Thai Sayings and Phrases Wanted

[bannork]

I've often seen น้ำผึ้งหยอดเดียว in Thai newspapers meaning a trivial or small incident which escalates into something big and for a long while I wondered, why honey?

Well, thanks to Thongbai Thongpao, the well known lawyer, for his column in today's Bangkok Post explaining is as a drop of honey on a street attracts flies which in turn draws a cat to chase them, a dog joins in chasing the cat, the owner of the cat gets out a stick to hit the dog. The dog's owner then gets a weapon to stop the cat owner, friends of both sides then join in......

Is it an Aesop story or where does it come from?

Anyway, thank you Thongbai.

Edited December 13, 2009 by bannork

[bannork]

I mentioned to a Thai friend that a woman in Lampang had got over 500,000 baht from Tescos after hurting her ankle in their car park and she said ทุกขลาภ ( good)fortune, riches through suffering. I can't think of an English equivalent offhand.

[DavidHouston]

I mentioned to a Thai friend that a woman in Lampang had got over 500,000 baht from Tescos after hurting her ankle in their car park and she said ทุกขลาภ ( good)fortune, riches through suffering. I can't think of an English equivalent offhand.

"Every dark cloud has a silver lining."

[bannork]

I mentioned to a Thai friend that a woman in Lampang had got over 500,000 baht from Tescos after hurting her ankle in their car park and she said ทุกขลาภ ( good)fortune, riches through suffering. I can't think of an English equivalent offhand.

"Every dark cloud has a silver lining."

I thought of that one David (in British English the cloud doesn't have to be dark, any old cloud will do) but it seems to be less strong to me, it's consolation really, ie' Tiger Woods has lost his wife and kids, sponsors, but he will be free to do what he likes, ie playing the field'.

Whilst the Thai expression suggests you get more out of the tragedy/ bad situation - but perhaps I'm wrong.

[bannork]

A man drinking didn't want to go home with his wife so he said-ติดลมอยู่ -the same could be said for a child playing a game who doesn't want to stop,etc, maybe the English equivalent would be' enjoying oneself too much to stop.'

[klons]

This excerpt is from The Nation (newspaper online.)

Tulaya captures an image of steamed rice topped with a red chilli pepper in a banana-leaf basket to portray the saying Lek prik khi nu ("Small like a chilli pepper"). Jane translates this as a caution not to be misled just because something it small - it can still pack a mighty punch, like the bird's-eye chilli.

Is there actually a chilli called rat sh*t chilli pepper. I see from above there is a birds- eye.

[klons]

This excerpt is from The Nation (newspaper online.)

Tulaya captures an image of steamed rice topped with a red chilli pepper in a banana-leaf basket to portray the saying Lek prik khi nu ("Small like a chilli pepper"). Jane translates this as a caution not to be misled just because something it small - it can still pack a mighty punch, like the bird's-eye chilli.

Is there actually a chilli called rat sh*t chilli pepper. I see from above there is a birds- eye.

Hey klons, I was in the Carrefour the other day and rememberedyour post. Sure enough, over in the produce section were some pre-packaged peppers labeled as such.

พริกขี้หนูสวน

I’m not sure what สวน is doing on the end, probably garden rat terd peppers. You couldn’t get away with a name like that in the U.S. Imagine Taco Bell advertising their new beef, cheese and rat terd pepper fajita for only 89 cents. (limited time only)

 

[kaewmala]

I've often seen น้ำผึ้งหยอดเดียว in Thai newspapers meaning a trivial or small incident which escalates into something big and for a long while I wondered, why honey?

Well, thanks to Thongbai Thongpao, the well known lawyer, for his column in today's Bangkok Post explaining is as a drop of honey on a street attracts flies which in turn draws a cat to chase them, a dog joins in chasing the cat, the owner of the cat gets out a stick to hit the dog. The dog's owner then gets a weapon to stop the cat owner, friends of both sides then join in......

Is it an Aesop story or where does it come from?

Anyway, thank you Thongbai.

The expression is actually น้ำผึ้งหยดเดียว (lit. "one drop of honey"). In other words, it's หยด ("drop", n.), and not หยอด ("to drop", v.).

