WHIMSICAL PROVERBS INCLUDING TRICKS, CATCHES, PUNS, RIDDLES, ALLITERATIVE PHRASES, AND EXPRESSIONS THAT PLAY ON WORDS A crow fought with a crow, a crow conquered a crow. (Yoruba-West African). "The Yorubas amuse themselves by repeating as many times as possible, without taking breath, sentences such as the foregoing, containing a recurrence of similar sounds—a good gymnastic for the tongue. At the end of each repetition of the sentence a bystander cries 'one,' 'two,' etc., and he who repeats the sentence oftenest without a falter is victor."-Richard F. Burton. This phrase is suggestive of the three old English charms for the hiccough, which were to be repeated three times in one breath for a complete cure: “When a twister twisting would twist him a twist, "Robert Rowley rolled a round roll round, A round roll Robert Rowley rolled round; As fit as a fritter for a friar's mouth. (English). A flea, a fly, and a flitch of bacon. (English). Humorously declared to be a Yorkshireman's arms, because a Yorkshireman will suck anyone's blood like a flea, drink out of anyone's cup like a fly, and is good for nothing till he's hung, like a flitch of bacon. As pert as a pearmonger. (English). A mere alliteration without any special significance. "As bold as brass," "As brown as a berry." "As busy as Batty." "As cold as a cucumber." As cunning as a crowder"-a fiddler. "As drunk as a drum." "As dull as a Dutchman." "As fine as a fiddle." "As hard as a horn." "As thick as thieves." "As kind as a kite." "As true as a turtle." "As weak as water." (English). A wooden horse and cloth saddle, one was invited and three went. (Hindustani). This is a kind of conundrum: Two men carrying a By Tree, Pol, and Pen, you shall know the Cornish men. (English). John Ray explains the meaning of this old saying as follows: "These three names are the dictionary of such surnames as are originally Cornish, and though nouns in sense, I may fitly term them prepositions. Tree signifieth town-hence Tre-fry, Tre-lawney, Tree-vanion, etc.; Pol signifieth a head-hence Pol-wheel; and Pen signifieth a top -hence Pen-tire, Pen-rose, Pen-kevil, etc." Francis Grose informs us in his Provincial Glossary that some people add a fourth ambiguous word, making the proverb read: "By Tree, Pol, Pen, and Car, you shall know the Cornish men," Car signifying a rock, hence a Car-mine, Car-zeu, etc. Christmas today and May-day tomorrow. (Gaelic). "This is the result of an ingenious calculation showing that if Christmas day falls on Monday Mayday will be Tuesday. It is generally but not absolutely correct."-Alexander Nicolson. Dark and black he goes to the sky, and then falls back, after giving a cry. (Mexican). Signifying a rocket. Five seize, twice sixteen tear, all the rest the flavour share. (Bengalese). The five fingers grasp the food, twice sixteen teeth divide and masticate it, and the tongue tastes it -while the whole body is refreshed and strengthened by it. The proverb is frequently used in referring to different members of a household-each responsible for his own work, yet each dependent on all the others. Five score of men, money, and pins; six score of all other things. (English). Sometimes rendered: "Five score's a hundred of men, money, and pins; six score's a hundred of all other things.' "The people of Norway and Iceland, according to the Thesaurus of Hickes, had a method of computation special to themselves, which consisted in the addition of the words tolfraedr, tolfraed, or tolfraet (whence our 'twelve'), which made ten signify twelve, a hundred equivalent to a hundred and twenty, a thousand represent a thousand and two hundred, and so on in proportion. This arose from the circumstance of these two nations having two decades or tens; a lesser, common to other nations, consisting of ten units, and a greater, comprising twelve (tolf) units. Thus the addition of the word tolfraedr or tolfraer converted the hundred into not ten times ten but ten times twelve-that is a hundred and twenty. This tolfraedic mode of reckoning by the greater decades, maintains Hickes, is still retained by us in reckoning certain articles by the number twelve, which the Swedes call dusin, the French douzaine, and ourselves a dozen; and in mercantile circles, he adds, as to the number, weight, and measure of several things, our hundred represents the greater tolfraedic hundred which is composed of ten times twelve. Thence, doubtless, was derived the current mode of reckon ing by six score to the hundred."-John Brand in Popular Antiquities. Fortune favours fools. (English). An alliteration. "Some folks will have it that fortune favours fools; as if Providence had no kindness for the wise and bestowed all her benefits on the ignorant; or as if a man could not be fortunate without being reckoned an idiot or a silly illiterate fellow in their rash conjectures, as well as ridiculous reflections."-Oswald Dykes. "Tis gross error held in schools That fortune always favours fools." John Gay. "But since their good opinion therein so cools, Frost and fraud both end in foul. (English). A favourite saying of Sir Thomas Egerton, Lord Health to wear it, strength to tear it, and money to buy a new one. (English). Spoken on seeing someone with a new article of dress. He that has an ill wife should eat muckle butter. (Scotch). He that has an ill wife should eat much but herthat is, he should eat much without her. He that loves glass without a G, take away L and that is he. (English). Het kail cauld, nine days auld, spell ye that in four letters. (Scotch). The key to this childish proverbial puzzle is found in the word "that"-t-h-a-t. He who marries a maiden marries a pockfu' o' pleasure; he who marries a widow marries a pockfu' o' pleas— sure. (Scotch). If this amounts to that, how much will that come to? (Tamil). Equivalent to the question: "What is the difference between six and half a dozen?" In a shoulder of veal there are twenty and two good bits. (English). That is, there are twenty bits but only two that are good. In a very dark room is a dead one, the living one handling the dead one, and the dead one is shouting. (Mexican). A kind of riddle referring to a piano. In whom it is, in him is everything; in whom it is not, what hath he? He who hath acquired it, what lacketh he? In whom it is not, what hath he acquired? (Palestinian Hebrew). The reference is to wisdom. It has a trunk, but it is not an elephant; it eats men and cattle, but it is not a tiger; whatever it eats, it eats on the spot. It vanishes with a blast of music. It is born from water. (Assamese). A riddle referring to a mosquito. Lift me up and I'll tell you more, lay me down as I was before. (Scotch). This phrase is used as a practical joke on people who are given too much curiosity. The first part of the phrase is cut, scratched, or painted on the upper side of a large stone where it may be easily seen and read. When the stone is lifted there is nothing to be found under it, but the curious investigator soon discovers the last part of the phrase inscribed on the reverse side of the stone, and he quickly drops it back in its place. |