Re: Language-based humor

I am gathering a collection of Hebrew expressions that appear in other
languages as idioms or nonsense. Some examples are provided below,
using @ = aleph, X = het, and 3 = aiyin. I hope the members of the list
can provide additional examples.

Type 1: The translation of a Hebrew pun on a Hebrew phrase

Ex. 1:
Clear text: B'QoSHi = barely, hardly, scarcely
Heb. pun: B'3oR SHiNai (Job 19:20)
English: "by the skin of my teeth"

Ex. 2:
Clear text: YaRa:aX GaVNooNi = gibbous moon
Heb. pun: YaRoK G'ViNaH = green cheese
English: The moon is made of "green cheese".

Ex. 3:
Clear text: PeLeTZ + K'Foo = shiver, tremble (compare English palsy) +
frozen
Heb. pun: P'LiZ + KoF
English: brass monkey (weather)
(Treating P as B in Arabic, P'LiZ KoF => balls (k)off ..., hence
"cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey")

Ex. 4:
Clear text: YeReKH yod-resh-khaf = buttock, haunch, thigh
Heb. pun: YaRa:aX yod-resh-het = moon
English: to moon = to expose one's buttocks as a prank or gesture of
disrespect.

Type 2: The translation of a Hebrew pun on a phrase in another language

Ex. 5
Latin: sopor sond = sleep soundly/deeply
Heb. pun: S'PoR TZo@N = count sheep (imperative)
English: Count sheep (to go to sleep)

Ex. 6
Latin: Saccharomyces cervisae = Brewer's yeast (an ancient hangover
remedy)
Heb. pun: Sa3aR MiNSHaKH KeLeV = hair bite dog (compare Gk Cerberus,
the 3-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades)
English: Take "hair of the dog that bit you" (as a hangover remedy)

There are far more cases where a Hebrew phrase is transliterated (not
translated) into an [English] idiom. I will post some of these at a
later date. In the meantime, I hope to receive more translation
examples from list members.

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

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