[anchan42]

Different types of baldness in Thai

ทุ่งหมาหลง ดงช้างข้าม

ง่ามเทโพ ชะโดตีแปลง

แร้งกระพือปีก ฉีกขวานฟาด

ราชคลึงเคลา

ทุ่งหมาหลง Referring to a field or plain that has absolutely nothing. Even dogs would get lost in such a place. It means head without a single hair.

ดงช้างข้าม Referring to elephant path in the forest. Nothing would grow on the path. It means head with a stripe of no hair in the middle.

Anybody want to do the rest?

[klons]

The post about ones quest to learn Thai in only 17 years, reminds me of this one.

Kwaam ruu tuam hua , ow dtua mai rawt

Knowledge floods my head but can't put it to use (forgot english equivalent exactly.)

Just posting this one because I have the audio off the radio.

floodhead.mp3

[klons]

Pouring water smoothly (literal)

เทนำ้เทท่า

can be used for selling fast like hotcakes.

(my source on this is a Ms. Becker volume, but the audio is from public broadcasting.)

Kaai dii bpen tae nam tae tah

hotcakes.mp3

[mangkorn]

เสือกลายเป็นแมว - a man largely subservient to and/or henpecked by his wife

[bannork]

ผมไม่กลัวเมีย

Here's one meaning 2 people just can't get on, they're like chalk and cheese, oil and water together -เหมือนขมิ้นกับปูน

[klons]

ผมไม่กลัวเมีย

Here's one meaning 2 people just can't get on, they're like chalk and cheese, oil and water together -เหมือนขมิ้นกับปูน

I've heard that before in a Thai TV show theme song along with dtah dtaw dtah fan dtaw fan. eye for eye tooth for tooth.

ขมิ้นกับปูน is actually some sort of spice and limestone, I think.

[klons]

Thai equivalent for “when pigs fly”

ตอนเซเว่นปิด (ton sē wēn pit)


when the 7-11 is closed

source: omniglot link posted in newspaper headlines thread.

[bannork]

to sleep in the jail-นอนมุ้งสายบัว I was wondering why the mosquito net had to be สายบัว and a friend told me it was the old style of net.

[DavidHouston]

to sleep in the jail-นอนมุ้งสายบัว I was wondering why the mosquito net had to be สายบัว and a friend told me it was the old style of net.

Friends,

The term "มุ้งสายบัว" is a great metaphor; this is the first time I have seen it. The RID has: "มุ้งสายบัว(ปาก) น. ห้องขังผู้ต้องหา" ( . . . (spoken language) a room where a suspect is held). Nawawan's "คลังคำ" has this term equivalent to "คุก ตะราง เรือนจำ" as "ที่คุมขังนักโทษ" (a place where prisoners are held). Question: is the use of the colloquial term "มุ้งสายบัว" limited to a "holding cell" or is its usage broader?

"คำคล้องจอง" adds the word ตะราง (prison, jail) to the RID definition. Might the phrase มุ้งสายบัว be more appropriately used to refer to a "jail cell", rather than the prison as a whole?

And, here is a quote from a movie script on the Internet:

เข้ามานอนมุ้งสายบัวแค่สามวันก็คิดหนีแล้ว

"Three days inside [the clink], and he's already thinking about turning rabbit."

This usage would seem to equate the subject phrase with the whole prison or jail. And, this usage also uses นอน in connection with the phrase to further the "mosquito net" metaphor, as Bannork indicates.

Thanks.

Edited June 22, 2010 by DavidHouston

[RickBradford]

This usage would seem to equate the subject phrase with the whole prison or jail.

"In custody", perhaps?

[saraburioz]

Can someone give me an example of when to use the following ชะมดชะมอย

[swisstoni]

can anyone help with this แมวไม่อยู่หนูไม่ร่าเริง แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) i know it involves rats and cats but what the hel_l does she mean??

[klons]

can anyone help with this แมวไม่อยู่หนูไม่ร่าเริง แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) i know it involves rats and cats but what the hel_l does she mean??

The first part - when the cats away the mouse won't play.

The second part แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) . I googled แบบว่า and what came up was a lesbian video. I'll have to wait until the cat is away before I can watch it to see if it is

relevant.

[katana]

can anyone help with this แมวไม่อยู่หนูไม่ร่าเริง แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) i know it involves rats and cats but what the hel_l does she mean??

