thus make the tracks indistinct
… and that the conditions are suitable:
hanmani (Dakota, USA) to walk in the night
tidiwitidiwi (Kerewe, Tanzania) dragging one’s steps through sand or mud
pfumbura (Shona, Zimbabwe) to walk raising dust
splerg (Scots) to walk splashing in mud
shatoka (Lozi, Niger-Congo) to jump from one stone or log to another
False friends
lost (Cornish) tail, queue
halt (Swedish) lame, limping
loop (Dutch) walk, gait
murmur (Persian) to creep
silk (Bashgali, India) to be slippery
That sinking feeling
As what could be worse than losing your footing …
anamni (Dakota, USA) to give way under the foot (as snow does, when there is water under it)
bawela (Tsonga, South Africa) to sink away in deep mud
kawan (Manobo, Philippines) to walk on air above the ground (for example, when walking in the dark and groping for footing, to step and not find footing where you expected it)
… mistaking the ground:
péese’ov (Cheyenne, USA) to step on someone’s fingers
trapu psa (Sranan Tongo, Surinam) to step on someone’s feet in passing
gobray (Boro, India) to fall into a well unknowingly
… or otherwise getting into difficulties:
dungkal (Bikol, Philippines) to trip and fall head first
gadngád (Tagalog, Philippines) falling on one’s nose
kaiyotan (Dakota, USA) to fall in attempting to sit down
ra (Tsonga, South Africa) to fall backwards on something hard
platzen (German) to fall over and burst
af-vegar (Old Icelandic) fallen on one’s back and unable to rise
pipilili (Tsonga, South Africa) to fall and roll a few times before stopping
Beard in the postbox
Oh dear, you’re back where you started:
nu sitter du med skagget i brevladan (Swedish) now you are stuck (literally, now you are sitting with your beard in the postbox)
IDIOMS OF THE WORLD
To carry coals to Newcastle
Eulen nach Athen tragen (German) taking owls to Athens
yezdit’ b Tulu s svoim samovarom (Russian) he’s going to Tula, taking his own samovar
vendere ghiaccio agli eschimesi (Italian) selling ice to the Eskimos
echar agua al mar (Spanish) to throw water into the sea
es como llevar naranjas a Valencia (Spanish) it is like taking oranges to Valencia
vizet hord a Dunába (Hungarian) he is taking water to the Danube
gi bakerbarn brød (Norwegian) to give bread to the child of a baker
vender mel ao colmeei
ro (Portuguese) to sell honey to a beemaster
12.
Upping Sticks
suusan tsetsnees yavsan teneg deer (Mongolian)
a travelling fool is better than a sitting wise person
You can’t spend your whole life flopping around in one place. Sooner or later, whatever traveller’s nerves you may feel, you just have to up sticks and go:
gabkhron (Boro, India) to be afraid of witnessing an adventure
resfeber (Swedish) to be jittery before a journey
andlamuka (Tsonga, South Africa) to pack up and depart, especially with all one’s belongings, or to go for good
bishu (Chinese) to be away from a hot place in the summer
campanilismo (Italian) local pride, attachment to the vicinity (literally, bell tower-ism – referring to the fact that people do not want to travel so far as to be out of sight of the bell tower)
Reindeer’s piss
A journey’s a journey whether you are going near …
poronkusema (Finnish) the distance equal to how far a reindeer can travel without a comfort break – about 5 kilometres (literally, reindeer’s piss)
tonbogaeri (Japanese) to go somewhere for business and come right back without staying the night (literally, dragonfly’s return)
… or far:
donde San Pedro perdió el guarache (Mexican Spanish) to the back of beyond; at the ends of the earth (literally, where St Peter lost his sandal)
tuwatauihaiw-ana (Yamana, Chile) to be absent a very long time and thus cease to remember or care for your country and people (as an emigrant might after a long absence)
False friends
travel (Norwegian) busy
crush (Romani) to get out
bias (Malay) deflected from its course
grind (Dutch) gravel
Wanderlust
Some people just can’t wait to get going:
Tapetenwechsel (German) being bored with the place you’re in and wishing to go somewhere else (literally, let’s change the wallpaper)
echarse el pollo (Chilean Spanish) to get out of town (literally, to throw out the chicken)
amenonéhne (Cheyenne, USA) to sing while walking along
henkyoryugaku (Japanese) young women who in their twenties and thirties rebel against social norms and travel abroad to devote time to an eccentric art form such as Balinese dancing (literally, studying abroad in the wild)
Tag-along
But it can get lonely out there, so consider taking a companion:
uatomoceata (Yamana, Chile) to pass your arm within another’s and bring him along, as friends do
adi (Swahili) to accompany a person part of their way out of politeness
Lebensgefahrte (German) one who travels life’s road with you
nochschlepper (Yiddish) a fellow traveller, tag-along, camp follower, pain in the arse (literally, someone who drags along after someone else)
ku-sebeya (Ganda, Uganda) to travel with one’s husband
Wire donkey
Travel on two wheels is always economical, and can be more or less environmentally sound:
der Drahtesel (German) a bicycle (literally, wire donkey)
washa (Luvale, Zambia) a bicycle (from the sound it makes as it runs along a narrow path brushing against bushes)
stegre (Sranan Tongo, Surinam) to ride a bicycle or a motorized two-wheel vehicle on only the back wheel
bromponie (Afrikaans) a motor scooter (literally, a growling or muttering pony)
Loosely bolted
And though four wheels are faster, there is many a pitfall:
sakapusu (Sranan Tongo, Surinam) an unreliable vehicle, so called because you always need to get out (saka) and push (pusu)
galungkung (Maguindanaon, Philippines) the rattling sound produced by a loosely bolted car
der Frischfleischwagen (German) an ambulance (literally, fresh meat delivery van)
parte (Chilean Spanish) a traffic ticket; also a baptism or wedding invitation
gagjom (Tibetan) to set up a roadblock and then rob someone
Highway code
Sometimes the greatest danger on the road comes from other users:
faire une queue de poisson (French) to overtake and cut in close in front of a car (literally, to do a fishtail)
Notbremse ziehen (German) to swerve away at the last moment (literally, to pull the handbrake)
shnourkovat’ sya (Russian) to change lanes frequently and unreasonably when driving (literally, to lace boots)
autogangsteri (Finnish) a hit-and-run driver
On reflection
Lucky number plates
The Chinese particularly like car number plates with 118, which is pronounced yat yat fatt in Cantonese and sounds like ‘everyday prospers’; 1128 sounds like ‘everyday easily prospers’; and 888 ‘prosper, prosper, prosper’. A number plate with 1164 is not popular because it sounds like yat yat look say, which can mean ‘everyday roll over and die’.
