Don’t cry over spilt milk
paid â chodi pais ar ô1 piso (Welsh) don’t lift a petticoat after peeing
kusat sebe lokti (Russian) to bite one’s elbows
nasi sudah menjadi bubur (Indonesian) the rice has become porridge
eső után köpönyeg (Hungarian) coat after rain
16.
All in a Day’s Work
yesli khochetsya rabotat’ lyag pospi i vsyo proydyot (Russian)
if you feel an urge to work take a nap and it will pass
Pounce and decoy
Time was when going out to work meant leaving the cave or hut to forage for food:
mbwandira (Chichewa, Malawi) to catch a small animal like a bird or mouse by pouncing on top of it
puyugaktuq (Iñupiat, Inuit) to approach a sea mammal by crawling
tamigata (Yamana, Chile) to form together in a continuous line in order to drive birds up into a creek and then hemming them round to cut off their retreat to the open water
kanghanzila (Mambwe, Zambia) he who stands behind the game and imitates the lion’s roar so as to drive the game into the nets
sendula (Mambwe, Zambia) to find accidentally a dead animal in the forest (and be excited at the thought that a lion or leopard could be still around)
walakatla (Tsonga, South Africa) to fling down in disgust, as a hunter does with his spears when returning empty-handed
Point blank
In our rapidly developing world, this is obviously less and less the case, as age-old skills are replaced by a more up-to-date weapon:
paltik (Kapampangan, Philippines) a home-made gun
otselask (Estonian) a point-blank shot
tsikinika (Oshindonga, Namibia) to shoot something at close range
Dodo
Even if the matching cunning of animals remains much the same:
debideboo (Mandinka, West Africa) a bird which pretends not to be able to fly but slips away any time an attempt is made to catch it
kavraq (Iñupiat, Inuit) a wounded caribou that runs away unobserved
ugutur-kona-ina (Yamana, Chile) to go about on the water evading sight; to hide as ducklings or goslings do to evade the hunter
vulwa-vulwa-vulwa (Tsonga, South Africa) to run a little, stop and look round before proceeding, like a buck anxious not to be seen
Spear hurling
Out on the seas and oceans, however, the traditional tools of hook and net have not been seriously superseded; nor have the associated skills:
zekumuna (Luvale, Zambia) to pull out a fish which flies off the hook and falls onto the ground
alatkaqtuq (Iñupiat, Inuit) to scan the landscape from an elevated point, to look into water for signs of fish
ukomona (Yamana, Chile) to hurl the spear at fish, but at no special one, hoping to spear one among the shoal
wasswa (Ojibway, North America) spearing fish at night by the light of a torch
Eel dribbling
In the countless islands of the Pacific, such techniques have been carefully honed:
kikamu (Hawaiian) the gathering offish about a hook that they hesitate to bite
atua tapa (Rapanui, Easter Island) the orientation point for fishermen, which is not in front of the boat, but on the side
hakakau (Hawaiian) to stand with precarious footing, as on the edge of a canoe looking for squid
‘ea’ea (Hawaiian) to cover the eyebrows, as a fisherman shading the eyes while looking into deep water for fish
ka ro’iro’i i te koreha (Rapanui, Easter Island) to dribble on the eel, to drop your spittle, mixed with chewed bait, into the water to attract the eel
Sea women
In Japan, abalone fishing is often done in husband and wife teams. The women, who are thought to be better at holding their breath and withstanding the cold for long periods, do the pearl diving, while the husbands take charge of the boat and the lifeline. The wives are known as ama – ‘sea women’.
