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ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE LINGUISTICS & CULTURE |
Autor: | Dale-USA |
E-mail: | dale_thomas2004@yahoo.com.br |
Data: | 18/ABR/2011 10:34 PM |
Assunto: | um olho no peixe o outro no gato |
Mensagem: |
You made me laugh! Thanks! In Costa Rica you hear "Buscarle tres patas al gato". How on earth is that translated? It doesn't even make sense in Spanish. Recently I learned that in Argentina they say "Buscarle cinco patas al gato". Maybe that would be "Looking for the fifth leg on a cat." The meanings are the same: to look for trouble, to provoke a fight or argument, etc. Today a friend asked why we say "You're welcome" when we are acknowledging thanks, just as we tell a person his company is wanted (bem-vindo). I had never thought about it. Sometimes we say things automatically without giving any thought to the logic of the phrase. Your expression about the fish and the cat, however, makes a lot of sense. It gives the listener a good image. |