| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Off topic: Horses in idioms and proverbs Thread poster: RominaZ
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RominaZ 
Argentina
English to Spanish
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Here is just a selection of examples:
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
From the horse’s mouth.
You can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
Don’t change horses in midstream.
A couple of more unusual examples
The horse that was foaled of an acorn.
Don’t change horses in midstream.
To run before one’s horse to market.
Source:
Oxford Dictionaries
What about other languages? Which would be the equivalent idiom or proverb? Does it also use the word "horse"?
| | | | | Proverbial animals in different cultures | May 31, 2013 |
The horse is pretty much the commonest proverbial animal around the world (along with the dog and cat), but it strikes me after moving from Britain to the Netherlands that Dutch (which also has horse proverbs aplenty) has far more proverbs than English based around cattle, the gold standard of the rural economy for centuries, such as:
over koetjes en kalfjes praten ‘talk about wee cows and wee calves’ (make small talk before getting down to business)
(geen... See more The horse is pretty much the commonest proverbial animal around the world (along with the dog and cat), but it strikes me after moving from Britain to the Netherlands that Dutch (which also has horse proverbs aplenty) has far more proverbs than English based around cattle, the gold standard of the rural economy for centuries, such as:
over koetjes en kalfjes praten ‘talk about wee cows and wee calves’ (make small talk before getting down to business)
(geen) oude koeien uit de sloot halen ‘(not) haul (any) old cows out of the drainage ditch’ ((not to) rake up the past, let bygones be bygones)
da’s de waarheid als een koe ‘that’s truth like a cow’ (a true word if ever I heard one)
[Edited at 2013-05-31 15:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jan Willem van Dormolen (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 14:32
English to Dutch
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Als 't ene paard steekt en het andere trekt, blijft de wagen staan
If one horse pushes, and the other pulls, the wagon stays put
Als het hooi het paard volgt, wil het gegeten zijn
If the hay follows the horse, it wants to be eaten
Beter een blind paard dan een lege halster
Better a blind horse than empty reins
Bij een jong paard hoort een oude ruiter
A young horse needs an old rider
De beste paarden staan op stal
The best horses... See more Als 't ene paard steekt en het andere trekt, blijft de wagen staan
If one horse pushes, and the other pulls, the wagon stays put
Als het hooi het paard volgt, wil het gegeten zijn
If the hay follows the horse, it wants to be eaten
Beter een blind paard dan een lege halster
Better a blind horse than empty reins
Bij een jong paard hoort een oude ruiter
A young horse needs an old rider
De beste paarden staan op stal
The best horses are in the stable
De paarden die de haver verdienen, krijgen die niet
The horses that deserve the oats don't get it
De paarden die het hardst van stal lopen, komen meestal achteraan
The horses that leave the stable the fastest, usually finish last
Een goed paard is zijn haver waard
A good horse is worth the oats (we should tell this all agencies)
Een gouden zadel maakt geen ezel tot paard
A golden saddle doesn't turn an ass into a horse
Een onderrok trekt meer dan twee paarden
A short skirt pulls stronger than two horses
Een ongeluk komt te paard en gaat te voet
Bad luck comes riding in, but leaves on foot
Vertrouwen komt te voet en gaat te paard
Trust comes on foot, but leaves riding
Het beste paard struikelt wel eens
The best horse will sometimes trip
Het is te laat de stal gesloten als het paard gestolen is
It's too late to lock the stables when the horse is already stolen
Het is vergeefs gefloten als het paar niet pissen wil
No use whistling if the horse doesn't want to pee
Het oog van de meester maakt het paard vet
The eye of the owner makes the horse look fat
Jonge vrouwen zijn paarden waarop oude mannen ter helle rijden
Young women are horses that ride old men into hell
Men kan een paard wel in het water trekken, maar niet dwingen te drinken
A horse can be drawn into the water, but it cannot be forced to drink
Van hard werken sterven de beste paarden
Hard work makes the best horses die
Waar een paard aangebonden is, moet het eten
Where a horse is tied, it must eat
Wie als ezel geboren is, sterft niet als paard
Who is born an ass, won't die a horse
Source: Van Dale Spreekwoordenboek. I left out a few that I didn't like. ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 14:32
Spanish to English
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| Horsing about | May 31, 2013 |
A nod's as good as a wink - to a blind horse;)
And they say that "only fools and horses work" ...