Bamboo cutters
Once the world moved on from hunting and gathering, a degree of occupational specialization was bound to creep in:
baradi’l (Arabic) a maker of donkey saddles
murd-shuy (Persian) a washer of dead bodies
médara (Telugu, India) belonging to the caste that cut bamboos and live by selling them
gardziiba (Tibetan) an astrologist or a person in charge of the cups and dishes during parties
bakamyi (Rwanda and Burundi dialect) a person credited with supernatural powers who milked the royal cows
Mekametz (Talmudic Hebrew) a man who gathers dog faeces so that he may hand them over to the Burskai, men who process animal skins
Angel makers
As societies became more developed, so jobs became more rarified…
netty (Scots) a woman who traverses the country in search of wool
sunba (Tibetan) someone who looks after irrigation canals
bagaceiro (Portuguese) a workman who feeds sugar-cane husks into a furnace
poppendokter (Dutch) a mender of dolls (literally, a doll doctor)
catadeira (Portuguese) a woman who culls coffee beans by hand
faiseur d’anges (French) an illegal abortionist (literally, an angel maker)
paçaci (Turkish) a man who sells sheep’s trotters
khāndika (Sanskrit) a seller of sugar plums
bengaleiro (Portuguese) an umbrella maker or salesman
False friends
trafik (Hungarian) tobacconist
agenda (French) notebook, diary
basin (Turkish) the press
fabric (Russian) factory
pasta (Portuguese) briefcase, folder
Soul plumbers
… until we end up with occupations that are entirely sophisticated and modern:
amanuensis (Dutch) a laboratory attendant
arquitonto (Central American Spanish) a stupid architect
basura (Spanish) rubbish inspectors
dal’noboishitsa (Russian) a prostitute who specializes in a clientele of truckers
değnekçi (Turkish) an unofficial/self-appointed parking attendant
Seelenklempner (German) a psychiatrist (literally, a soul plumber)
culero (Spanish) a drug smuggler who hides the drugs in his rectum
jasusa (Arabic) a woman spy
profesores taximetros (Columbian Spanish) part-time professors who hold a number of teaching positions at various institutions from and to which they rush by taxi (literally, taxicab professors)
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalianism (the practice of using long words)
The Germans are renowned for their love of long words where several words are compounded to form an extremely specific word, often to do with the world of work, such as:
Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänsjacken-knopfloch the buttonhole in the jacket of a captain of the Danube steam boat company
or Reichseisenbahnhinundherschiebershäuschen the little house of the state railway track shunter
But other languages also have their own lengthy words:
megszentségtelenithetetlenségeskedéseltekért (Hungarian) for your unprofaneable actions
kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamheden (Dutch) preparation activities for a children’s carnival procession
inconstitucionalissimamente (Portuguese) very unconstitutionally
prijestolonaslijednikovica (Croatian) wife of an heir to the throne
Low profile
Of course, to do a job properly, certain key skills are useful:
aprovechar (Spanish) to get the best out of or make the most of an opportunity
diam ubi (Malay) to work quietly or with a low profile until successful
kamgar (Persian) one who accomplishes whatever he wishes
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coyote (Mexican Spanish) a person who handles certain troublesome legal procedures at government agencies on behalf of third parties and for a fee, by means of kick-backs and/or bribes (literally, coyote, a wolflike wild dog)
Horn diggers
However, we should never underestimate the virtue of good, old-fashioned graft:
greadan (Gaelic) spending a considerable time and giving all one’s might to anything
balebosteven (Yiddish) to bustle like a meticulous housewife
ryt’ rogom zemlyu (Russian) to make great efforts (literally, to dig up the ground with one’s horn)
echar la casa por la ventana (Latin American Spanish) to go all out (literally, to throw the house out of the window)
sisu (Finnish) obstinate determination, heroic guts, stubborn persistence
dumog (Tagalog, Philippines) to be absorbed in the fulfillment of one’s task
Mice milkers
Even so, diligence isn’t everything. There are some poor workers who bust a gut but fail to please simply because they can’t see the bigger picture. The French describe this as chercher midi à quatorze, literally, to look for midday at two o’clock in the afternoon. To the Dutch, a person who pays excessive attention to detail is a mierenneuker – literally, an ant fucker; or, more charitably, a muggenzifter (mosquito sifter) or a punaisepoetser (pin polisher). But all cultures are colourful in their criticism:
Erbsenzaehler (German) someone concerned with small things (literally, counter of peas)
pilkunnussija (Finnish) an extreme pedant (literally, comma fucker)
taburaka (Gilbertese, Oceania) one who exaggerates rules and regulations, a stickler for the letter of the law
Mäusemelker (German) someone who eagerly concentrates on the nitty-gritty rather than the wider overview (literally, someone who milks mice)
gladit’ shnurki (Russian) to be over-solicitous, to do too much (literally, to iron someone’s shoelaces)
Jobsworth
Other colleagues bring other problems:
Schnarchnase (German) someone who is slow in acting (literally, snoring nose)
pezezengdeng (Manobo, Philippines) to be spoken to but sit motionless and ignore their request
reke (Yoruba, Nigeria, Benin and Togo) to wait in expectation of another’s mistake
kyag-kyag (Tibetan) throwing obstacles in the way of another’s work, out of spite
švejkování (Czech) deviously undermining your boss or circumventing your supervisor’s wishes while appearing angelically innocent and even rather simple (in the manner of the Good Soldier Svejk, the novel by Jaroslav Hasek)
suthi vuttiya (Tamil) the method used by call centre employees to avoid taking people’s calls by changing their place on the list
Promises, promises
At least you can rely on the hopeless, spiteful and devious to be counterproductive. Worse are those who promise to help but never to deliver, or who rush around frantically but never get anywhere:
kaengeng (Gilbertese, Oceania) to say ‘yes yes’ and do nothing about it
llamarada de petate (Nahuatl, Mexico) an undertaking started with great enthusiasm and suddenly dropped (petate is a woven reed mat used for sleeping)
hubyahubyeka (Tsonga, South Africa) to hurry here and there achieving nothing
ningas-kugon (Tagalog, Philippines) the sudden spurt of enthusiasm followed by a slowing down and an eventual slipping back into old habits
robota ne vovk, v lis ne vtiče (Ukrainian proverb) I can get back to doing that later (literally, work is not a wolf, it doesn’t run into the woods)
nakinaki (Mandinka, West Africa) to go here and there pretending to be busy in order to avoid work
mikka bouzu (Japanese) a quitter (literally, three-day monk: a person who leaves the monkhood only three days after taking his vows)
Pedalling in yoghurt
The French, in particular, have a fine range of metaphors for not getting things done for one reason or another. Brasser de l’air is to give the impression of being busy (literally, to shuffle the air);peigner la girafe is to waste time in idle pursuits (literally, to comb the giraffe); pedaler dans le yaourt means to be getting nowhere fast (literally, to be pedalling in yoghurt); while un coup d’épée dans l’eau is a wasted effort (literally, a sword blow into water).
