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30-Jun-2004, 21:47
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
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I wouldn't fancy spending eternity buried in ice. ;-( |
01-Jul-2004, 19:00
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by blacknomi
Another proverb, "sell a pig in the poke." In my language, we say something like "to hang up a sheep's head and sell dogmeat"
sabrina :wink:
| "Sell a pig in a poke" - If you don't check before you buy, it can be full of surprises. A poke is a sack.
Chinese's "To hang up a sheep's head and sell dogmeat" - This is equivalent to "He cries wine and sells vinagar. " What he sold is not what he said he was selling.
BMO |
01-Jul-2004, 19:05
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by queenmaabd The Americans (at least) have a similar saying, "When hell freezes over", that is, never. | Since Christians believe hell is a fiery place, it will never freeze over.
BMO |
02-Jul-2004, 20:52
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by bmo
"Sell a pig in a poke" - If you don't check before you buy, it can be full of surprises. A poke is a sack.
Chinese's "To hang up a sheep's head and sell dog meat" - This is equivalent to "He cries wine and sells vinagar. " What he sold is not what he said he was selling.
BMO
| Actually it is buying a pig in a poke, not selling. |
03-Jul-2004, 04:42
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Country: Taiwan
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by bmo Quote: |
Originally Posted by bmo
"Sell a pig in a poke" - If you don't check before you buy, it can be full of surprises. A poke is a sack.
Chinese's "To hang up a sheep's head and sell dog meat" - This is equivalent to "He cries wine and sells vinagar. " What he sold is not what he said he was selling.
BMO
| Actually it is buying a pig in a poke, not selling. | Hi,
I bought a pig in a poke from a shop. The shop sold me a pig in a poke.
How's that?
:) |
03-Jul-2004, 07:51
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by blacknomi Hi,
I bought a pig in a poke from a shop. The shop sold me a pig in a poke.
How's that?
:) | "He cries wine and sells vinagar" includes a deceiving scheme whereas "Buying a pig in a poke" may not.
Google search, buying a pig in a poke -971; selling a pig in a poke - 75. I suppose you could use either. But what is selling a pig in a poke? I don't think it is the same as "He cries wine and sells vinagar."
BMO |
03-Jul-2004, 16:27
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by bmo Quote: |
Originally Posted by blacknomi Hi,
I bought a pig in a poke from a shop. The shop sold me a pig in a poke.
How's that?
:) | "He cries wine and sells vinagar" includes a deceiving scheme whereas "Buying a pig in a poke" may not.
Google search, buying a pig in a poke -971; selling a pig in a poke - 75. I suppose you could use either. But what is selling a pig in a poke? I don't think it is the same as "He cries wine and sells vinagar."
BMO | Hi
I've check my idiom book. A pig in a poke means a blind bargain, something that is bought without the buyer carefully examining it.
This phrase is commomly collocated with 'buy', it means impulsive purchase. But when it is together with 'sell', it involves certain degree of deceit, it's close to Chinese meaning, like what you said "He cries wine and sells vinagar."
Hm, I got it. Thank you very much! BMO.
:D |
03-Jul-2004, 18:15
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by blacknomi
Hi
I've check my idiom book.
A pig in a poke means a blind bargain, something that is bought without the buyer carefully examining it.
This phrase is commomly collocated with 'buy', it means impulsive purchase. But when it is together with 'sell', it involves certain degree of deceit, it's close to Chinese meaning, like what you said "He cries wine and sells vinagar."
Hm, I got it. Thank you very much! BMO.
:D
| You are welcome. I think Chinese's "Hanging up a goat head and selling dog meat" fits very, very well with "He cries wine and sells vinegar." Both are deceiving scheme and the first parts, hanging up a goat head and he cries wine, are all done out in the open. And in each instance, two things are involved, goat head, dog meat; wine, vinegar.
I am still trying to figure out if "selling a pig in a poke" is close to a deceit. We know "buying a pig in a poke" isn't. Let's say you bought an old painting in a flea market without checking it out carefully and it turned out to be a Rembrandt . The seller wasn't cheating you, on the contray, he was the loser. What about if the pig in the poke you bought is a two-headed pig you could exhibit in a circus and make money with.
Selling a pig in a poke is selling an unknown package to people, the seller is not telling you what is inside, but that package may have some goodies in it.
How about Chinese "An ugly toad dreams of eating swan meat," an impossible and unrealistic dream?
BMO  |
03-Jul-2004, 20:35
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
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| | Re: Idiom : "When pigs fly"
Quote: |
Originally Posted by bmo Quote: |
Originally Posted by bmo Quote: |
Originally Posted by Susie Smith
In English, when we think something will never happen, a common response might be "That'll be the day!". There's a better one on the tip of my tongue. I know it's there - I can feel it there - but I just can't remember it. Help, please"
| I think it is "over my dead body."
BMO |
Not on this life.
BMO | I think you were thinking of not in this lifetime. Also, over my dead body adds a personal aspect to it that the other expression does not. It means that the speaker is going to prevent whatever it is from happening or give up his life trying.
:) |
03-Jul-2004, 20:43
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I rather like that expression cries wine and sells vinegar. Maybe it will catch on here. :wink:
(Selling a pig in a poke would certainly be quite different from buying a pig in a poke.)
:)
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