Rhyme/Proverb—Czech Republic

“Tso sje, hovno se close, spaldo delose, us se ne close”
“The shit is gliding, but when it hits the puddle, it glides no more.”

Nate informed me that he first heard this saying when he was 15 years old.  He was a freshman at Prague High School in his hometown of Prague, Czech Republic.  He doesn’t recall who told him the proverb exactly, but knows that it was one of his friends.  It is a rhyme that his friends used to say to one another, both because it is a rhyme and is funny to hear and say, but also because it has meaning.  He told me that at first when he was just a freshman, his friends used to say it back and forth, but it wasn’t until they were older that they stopped to examine it’s meaning.  It was at this point that they began saying it to one another with more purpose.

Though Nate assured me that there are multiple interpretations of the saying, his friends and him generally used it in the same circumstance.  Usually this came when something unfortunate happened to someone.  When this happened, one individual would tell the other what the problem was, and he would reply with this proverb as an answer.  The idea behind the saying is that the “shit” or problem may have been problematic, but once it did it damage, it “glides no more,” or in other words, it ceases  to exist and will do no more harm.  This proverb was especially popular among the younger kids in Czech both because it’s vulgar, but also because adults would likely deem it inappropriate to say, especially in a professional setting.  It might be compared to the American expression “Shit happens,” as in this country we like to say it because it’s to the point, is somewhat crude, and while containing meaning, can allow someone to laugh while beginning to forget that which has caused them discomfort.  This is the theory behind the Czech expression; it is used to let people let go of their problem(s) laugh, and look to the future.

Proverb—India
“Sir ché swa hooked ah pani?”
“What the hell is in your head?”

Jesjit first heard this from his grandmother when he was about 10 years old and living in India.  His grandmother, a very kind and loving woman, is sometimes “honest and straightforward” as Jesjit describes her.  He said that sometimes when he was little, he would cause trouble with his older brother and sister.  Whenever his grandmother would see him making trouble, she would yell this proverb at them.  Apparently it is an old Indian expression, which can be used as a way of asking in a somewhat condescending tone, “what the hell is wrong with you? What are you thinking?!”  Jesjit recalls one particular instance in which he was wrestling with his older sister when he pushed her up against a wall and accidentally left her with a rather large bruise.  His grandmother tended to his sister and then looked at Jesjit and said this proverb with contempt.  Although his grandmother did use this proverb, Jesjit would like to emphasize that his grandmother was and is a very caring and respectful lady who expresses herself freely to her family because she loves them.

This expression represents a typical proverb.  Though it may not be considered as rhetorical or insightful as some other expressions, it fits certain situations nicely and is used by a number of individuals.  Jesjit recalls that his friends sometimes said it to one another when they wanted to question one another’s judgment or speech.  Even though some may interpret the saying as somewhat disrespectful and inappropriate it is generally used in a familiar way amongst friends and family so those who use it make sure that it isn’t taken the wrong way, which it rarely is because it is commonly recognized as an expression not a personal attack or offense.