A Hong Kong owner (i.e. a Cantonese speaker) would favour a number plate with just 32168, which sounds like sang yee yat low fatt, meaning ‘a very profitable business all the way’.
Japanese cars can’t have the licence plate 4219 because that could be read as shi ni i ku, which means something along the lines of ‘going to death’.
Jesus’s magimix
If all else fails there’s always public transport (with all the delights that that entails). As the Germans say, ‘We are all equal in the eyes of God and bus drivers’:
gondola (Chilean Spanish) a municipal bus
Lumpensammler (German) the last train (literally, rag collector)
Luftkissenboot (German) a hovercraft (literally, air-cushion boat)
Or perhaps it’s time to splash out on something special:
magimiks belong Yesus (Tok Pisin, Papua New Guinea) a helicopter
Pushmepullyou
Japanese subways are so crowded that they employ special packers to push people on and others to untangle them and get them off when they get to a station. The pushers-on are addressed as oshiya-san (honourable pusher) and the pullers-off as hagitoriya-san (honourable puller).
Unknown and uneasy
The truth is that travel is rarely as glamorous as it’s portrayed. So whatever happens, keep your nerve:
far-lami (Old Icelandic) unable to go further on a journey
kalangkalang (Manobo, Philippines) to be overtaken by night on a journey with no place to stay and nothing to eat
asusu (Boro, India) to feel unknown and uneasy in a new place
bu fu shultu (Chinese) not accustomed to the climate or food of a new place (said of a stranger)
wewibendam (Ojibway, North America) being in a hurry to return home
Empty trip
And sometimes you will be surprised by unexpected rewards:
inchokkilissa (Alabama, USA) to be alone and experience the quietness of a location
uluphá (Telugu, India) supplies given to any great personage on a journey, and furnished gratis by those who reside on the route
Even if you never actually go:
kara-shutcho (Japanese) to pay or receive travel expenses for a trip not actually taken (literally, empty business trip)
Travellers’ tales
Always remember that, as the French say, ‘À beau mentir qui vient de loin’, travellers from afar can lie with impunity:
iwaktehda (Dakota, USA) to go home in triumph having taken scalps
IDIOMS OF THE WORLD
To beat about the bush
y aller par quatre chemins (French) to get there by four paths
iddur mal-lewz a (Maltese) to go round the almond
å gå som katten rundt den varma grøten (Norwegian) to walk like a cat around hot porridge
menare il can per l’aia (Italian) to lead the dog around the yard
emborrachar la perdiz (Spanish) to get the partridge drunk
13.
Home Sweet Home
Padres, primos e po
mbos.
Os dois primeiros, não servem para casar. Os dois últimos só servem para sujar a casa (Portuguese)
Priests, cousins and pigeons. The first two are not good to marry. The last two only make the house dirty
Location, location, location
‘Choose the neighbour before the house’ goes an old Syrian proverb; and it’s as well to check out the people living nearby before you move in:
kwarts-idioot (Dutch) next door to an idiot
espreitadeira (Portuguese) a woman who spies on her neighbours
geitonopoulo/a (Greek) the boy/girl next door
buurvrouw (Dutch) a neighbour’s wife
búa-grettur (Old Icelandic) a quarrel between neighbours
keba (Myanmar) a village reserved for outcasts and beggars
Nesting
If you have space and time, and hopefully some good materials, your best bet is probably to build your own:
u’skwææi (Mingo, USA) a brick (literally, cooked stone)
skvorets (Russian) a person transporting building materials to a dacha in a car (literally, a starling – with reference to nest building)
méygirathu (Tamil) to cover a house with grass, leaves, etc.
I Never Knew There Was a Word For It Page 19