When hel_l Freezes Over, Thai Style

[kokesaat]

Instead of a daily crossword puzzle, I try to tackle the daily political cartoon in Thai Rath ไทยรัฐ newspaper. The majority of strips seem to focus on the big items in the news, and that makes understanding a bit easier. It’s also forced me to make sense of a handwritten form of Thai. Today’s strip at http://www.thairath.co.th/content/pol/19914 has an interesting political comment that I think could loosely be translated as “when hel_l freezes over/when pigs fly”

เฉลิมบอกอภิสิทธิ์เป็นนายกเมื่อไหร่เมืองไทยจะมีหิมะตก

Agree with the political nature of the cartoons or not, it’s an easy dose of Thai lesson and it’s free.

I usually right click on the cartoon and save it as an image file. I print it out and decipher it during commercial breaks or coffee breaks during the day.

[bannork]

Instead of a daily crossword puzzle, I try to tackle the daily political cartoon in Thai Rath ไทยรัฐ newspaper. The majority of strips seem to focus on the big items in the news, and that makes understanding a bit easier. It’s also forced me to make sense of a handwritten form of Thai. Today’s strip at http://www.thairath.co.th/content/pol/19914 has an interesting political comment that I think could loosely be translated as “when hel_l freezes over/when pigs fly”

เฉลิมบอกอภิสิทธิ์เป็นนายกเมื่อไหร่เมืองไทยจะมีหิมะตก

Agree with the political nature of the cartoons or not, it’s an easy dose of Thai lesson and it’s free.

I usually right click on the cartoon and save it as an image file. I print it out and decipher it during commercial breaks or coffee breaks during the day.

It's fun reading the cartoons in the dailies. That comment by Chalerm about Aphisit being PM when it snows in Thailand is more of a Chalerm composition, perhaps more common is ควายจะตกลูกเป็นลิง

[kokesaat]

It's fun reading the cartoons in the dailies. That comment by Chalerm about Aphisit being PM when it snows in Thailand is more of a Chalerm composition, perhaps more common is ควายจะตกลูกเป็นลิง

Gee, that's got Chalerm written all over it!

[meadish_sweetball]

ควายจะตกลูกเป็นลิง

That's a great expression, thank you for sharing.

[kriswillems]

It's fun reading the cartoons in the dailies. That comment by Chalerm about Aphisit being PM when it snows in Thailand is more of a Chalerm composition, perhaps more common is ควายจะตกลูกเป็นลิง

Are you sure should be ตกเป็น and not ออกเป็น as in

ควายออกลูกเป็นลิง

Looks to me like there's a directional verb necessary here (because there's เป็น behind the verb and because there a clear transition ควาย -> ลิง). ออกลูก is or can be a directional verb, ตกลูก is not directional.

Or maybe I am just confused because I usually hear people use ออกลูก...

Edited July 17, 2009 by kriswillems

[oaikabob]

ตกลูก and ออกลูก have the same meaning.

it means to give birth (for animal only, for human you use คลอดลูก (klo-od loog))