THE EARLY BIRD - George MacDonald

By George MacDonald

Origins of "the EARLY BIRD (gets the WORM)"

A little bird sat on the edge of her nest;
               Her yellow-beaks slept as sound as tops;
            That day she had done her very best,
               And had filled every one of their little crops.
            She had filled her own just over-full,
               And hence she was feeling a little dull.

            "Oh, dear!" she sighed, as she sat with her head
               Sunk in her chest, and no neck at all,
            While her crop stuck out like a feather bed
               Turned inside out, and rather small;
            "What shall I do if things don't reform?
            I don't know where there's a single worm.

            "I've had twenty today, and the children five each,
               Besides a few flies, and some very fat spiders:
            No one will say I don't do as I preach --
               I'm one of the best of bird-providers;
            But where's the use?  We want a storm --
            I don't know where there's a single worm."

            "There's five in my crop," said a wee, wee bird,
               Which woke at the voice of his mother's pain;
            "I know where there's five." And with the word
               He tucked in his head, and went off again.
            "The folly of childhood," sighed his mother,
            "Has always been my especial bother."

            The yellow-beaks they slept on and on --
               They never had heard of the bogey Tomorrow;
            But the mother sat outside, making her moan --
               She'll soon have to beg, or steal, or borrow.
            For she never can tell the night before,
            Where she shall find one red worm more.

            The fact, as I say, was, she'd had too many;
               She couldn't sleep, and she called it virtue,
            Motherly foresight, affection, any
               Name you may call it that will not hurt you,
            So it was late ere she tucked her head in,
            And she slept so late it was almost a sin.

            But the little fellow who knew of five
               Nor troubled his head about any more,
            Woke very early, felt quite alive,
               And wanted a sixth to add to his store:
            He pushed his mother, the greedy elf,
            Then thought he had better try for himself.

            When his mother awoke and had rubbed her eyes,
               Feeling less like a bird, and more like a mole,
            She saw him -- fancy with what surprise --
               Dragging a huge worm out of a hole!
            'Twas of this same hero the proverb took form:
            'Tis the early bird that catches the worm.

SUR UNE MÉTAPHORE CHEZ RABELAIS

En ce qui concerne l’emploi de la formule « la langue me pelle », il s’agit de
l’alternance du sens propre et du sens figuré plutôt que de leur interaction comme dans le cas du proverbe « adieu paniers, vendanges sont faictes ». L’un des « bien yvres » recourt à l’expression « la langue me pelle », en l’utilisant au sens métaphorique afin de traduire la soif ardente qui le dévore (G., 5, p. 20). Quand au roi Anarche, sa langue s’enflamme et se dessèche réellement sous l’influence des confitures envoyées par Pantagruel :

Mais tout soubdain qu’il en eut avallé une cuillerée, luy vint tel eschauffement de gorge avecque ulceration de la luette, que la langue luy pela (P., 28, p. 313).

L’expression n’a donc véritablement valeur de formule que dans l’épisode des «biens yvres ». En effet, le FEW donne l’édition de 1534 de Gargantua comme la première attestation de la formule au sens de « j’ai trop soif » (VIII, 483b). Dans l’épisode de la guerre avec le roi Anarche, elle sert à illustrer l’effet produit par les confitures. Elle n’est d’ailleurs pas employée sans ironie, car pour calmer son incendie intérieur, le roi va « boire sans remission ». Le plaisir de boire des «biens yvres » se transforme ainsi en cauchemar.
On aura encore l’occasion de revenir à la nature ambivalente du vin, qui en fonction de ceux qui le consomment, se révèle bienfaisant ou dangereux. Selon le chanoine Poirier, la métaphore de la langue qui pèle constitue l’exclamation favorite des buveurs assoiffés du Poitou (1944 : 133, n. 269). Il pourrait donc s’agir d’un régionalisme. Rabelais passe de la connotation à la dénotation du signe, en le ramenant à son sens premier et au monde matériel. L’idée abstraite de soif devient une souffrance réelle. En concrétisant l’image, l’auteur attire également l’attention sur l’aspect sonore de l’expression. On pourrait ainsi
parler du transfert du signifié figuré au signifié littéral et de celui-ci au ignifiant.
L’allitération de l, renforcé par luy, ulceration et la luette sert à suggérer les mouvements de la langue. On croirait entendre les battements de la langue du roi Anarche qui veut se rafraîchir la bouche de la forte potion que Pantagruel lui a donnée. La langue sert à parler et à ingérer le vin. Par cette correspondance, Rabelais met l’accent sur la nature physiologique de l’énonciation. D’ailleurs, le vin, qui entre dans la bouche, transmet sa matérialité à la parole, qui en sort, et qui devient une matière malléable, libérée de sa forme figée.

