Discussion Groups / ESL Teaching / November 2005

Idioms represent one aspect of language that is thought to be
arbitrary. Wikipedia says:

I do not agree that the meaning of an idiom is "arbitrary". Most
English idioms are formed by _transliterating_ a foreign word/phrase
into common English words; that is, the English-ification of a foreign
expression. The meaning of the source expression is retained.

Some English idioms are formed by _translating_ a foreign idiom or pun.
Transliteration occurred from a foreign language into the same or
another foreign language and the result was translated into English.

Transliteration of a Foreign Phrase directly into English

Idioms such as "raining cats and dogs", "his life went to the dogs",
"he's in the doghouse", "let the cat out of the bag", "has the cat got
your tongue", "left holding the bag", "spill the beans", "he doesn't
know beans about", etc., are the transliteration of a foreign phrase
into words that look like English. The (usually) plain meaning of the
foreign phrase is the meaning of the idiom in English.

Sometimes the original phrase is a metaphor. "Kick the bucket" sounds
like a Semitic phrase with the meaning "to make love in Paradise",
still a middle-Eastern euphemism for dying. Using 3 for the letter
aiyin (which used to have a G/K sound, as in 3aZa = Gaza), the Hebrew
equivalent is: 3aGaV B'3a:Den => KicK BucKeT, where 3aGaV means to make
physical love and Eden is paradise.

Translation of a Foreign Idiom or Pun

Some English idioms are the literal translation of a foreign idiom or
pun. Transliteration occurred into a foreign language. The most famous
of these may be "to escape by the skin of my teeth", a translation of
biblical Job 19:20. Here, "skin of my teeth" is a literal translation
of the Hebrew pun B'3oR SHiNai on the Hebrew word B'QoSHi, which means
barely, hardly, with difficulty.

Using @ for the Hebrew letter aleph, to "count sheep" (to go to sleep)
may be a translation of the Hebrew pun S'PoR TZo@N on the Latin phrase
sopor sond (sleep deeply/soundly).

You can see a more detailed explanation of this phenomena at
http://www.eslcafe.com/ideas/sefer.cgi?display:1089444338-3200.txt

ciao,
izzy, with an axe to grind, transliterated from German Acht[ung]
[Beweg]grund, meaning beware + [motive]reason/basis/grounds

Israel "izzy" Cohen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BPMaps/