Counting the stars
One would almost prefer to work alongside those who model their lives on the Mexican Spanish expression el trabajo embrutece, work brutalizes…
poltrone (Italian) lazybones (literally, easy chairs)
shitat zvyozdy (Russian) to twiddle one’s thumbs (literally, to count the stars)
jeta (Swahili) a lazy person who does not stir himself to get the things he wants, but asks others to fetch them, even though the things may be quite near to him
bulat (Maguindanaon, Philippines) to have a phobia of certain jobs
imilila (Mambwe, Zambia) to work half-heartedly, all the time thinking about leaving
The company tribe
… or are perhaps waiting in hope for those sought-after positions that will surely, eventually, come up:
enchufe (Spanish) a cushy job (literally, a plug or socket)
anichado (Portuguese) hidden away, as in a niche; well-placed in a good job
der Tintenpisser (German) a bureaucrat (literally, ink pisser)
tagapagpaganáp (Tagalog, Philippines) an executive
ntlhelavasati (Tsonga, South Africa) a place where one works that is not too distant from home
shayo-zoku (Japanese) employees living extravagantly on company money (literally, the company tribe)
Sell out
Although it’s wise to remember that blind loyalty to the organization is much overrated:
ser líder charro (Mexican Spanish) to be a union leader who sells out to company management
wegloben (German) to laud away (i.e. if a superior wants to get rid of a co-worker he draws up an exaggerated testimonial to ensure that the unloved staffer leaves the company)
extraknack (Swedish) a job on the side
kutu-loncat (Indonesian) someone who constantly moves from job to job for better prospects or wages (literally, jumping bug)
Lilies of the field
Perhaps the luckiest are those who don’t have to do anything at all:
goyang kaki (Malay) to shake one’s leg; to live comfortably without having to work hard; to live off one’s land or fortune or legacy
caer en blandito (Latin American Spanish) to have a situation turn out extremely well without much effort (literally, to fall on a soft surface)
péter dans la soie (French) to live the life of Riley (literally, to fart in silk)
IDIOMS OF THE WORLD
Bad workman blames his tools
el mal escribano le echa la culpa a la pluma/el cojo le echa la culpa al empedrado (Spanish) the poor writer blames the pen/the limping man blames the pavement
zlej baletnicy przeszkadza ra bek u spódnicy (Polish) a poor dancer will be disturbed even by the hem of her skirt
’araj al jamal min shiffatu (Arabic) the camel limped from its split lip
plokhomu tantsory (i) yaytsa meshayut (Russian) a poor dancer is impeded (even) by his own balls
17.
Game Theory
kush nuk di ç’ёshtё lodhja, ai nuk di ç’ёshtё çlodhja (Albanian)
who does not know tiredness, does not know how to relax
Celebrating Monday
However hard we work, it’s important to take time off, even if we have to be clever about how we arrange it:
hacer San Lunes (Mexican Spanish) to take Monday off because the weekend was too exhausting (literally, to celebrate St Monday)
puente (Spanish) bridge; the Spanish have their bank holidays on a Tuesday so that Monday will, on most occasions, be treated as a bridge day (an extra day of holiday), ensuring a four-day weekend; there is also a viaducto, which is when holidays fall on a Tuesday and a Thursday, thus enabling
someone to take the whole week off
Slow start
How wonderful to let slip the usual routines, take your time, take it easy:
faire la grasse matinée (French) to sleep in (literally, to make a fat morning)
pegar(sele) las sábanas a (alguien) (Latin American Spanish) to oversleep (literally, to have the sheets stick to you)
guzu guzu sum (Japanese) being slow when you have something you should be doing; a half-wakeful sleep, especially in the morning when you have sort of woken up but are still playing with your dreams
faire le tour du cadran (French) to sleep the day away (literally, to do the tour of the clock’s face)
Idle time
Even when one has fully woken up there’s no pressure to do anything:
cangkul angin (Malay) hoeing the air; putting one’s feet up in the air or doing useless things
Although sometimes the lack of pressure can be pressurizing in itself:
Zeit totschlagen (German) somebody who has free time but doesn’t know what to do, so does something senseless (literally, to beat time to death)
egkila-kila (Maguindanaon, Philippines) to act foolishly as a means to combat boredom
tsurumun (Japanese) a single woman who dreads being alone on national holidays and invents reasons to visit friends
False friends
black (Swedish) ink