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cross-posted from: https://feddit.nl/post/19798927

Sure, the whole world is on fire right now, but there are also little things to be upset about. ☝😉

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[-] towerful@programming.dev 81 points 4 months ago

At one point, blue LEDs were super expensive because of their difficult production.
So any product that has a blue LED was considered premium. I guess they were also considered futuristic and high-tech.
Somehow, this is still in the mind of some manufacturers.
All I want is a barely-visible-in-soft-daylight diffused/frosted red or amber LED.
But no, it's always some 5w lensed blue LED at somehow produces a tighter beam of horrendous blue light that's brighter than most flashlights.

[-] justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 4 months ago

Reminds me on a German proverb "to add your mustard to it", which apparently came from a time at which mustard was rare and exquisite. So they added it to any kind of food just to "up it's prestige".

[-] towerful@programming.dev 14 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

What a great origin. I Googled it, and it now means "to add your opinion".

  1. Seinen Senf dazugeben

Literal translation: To add your mustard to it.

Actual meaning: To give your opinion on something./To give your two cents.

Where there are sausages, there also must be mustard. If you want to ask someone for their opinion and sound like a fluent speaker when doing it, you better invite them to add their mustard.

https://www.mondly.com/blog/german-idioms/

In the process, I found some other great German proverbs with hilarious literal translations.

Literal translation: To talk around the hot porridge.
Literal translation: To ask for an extra sausage.
Literal translation: I believe I spider. (Edit: I believe I spin, see comment).
Literal translation: To have tomatoes on one’s eyes.
Literal translation: I can only understand ‘train station.’.
Literal translation: You’re walking on my cookie.
Literal translation: The bear dances there.
Literal translation: Everything has an end. Only the sausage has two.

But, I guess that's always the case with idioms. Their literal translation/meaning is useless. Regardless, I find German ones particularly titular

[-] Vlyn@lemmy.zip 10 points 4 months ago

As a German they are all technically correct, but one of them isn't a proper translation.

I believe I spider.

"Ich glaube ich spinne." isn't in regards to spiders, the last word is a verb. "spinnen" means "to spin", originally coming from spinning yarn, which then became spinning a thought :)

[-] towerful@programming.dev 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

That makes a lot more sense!
I've edited my comment. Feel free to contact the blogger. "I believe I spider" is hilarious. But "I believe I spin" is much more believable!

[-] justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 months ago

Yeah sorry, forgot to mention the actual meaning :) But I can add some more:

  • My dear Mister singing club
  • shit at the wall
  • one has seen horses puke Maybe I'll remember some more with good English "translations".

Something else I just remember is a discussion between Erasmus students (Erasmus is a student exchange program in Europe, so you study for a semester in another country, ergo that group was quiet diverse) about how you call very strong rain: German: is raining cow shit (although that might be local, because those phrases often differ quiet much between German dialects) British: is raining cats and dogs Greek: is raining the legs of Zeus I don't remember the others... But anyway.. what is the deal with English speakers and cats??? A lot of languages have a proverb like "many paths lead to Rome"... But in English apparently it is "there are many ways to skin a cat".. dafuq?

[-] justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 months ago
  • I believe my hamster is sweeping
  • I believe my pig is whistling
  • you don't have all cups in the cupboard
this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2024
705 points (97.1% liked)

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