I think the Thai saying is แมวไม่อยู่หนูร่าเริง - lit. When the cat's away the mouse is happy. The English equivalent is 'When the cat's away the mice will play'.

But the writer in that sentence has changed it around a little by adding a ไม่ so, with the แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) tacked on the end, it becomes something like 'When the cat's away, I (the mouse) am not happy. I mean...I miss you.'

Edited June 28, 2010 by katana

[swisstoni]

can anyone help with this แมวไม่อยู่หนูไม่ร่าเริง แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) i know it involves rats and cats but what the hel_l does she mean??

I think the Thai saying is แมวไม่อยู่หนูร่าเริง - lit. When the cat's away the mouse is happy. The English equivalent is 'When the cat's away the mice will play'.

But the writer in that sentence has changed it around a little by adding a ไม่ so, with the แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) tacked on the end, it becomes something like 'When the cat's away, I (the mouse) am not happy. I mean...I miss you.'

thanks แมวกลับมาแล้ว วันจันทร์อีกแล้ว แป่วววววววว was added later, cat is back i think?

[bhoydy]

can anyone help with this แมวไม่อยู่หนูไม่ร่าเริง แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) i know it involves rats and cats but what the hel_l does she mean??

I think the Thai saying is แมวไม่อยู่หนูร่าเริง - lit. When the cat's away the mouse is happy. The English equivalent is 'When the cat's away the mice will play'.

But the writer in that sentence has changed it around a little by adding a ไม่ so, with the แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) tacked on the end, it becomes something like 'When the cat's away, I (the mouse) am not happy. I mean...I miss you.'

thanks แมวกลับมาแล้ว วันจันทร์อีกแล้ว แป่วววววววว was added later, cat is back i think?

Alternatively you can use a similar word with a similar meaning แมวไม่อยู่หนูระเริง

[klons]

can anyone help with this แมวไม่อยู่หนูไม่ร่าเริง แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ ) i know it involves rats and cats but what the hel_l does she mean??

I did find แบบว่า in a book "Outrageous Thai". In the sentence below the translation was - you totally like wanna get into college , right?

baep wa yahk kao mahalai sutsut chai bpa

[Peppy]

So it means "like"... แบบว่า.... ( คิดถึงอ่ะ )--"like, I miss you".Like, you know, teen-speak. (But us grown-ups can, like, use it too. )

[kokesaat]

Can someone help me with this sentence:

ชายหนุ่มเมื่อออกจากบ้านไปแล้วก็พยายามไปรับจ้างทำงานในต่างจังหวัดอย่างขยันขันแข็งหนักเอาเบาสู้

I suspect the หนักเอาเบาสู้ is an idiom, but I can't find a translation anywhere on the internet. หนัก -heavy, เอา -take, เบา light, สู้ - to fight

My guess: When the young man left home, he tried to work diligently in various provinces, fighting to get any job he could get.

Can anyone offer up a better translation?

[DavidHouston]

From "คำคล้องจอง, เสน่ห์ของภาษาไทย" comes the following:

"หนักเอาเบาสู้ ว. (สำ) ขยันเอาการเอางานทุกชนิด". This seems to mean, "he tries very hard and is willing to take any work he can get" or, perhaps, it means "he is such a workaholic that he will take on all the work he is given."

What do you think? I like your sentence structure very much. Alternatively, however, you might consider,

ชายหนุ่มเมื่อออกจากบ้านไปแล้วก็พยายามไปรับจ้างทำงานในต่างจังหวัดอย่างขยันขันแข็งหนักเอาเบาสู้

When a young man finally leaves home, he will try to find a job working out in the rural areas and will diligently try to find any job he can get.

I do wonder what a native speaker takes from the subject sentence. Thanks for raising this question.

[Peppy]

I think the interpretation of หนักเอาเบาสู้ as "willing to take any job one can get" and the variations on that above capture the meaning just fine.

Literally, I think it's something like, "willing to take on hard jobs, and fight for light ones". The idiomatic English translations work better, though; literal translations of idioms rarely do justice to meaning, and sound odd besides.

[kokesaat]

หนักเอาเบาสู้

Thanks, David and Peppy!