Category Archives: folk metaphor

That’s not my cup of tea

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text:

That’s not my cup of tea

Context:

The informant uses this phrase typically when talking about something that someone did or an object that they do not like. She is not sure where she developed it from, but it is a relatively common saying. 

Analysis:

This idiom originated from Britain in the early 20th century. It is used to convey that you are not interested in something or simply to convey preference. It is likely used in English speaking countries or cultures where enjoying a cup of tea is common or expected, therefore referring to something as “not being your cup of tea” would convey to others that you dislike something without saying it overtly.

Not my first rodeo

Nationality: American
Age: 27
Occupation: Business Operations at Financial Tech Company
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text:

Not my first rodeo

Context:

The informant frequently says this when he is able to guess the outcome of a certain situation or story without being told. He heard this phrase in 2014 from the owner of a music shop that he frequented. It was used to convey that he had adequate experience in the field and had encountered stuff before.

Analysis:

 This idiom comes from the 1981 film “Mommie Dearest”, although the phrase is understood by most Americans who are adults. Rodeos are a part of American culture where individuals would compete in equestrian sports. It is used to convey that someone has had adequate experience, is competent, and not naive. People may use it when talking about participating in certain activities or predicting certain outcomes. v

It takes two to tango

Nationality: American
Age: 50
Occupation: Home Renovator
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text:

It takes two to tango

Context:

The informant believes he heard this phrase on American television several decades ago. He uses this to comment on situations in which both parties seem to be at blame. He uses this proverb often as a teaching moment for being vigilant when driving in order to avoid a car wreck.

Analysis:

This phrase is a common idiom that is often used when discussing how two parties are equally responsible for the outcome of a certain situation. It is likely a know phrase in cultures with adequate knowledge of tango and the fact that it is a style of dance that requires two people to participate. An individual can apply this saying to anything they deem fit, although it is usually used in the context of something bad that happened. It also can be used when something requires more than one person to complete.

More problems than Carter has pills – Proverb

Nationality: American
Age: 57
Occupation: High School Teacher
Residence: Park Ridge, Il
Language: English

The proverb from RK goes along these lines:

“_______ has more _______ than Carter has pills,” for example “That guy’s got more issues than Carter has pills.”

This proverb comes from RK’s father, who would use it pretty often back when RK was growing up. The proverb is used to describe a huge quantity, with knowledge of Carter’s enormous pill storage being deemed as common knowledge in the late ’70s and early ’80s. When asked why Carter had so many pills, RK said that he assumed it was about former president Jimmy Carter, who had a tumultuous term as president, dealing with many wide-scale issues. RK was young during his presidency, being the first one that he could remember, and he assumed that on top of the issues he was dealing with as president, an enormous drug addiction was part of them. However, recently, RK discovered that Carter’s Pills actually had nothing to do with Jimmy Carter and instead were about Carter’s Little Liver Pills, with people seeing so many ads for them that it seemed “he” had endless pills.

This proverb is absolutely a product of its time, with both Jimmy Carter and Carter’s Little Liver Pills being something that peaked in the American interest in the late ’70s. Today, this proverb would only make sense to other people who had grown up in this era. The fact that RK did not know about Carter’s liver pills makes the use of this proverb even more interesting as RK was a passive bearer of the proverb, accidentally conditioning himself to think that President Carter had a pill problem which had stuck in his subconscious until only a few weeks ago. This conditioning occurs when one interacts with a proverb, and its illusion of collective wisdom can be extremely destructive when taken in the wrong context, but thankfully, RK’s opinions on Jimmy Carter’s drug use aren’t particularly harmful to anyone. Should this proverb have instead made RK think about an entire cultural group, perhaps, even if by accident, it could have led to the perpetuation of harmful biases against certain people, especially as the proverb came from RK’s father, someone who’s opinion RK values. While this mix-up was humorous in this context, it also shows how powerful folk speech can be in influencing one’s core beliefs when they are at a young age.

Chinese proverb

“锲而舍之，朽木不折；锲而不舍，金石可镂。”

Translation – “If you stop carving, even rotten wood can’t be broken; never give up, and even metal and stone can be engraved.”

Encountered by informant – a Chinese speaker – innumerable times growing up, especially in regards to schoolwork.

This proverb is a frequent fixture of Chinese speakers’ conversation. It is often invoked in a similar manner to “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” highlighting the necessity of perseverance and persistent effort in various endeavors.