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Emma Goldsmith
Spain
Local time: 14:32
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
| Neilmac's favourite | May 31, 2013 |
Oh, Neilmac, you've disappointed me. I was sure you'd come up with your favourite expression:
"Horses for courses"
| | | | JH Trads
United States
Local time: 08:32
Member (2007)
English to French
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| these idioms and proverbs got | May 31, 2013 |
horse sense!
| | | | Oliver Walter
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:32
German to English
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| We eat them! | May 31, 2013 |
It is idiomatic in English to say "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse".
| | | | Kirsten Bodart
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:32
Dutch to English
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| Eating a horse, then you must be really hungry... | May 31, 2013 |
or flogging a dead horse.
More Dutch, or maybe Flemish:
Er was twee man en een paardenkop.
There was only two people and a nag's head (saying there were very few people, negligible in fact)
We have the eat a horse thing as well but from the other side:
Ik heb honger als een paard
I'm as hungry as a horse
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| One of my late daddy's favourite | May 31, 2013 |
If wishes were horses beggars would ride
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 18:02
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Interesting topic. In Hindi there aren't that many proverbs involving the horse, perhaps because the horse is not that ubiquitous in Indian culture. It is used for warfare and travel, but for agricultural purposes, the bullock is the mainstay. That is why Hindi has many more proverbs involving the bullock.
Here are a couple of Hindi idioms/proverbs involving the horse that I could find -
घोड़ा बेचकर सोना (ghoda bechkar sona) - sleep without ... See more Interesting topic. In Hindi there aren't that many proverbs involving the horse, perhaps because the horse is not that ubiquitous in Indian culture. It is used for warfare and travel, but for agricultural purposes, the bullock is the mainstay. That is why Hindi has many more proverbs involving the bullock.
Here are a couple of Hindi idioms/proverbs involving the horse that I could find -
घोड़ा बेचकर सोना (ghoda bechkar sona) - sleep without any worries.
घोड़ा घास से यारी करे तो खाएगा क्या (ghoda ghas se yaari kare to khayega kya) - what will the horse eat if it makes friends with grass? The meaning here is, one should not hesitate to ask for proper wages for one's work or proper prices for the goods one is selling. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Usch Pilz
Local time: 14:32
English to German
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| Getting a bit long in the tooth! | Jun 1, 2013 |
Means getting old and is derived from horses, too!
Horses' teeth change shape and angles when the animals get older. The teeth appear and are longer - chewing and grinding up hard food can become a problem.
Have a nice weekend, everybody!
| | | | Suzan Hamer
Netherlands
Local time: 14:32
English
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| Speaking of cows.... | Jun 1, 2013 |
Alexander C. Thomson wrote:
(geen) oude koeien uit de sloot halen ‘(not) haul (any) old cows out of the drainage ditch’ ((not to) rake up the past, let bygones be bygones)
"Oude koeien uit de sloot halen"
This is one of my favorite Dutch expressions. A photo in a local newspaper gave me insight into its origins. I guess here in the Netherlands, cows are always falling into ditches...
By the way, here's one of my favorite sites for Dutch idioms: http://www.dutchidioms.nl/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8&p=269&hilit=koe%20sloot&sid=008b931ea5a2d2da52d3c8cc5b92ccc0#p269"
[Edited at 2013-06-01 09:57 GMT]
[Edited at 2013-06-01 09:58 GMT]
[Edited at 2013-06-01 14:14 GMT]
[Edited at 2013-06-01 14:20 GMT]
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Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 18:02
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Same proverb in Hindi minus the horse | Jun 1, 2013 |
Fiona Peterson wrote:
Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
We have an equivalent to this in Hindi, but it involves the sparrow instead of the horse
अब पछताए क्या होत, जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत - what is the use of repenting when the bird (sparrow) has already eaten away the crop.
| | | | Usch Pilz
Local time: 14:32
English to German
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| @ Balasubramaniam | Jun 1, 2013 |
And we put a lid on the well/secure it ... after the child has fallen in.
(No horse to be seen).
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