EN VAGEL I ÖGAT - ELLER EN NAGEL?

Om det tvistar fortfarande de lärde. Om det är en Vagel eller en Nagel folk har i ögat enligt uttrycket. Â ena sidan gör en vagel i ögonlocket fasligt ont. Har aldrig haft en enda vagel själv, och pga vad jag har hört om vaglar önskar jag mig inte den här erfarenheten över huvud taget.
En nagel i ögat gör minst lika fasligt ont, och likaväl en spik (om ej fasligt VÄRRE). Tyskan, liksom engelskan, har samma ord för "spik" och "fingernagel", sâ kanske beror den andra varianten pâ uttrycket pâ en felaktig försvenskning av en "Nagel ins Auge" som var vass och av rostigt järn.
Själv tillhör jag #TeamVagel. För att det är svârare (ifall man inte är särskilt klantigt) att ha en nagel (eller spik) i ena ögat. Självklart tolererar jag andras tycke apropâ den här trätan, vare de har en Nagel eller en Vagel i ögat.
Om det tvistar fortfarande de lärde. Varken den ena eller den andra varianten anses vara fel. Det här är en fri värld, i alla fall.

MEINE DEUTSCHE LIEBLINGS-AUSDRÜCKE

• Schwein: kann auch “Glück” bedeuten.
• Dusel: bedeutet auch “Glück”.
• Wie ein begossener Pudel dastehen: einer peinlicher Situation ausgesetzt sein
• Des Pudels Kern: der wahre Sachverhalt.
• Der Hase im Pfeffer: bedeutet das Gleiche, wie “des Pudels Kern”.
• Alter Schwede!: Ausdruck des Erstaunens.
• Mein lieber Schwan! auch Ausdruck des Erstaunens.
• Holla die Waldfee!: auch Ausdruck des Erstaunens.
• Ach du grüne Neune!: Ausruf des Erschreckens.
• Toi, toi, toi!: Glückswunsch.
• Hals- und Beinbruch!: auch Glückswunsch.
• Um des Kaisers Bart streiten: um belanglose Dinge streiten.
• Die Katze im Sack kaufen: etwas Unbekanntes einkaufen.
• Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen: ein Geheimnis lüften.
• Den Löffel abgeben: sterben.
• Mit jemandem Schlitten fahren: jemanden heftig tadeln.
• Es regnet Schusterjungen: es regnet heftig.
• Es ist allerhöchste Eisenbahn: es ist sehr eilig.
• Es ist alles in bester Butter: es ist alles in Ordnung.
• Sitzen bleiben: ohne Partner/in bleiben.
• Keinen Pfifferling wert sein: nichts wert sein.
• Jemanden hinters Licht führen: jemanden betrügen.
• Der Hahn im Korb sein: ein einziger Mann unter vielen Frauen sein.
• Ein Elefant aus einer Mücke machen: eine Kleinigkeit stark aufbauschen.
• Bier nach Bayern / nach München bringen: eine überflüssige Tätigkeit.
• Ein halbes Hemd: eine schmächtige Person.
• Ich dachte, mich tritt ein Pferd!: Ausruf der Überraschung.
• Unkraut vergeht nicht: das Schlechte bleibt bestehen.
• Schwach auf der Brust sein: wenig Geld haben.
• Seide spinnen: Geld verdienen.
• Ausbaden müssen: die Konsequenzen für etwas tragen müssen, das man selbst oder auch jemand anderer verursacht hat.
• Haare auf dem Zähnen haben: sehr stark, sehr maskulin sein.
• Butter bei die Fische: die Wahrheit zu sagen, etwas einsetzen, zur Sache zu kommen.
• Ins Schwarze treffen: das Richtige erkennen / bei etwas Erfolg haben.
• Man hat schon Pferde kotzen sehen, und das vor die Apotheke!: auch ungewöhnliche Ereignisse können eintreffen.

QUIRKY SWEDISH EXPRESSIONS

Here are some of my favourite expressions in Swedish (I will do German idioms as well):

Våffeldagen (Waffle Day, El día de los gofres)

The 25th of March, a day to feast upon waffles

In the Middle Ages, it was actually called Vårfrudagen (Our Lady's Day, El día de Nuestra Señora). The Reformation changed its reason from celebrating from the Virgin Mary to waffles (brought to Sweden by Wallonian Protestant immigrants).

vänsterprassel/att vänsterprassla (crackle to the left, crepitar a la izquierda)

To be unfaithful towards one's partner.

