[Cz-L] 'Wie a toitem bankes"

Miriam (Mimi) Taylor <mirtaylo_at_indiana.edu>

I too remember this expression.

We had quite a number of expressions in various languages to denote
futility. In Romanian we said : Pacat de vorba.
Literally: it is a sin to talk about it. Meaning: Don't waste your time
talking about it. In Ruthenian we said: Na kinsky vilegdi, literally -
when the horses have a holiday, meaning never, this is not likely to happen.
In Yiddish we also said: Wenn mashiach will kimmen - This is as likely to
happen as the coming of the messiah.

To say that someone was paid very little, or earned very little, we said:
ER HOT VERDIENT WASSER ZUR KASHA. He earned enough to buy water for cooking
his Kasha. In a letter I have, my grandfather refers to someone being given
very little, as being given LOKSHEN-WASSER. Apparently it was one of my
ancestors, who gave Lokshen -wasser to the famous Ukrainian leader and
"Robin-Hood" like robber Dovbush, when the later was an orphan boy,
living on his farm.

Mimi



   

> An expression that I remember from my family, and which I still sometimes
> use under certain circumstances "es helft wie a toiten bankes"
>
> Sylvia


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Received on 2008-06-27 20:57:14