Post by wolferin on Aug 26, 2010 18:38:41 GMT 2
In every language some (human) features or states are compared to different subjects, animals, etc. To what and how do you compare in your language - fast as..., beautiful as...?
Some comparisons in Bulgarian:
When we want to say somebody is very drunk, we say:
drunk as a (Don) Cossack
drunk as a plank
drunk as a mattock
drunk as a pick-mattock
drunk as a swine/pig
drunk as a digger
When somebody is drinking too much:
He drinks as a (Don) Cossack.
He drinks/sucks as a leech.
He drinks/sucks as a grass-snake.
When somebody is very beautiful:
She is beautiful as a picture.
He is handsome as an angel.
The child is beautiful as a little angel.
When somebody is very ugly:
He/she is ugly as the death
He is ugly as a vampire.
She is ugly as a plague.
She is ugly as Baba Yaga (Baba Yaga's granddaughter).
(Baba Yaga - Granny Yaga is a mythical personage - ugly old woman, a witch, sometimes flying with a broom and living in the forest.)
When somebody is very wise:
wise as an eagle-owl
When somebody or something is very fast:
fast as an arrow
fast as a rabbit
When somebody is very handy:
handy as a magician
handy as a juggler
When somebody or something is very slow:
slow as a turtle
slow as a snail
When somebody is walking or doing something very slow:
He is dragging as a (swain) gut.
When somebody is very stupid/dull:
He is dull as a log.
He is dull as a galosh.
She is stupid/dull as a sheep.
She is dull as a duck (goose).
When somebody is very simple (in the meaning a boor, with bad manners):
He is simple as a cattle.
When somebody is very strong/robust:
strong as a bull
strong as a bear
When somebody is very healthy:
healthy as a rock
healthy as a stone
healthy as a nail (tack)
healthy as a horse
When somebody is very hungry:
hungry as a wolf
hungry as a dog
When somebody is very stubborn:
stubborn as a donkey
When somebody doesn't like to step back of his position:
He has stuttered himself as a donkey on a bridge.
When somebody is very slender, with good figure:
slender as a poplar
When somebody is very fat/heavy:
fat as a pig/swain
fat as a bear
fat/heavy as an elephant
When somebody is very brave:
brave as a lion
When somebody is very hairy:
hairy as a bear
hairy as a monkey
When somebody or something is very black:
black as a coal
about hair - black as an ebony
black as a stove
When somebody is with very dark/black skin:
He is black as a negro (Gipsy, Blackamoor, devil).
When somebody is blond, with very light hair:
He is blond as a Scandinavian (a Swede).
About the eyes and colors:
blue as the sky/cornflower
black as a night/coal
brown as a (brown) velvet (comes from this - it is considered the deep brown eyes are "mild" and their owners - goodhearted.)
brown as a chocolate
green as the grass
grey as lead
white as snow
When somebody is very coward:
coward as a rabbit
When somebody is singing very well:
singing as a nightingale/angel
When somebody is very wild/ferocious:
wild/ferocious as a beast
When somebody is very cunning:
cunning as a fox
cunning as a devil
When somebody is very evil:
He is evil as a dog. (He is like an evil dog.)
She is evil as a wasp.
When somebody is very hard-working:
He is hard-working as a bee.
When somebody is very tired:
tired as a dog
Some comparisons in Bulgarian:
When we want to say somebody is very drunk, we say:
drunk as a (Don) Cossack
drunk as a plank
drunk as a mattock
drunk as a pick-mattock
drunk as a swine/pig
drunk as a digger
When somebody is drinking too much:
He drinks as a (Don) Cossack.
He drinks/sucks as a leech.
He drinks/sucks as a grass-snake.
When somebody is very beautiful:
She is beautiful as a picture.
He is handsome as an angel.
The child is beautiful as a little angel.
When somebody is very ugly:
He/she is ugly as the death
He is ugly as a vampire.
She is ugly as a plague.
She is ugly as Baba Yaga (Baba Yaga's granddaughter).
(Baba Yaga - Granny Yaga is a mythical personage - ugly old woman, a witch, sometimes flying with a broom and living in the forest.)
When somebody is very wise:
wise as an eagle-owl
When somebody or something is very fast:
fast as an arrow
fast as a rabbit
When somebody is very handy:
handy as a magician
handy as a juggler
When somebody or something is very slow:
slow as a turtle
slow as a snail
When somebody is walking or doing something very slow:
He is dragging as a (swain) gut.
When somebody is very stupid/dull:
He is dull as a log.
He is dull as a galosh.
She is stupid/dull as a sheep.
She is dull as a duck (goose).
When somebody is very simple (in the meaning a boor, with bad manners):
He is simple as a cattle.
When somebody is very strong/robust:
strong as a bull
strong as a bear
When somebody is very healthy:
healthy as a rock
healthy as a stone
healthy as a nail (tack)
healthy as a horse
When somebody is very hungry:
hungry as a wolf
hungry as a dog
When somebody is very stubborn:
stubborn as a donkey
When somebody doesn't like to step back of his position:
He has stuttered himself as a donkey on a bridge.
When somebody is very slender, with good figure:
slender as a poplar
When somebody is very fat/heavy:
fat as a pig/swain
fat as a bear
fat/heavy as an elephant
When somebody is very brave:
brave as a lion
When somebody is very hairy:
hairy as a bear
hairy as a monkey
When somebody or something is very black:
black as a coal
about hair - black as an ebony
black as a stove
When somebody is with very dark/black skin:
He is black as a negro (Gipsy, Blackamoor, devil).
When somebody is blond, with very light hair:
He is blond as a Scandinavian (a Swede).
About the eyes and colors:
blue as the sky/cornflower
black as a night/coal
brown as a (brown) velvet (comes from this - it is considered the deep brown eyes are "mild" and their owners - goodhearted.)
brown as a chocolate
green as the grass
grey as lead
white as snow
When somebody is very coward:
coward as a rabbit
When somebody is singing very well:
singing as a nightingale/angel
When somebody is very wild/ferocious:
wild/ferocious as a beast
When somebody is very cunning:
cunning as a fox
cunning as a devil
When somebody is very evil:
He is evil as a dog. (He is like an evil dog.)
She is evil as a wasp.
When somebody is very hard-working:
He is hard-working as a bee.
When somebody is very tired:
tired as a dog