The left has always been the sinister side. Poor us lefties. Even though "vänster" is related to "vän" ("friend") and maybe to "vinna" ("win," compare Anglo-Saxon cognate "winstre"). And both Venus and venom are in the family too. The "win" family, which is really dysfunctional...

kräftmåne (crawfish moon, luna de cangrejos)

A full-moon-shaped paper lantern, placed during crawfish parties in August.

There are various theories, one of them pointing to the sign of Cancer being connected to the moon and the tides being more pronounced in summer. In August, on certain evenings, Swedish friends and families gather en masse in the light of this paper moon to eat crawfish and drink vodka. Mostly for the latter reason.

pava (pronounced PAH-va, with the stressed A as in "father")
A bottle, especially one full of strong drink.

varg i veum (wolf in the shrine, lobo en el santuario)

Persona non grata: i.e. a person banned for lifetime from a certain region.

The Swedish language has actually got the Latinism "persona non grata", but the old Viking expression speaking of wolves desecrating shrines to the old gods is far more widespread.

tabberas (blankslate, tablarrasa)

To take the last item (whether food or playing cards) at the table.

This is the Swedish popular corruption of Locke's famous tabula rasa.

flakmoppe (motorbike with a large box in front, moto con una gran caja delante)

These are usually employed as delivery vehicles.

havremoppe (oat motorbike, moto a avena)
A slang term to refer to a domestic horse, Equus ferus caballus. Basically, you ride it like a motorbike, and it requires oats as fuel.

näbbgädda (beaked pike, lucio picudo)

1) A species of predatory freshwater fish.

2) A talkative young human female. The author of this blog has been given the nickname.

sambo

A person who cohabitates with another without being related or married, most usually for love.

mambo (from "mamma" and "sambo")

An adult at emancipation age who still lives with their mother.

köttrymden (fleshspace, el carnespacio)

The real world/real life outside cyberspace.

Janssons frestelse (Jansson's temptation, La tentación de Jansson)

Since it contains onions and anchovies, this potato pudding is actually anything but tempting. In fact, I've never tasted it. Just seeing it makes me wince.

nucka (spinster, solterona)

An old maid. Usually a reeeeeeeeally ooooold maid.

som ett jehu (like Jehu, como Jehú)

Please dust that Old Testament and look up the 2nd Book of Kings. The rebel who defenestrated wicked Queen Jezebel knew how to drive a chariot. So much that his name is, in Sweden, the eponym for a speed devil.

att få korgen (to receive the basket, recibir la cesta)

This is actually the Swedish way of receiving the axe or the "calabazas" that one gets when in unrequited love.

sinkadus (fiveandtwo, cinquidós)

Hailing from the French "cinq et deux," one of the three ways to get lucky number 7 in a game of dice, this word means a serendipity, a strike of chance, whether a lucky or unlucky strike.

kyrkkaffe (church coffee, café en la iglesia)

After the service in Swedish Lutheran churches, the vicar invites the congregation to his/her place for a cup of coffee and cinnamon buns (and/or other treats). This is an invitation no Catholic curate has ever reached out.

Vintergatan (Winter Street, la calle del Invierno)

This is the Swedish name for our galaxy, the Milky Way.

att stå för fiolerna (to stand for the violins, representar los violines).
Long story short, it means to pay. Especially the bill at the restaurant.

kalabalik
This means a great chaos with many people involved, usually a fight. Like the ending of The Rape of the Lock, for instance.

krusidull
A spiral/curvy line or pattern, like a frill or something Art Nouveau.

krusidulla
A frilly person.

IDIOMS EXPLAINED 1: ACH DU GRÜNE NEUNE!

ACH DU GRÜNE NEUNE!

Language: German
Literal Meaning: Oh, you green nine!
Figurative meaning: Curses! What a misfortune! An exclamation of anger or other negative emotion.

Origins:
 
The Nine of Swords is one of the most negative cards on Tarot. It stands for cruelty, pain, despair... suffering, depression... the demons in our minds...

Its Anglo-French counterpart is the Nine of Spades, which in German cards becomes the Green Nine, so called because the suit equivalent to swords/spades is represented by (linden or ivy) leaves.

Nine of Spades/Green in the Battle of Leipzig deck, made both French- and German-suited to commemorate the engagement in the Napoleonic Wars.

Nine of Green from a traditional German deck.