Category Archives: Proverbs

F.I.T.F.O. – Slang

Nationality: Irish/German
Age: 19
Occupation: Undergraduate Business Student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Residence: Champaign Apartments in Champaign, IL
Language: English

Text:

F.I.T.F.O. (Figure It The Fuck Out)

Context:

“I’m in an investment banking org called [REDACTED] and to fit in with the finance bros, I started saying F.I.T.F.O. or Figure It The Fuck Out because ya know, sometimes you just don’t have time to do help someone or someone keeps slacking on a project and it’s just like F.I.T.F.O.!”

Analysis:

The performer is an investment banking female who’d mentioned she felt it hard to fit in with other people in her profession as it’s a male-dominated field, so she’s made an extra effort to learn the slang to be a part of the in-group. The occupational folk group of business people tends to need an air of professionalism, hence, it being an acronym as the full saying is too vulgar. Additionally, with the spirit of business being one that encourages one to take initiative at fast paces, F.I.T.F.O. makes succinct sense in telling someone to professionally (and somewhat aggressively) do their due diligence.

好狗不挡路/Good mutts don’t get in the way – Proverb

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Undergraduate Student at the University of Southern California
Residence: University of Southern California Parkside Dormitory
Language: Chinese

Text:

好狗不挡路 (hǎo gǒu bù dǎng lù)

Translation:

Good mutts don’t get in the way

Context:

“This saying is extremely prevalent in Chinese media such as novels or films, and it basically means to mind your own business. I don’t hear it said often as it’s considered a curse, and it’s pretty rude. It’s been around for so long that one of the most martial hero novel classics play off of this proverb.”

Analysis:

This proverb implies that people who are well-mannered should know their place and not cause any trouble. However, with the context of this being considered a curse, the phrase “good mutt” implies the receiver is nothing but an obedient pawn who shouldn’t “get in the way,” implying there is an “…or else.” It is especially prevalent in Chinese culture as it reflects a Confucian influence on social order and the emphasis on respecting those who are superior, with hierarchy typically based on age and duty.

Teaching the Fishermen How to Fish

Text: “I’m teaching the fishermen how to fish right now.”

Context: Whenever my boyfriend teaches me how to do any kind of skill that involves housework or life skills in general, he always says this phrase. He has said this while teaching me to work his laundry machine, how to fold certain clothes in a more efficient way, and other ways of organizing other house items.

Analysis: By saying this, he references this popular phrase: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I would say that this proverb is used in situations similar to the original saying and meaning. My boyfriend wants to teach me a skill that I can keep doing for myself instead of just doing it for me once and having to rely on him. I believe the first time he said this to me, he asked me if I knew what the phrase was. We both remembered hearing it but I couldn’t say it word for word, so he just made up his own shortened version of the proverb: I’m teaching the fisherman how to fish. I think it’s interesting that neither of us knew the proverb, and when asking my boyfriend about it, he still doesn’t know what it was until I looked it up for this project and told him. It makes me think about how popular sayings can be misinterpreted or shortened through oral telling until the meaning of the original proverb is lost. In this case, I don’t think the original meaning was entirely lost. However, I can see how easy it is for sayings to be twisted into something else entirely.

“Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket”

Language – English
Nationality – American
Occupation – Student
Primary Language – English
Residence – Bay Area, California

Text: The phrase “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” means you shouldn’t rely on just one option or opportunity because it can limit you. It’s a reminder to keep your focus on other things in life and not put all your energy into a single choice.

Context: “I learned this saying as a way to keep myself from becoming too focused on one thing. “My family taught me this piece of advice too that helps me to always remember to stay open to other possibilities, especially when there are multiple options to consider.” “In a way this has become a must say phrase to myself when considering multiple things that can overwhelm me.”

Analysis: This phrase is about not limiting yourself by focusing only on one thing. It’s a reminder to stay open-minded and think about all the opportunities to choose from, rather than focusing too much into just one. It’s a simple way to approach life and decisions, helping to reduce the risk of putting too much into something that might not work out, and it’s nice because this is also a sentiment from her family that was almost passed down.

Health Proverb

AGE: 19 

Date of performance: 02/18/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student 

Primary Language: English

Title- ‘Eat one apple, 3 eggs, and 3 glasses a milk a day and you won’t have to see the doctor’ 

Context- J is a student studying Business & Econ. She tells me that whenever she talks to her grandmother, who resides in Shanghai, she always sends a text that translates to “Eat one apple, 3 eggs, and 3 glasses a milk a day and you won’t have to see the doctor” in order to make sure J stays healthy. 

Analysis- The phrase that J’s grandmother consistently tells her is a twist on the commonly known proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. However, J’s grandma has added her own advice to the phrase such as 3 eggs and 3 glasses of milk. The way that J’s grandmother, who lives on the opposite side of the globe, knows of the common proverb and decides to add her own twist to it is a prime example of how flexible and applicable pieces of folklore can be to apply to certain demographics and cultures. Specifically within East Asian culture, eggs and milk are seen as valuable sources of nutrition as they provide protein through easily attainable resources.