Family (or Cultural) Sayings

celiamerula

I love language and a radio series about it had a program earlier this year about family sayings - for example in our house if something is obvious "Even Sandy's fleas know that!"  (the more obvious the more fleas are added).  
Extend it to country/culture too.  "I could eat a scabby donkey"  is something a lot of people may recognise.

Caro1970

Caro1970 replied at 2025-06-24 18:43
Helaas pindakaas is literally translated as "unfortunately peanut butter."
I think this doesn't make ...

No its when when you want something and you can't get it.
I googled it,this is what it means.

This is too bad, it didn't work out.

Caro1970

Here another one.

een ezel stoot zich in het algemeen geen twee keer aan dezelfde steen" is literally: "A donkey does not bump its head on the same stone twice"
This does it mean.

"A wise man learns by the mistakes of others, a fool by his own",

lis

craftsloverr replied at 2025-06-25 19:51
it's not cultural.. but at home, when i was a kid and told my dad ''others had that, other kids made ...

Ha haaa we have a similar one but with jumping off of a bridge

celiamerula

Caro1970 replied at 2025-06-24 17:45
We have a lot of Dutch sayings, but if i translate them you won't know exactly what it means.

Ok.  Bad idea.  Wish I could delete thread.

craftsloverr

it's not cultural.. but at home, when i was a kid and told my dad ''others had that, other kids made this or that''... well, he always replied '' if others eat faeces, you're going to eat it too ?''

celiamerula

He can't see green cheese...  Meaning if someone has something he doesn't, no matter how awful, he wants it for himself (other pronouns are available)

Caro1970

Helaas pindakaas is literally translated as "unfortunately peanut butter."
I think this doesn't make sense to you 😀

Caro1970

We have a lot of Dutch sayings, but if i translate them you won't know exactly what it means.

TinyArtist

Not sure I have any cultural or family sayings but I do say
"It is what it is"

Caro1970

We always say, if someone jumps of a tower, are you going to do the same?

Caro1970

This one is too hard for me to contribute to.