Category Archives: Proverbs

“El que nace pa maceta, del corredor no pasa”- Mexican Refrán (Proverb)

Literal Translation: “He who is born a pot, doesn’t leave the hall”

*Originally spoken in Spanish. The following is a rough translation. 

Description (From Transcript): “It means that… people would use it to conform with what they were. For example, for us, we (young people who finished high school) weren’t allowed to continue our studies. We had to get married or conform, no longer have aspirations for anything. Like- one who is born poor, has to stay poor. Like the pot, because it’s a pot, is gonna stay in that hallway. It can’t be in the refrigerator because it’s not a frozen food. So for people- if you were born to be where you were born and not go out anywhere else, you have to stay there and make your life there. Another example is, if I’ve always done custodial work and I want to work in a school, I can tell myself “I don’t think so. El que nace pa maceta, del corredor no pasa”. 

Context: TR is a Mexican woman, born and raised in Zacatecas, Mexico. She immigrated to the United States in 1995. She says that this is a very popular saying that she has heard for as long as she can remember. Everyone would hear this and everyone would say it. She believes that most of the world is familiar with it now because it’s so popular. She has followed it because it’s always been popular but recently, she’s learned that it’s about conformity, which she doesn’t like. 

My interpretation: I interpreted this proverb as both a possible excuse and a possible explanation for a person’s inability to change. Because a pot is a non-living object that literally cannot leave the hall in which it was placed against its will, the proverb makes a commentary about how people in circumstances (such as poverty) have no agency to change their situation, in this case economic status. Because of the informant’s background and upbringing, it makes sense that she would be familiar with this saying, as most people in rural Mexico experience high rates of poverty and struggle to achieve economic mobility. However, just like my informant explained, it could also be an excuse for conformity. If people believe that they can never achieve progress (economic, academic, in the things they pursue) because of their current situations, this phrase can be used as an excuse to not even try to create a change. 

“Mejor sola que mal acompañada”- Mexican Proverb

Description (From Transcript): “The literal translation in English is “Better alone than in bad company”. This is something that is commonly said in the Mexican culture but I don’t know if it’s said in other Latin American cultures as well. But essentially it’s talking about how it is better to be alone than in a toxic relationship. And I think most of the time, it’s referring to like- uh- a relationship with like a significant other, but also, I think it can be referring to a friendship or really just anyone’s company. It’s better to be by yourself than with that negative company. And I think when it’s most commonly used is when someone asks you about like your significant other or something. People kind of use it as a joke, honestly, but I think it has a deeper meaning…”

Context: The informant (LV) is a first generation Mexican American woman residing in Denver, Colorado. This proverb is something that she grew up hearing a lot in school with her friends. She spent a lot of time with other Mexican or Latina girls. She also heard it in media such as telenovelas (a genre of Spanish soap operas). She heard it from younger people mostly or single people. It was used as a way to defend yourself– you would rather be single than with someone not deserving of you. 

She also explains that there is a lot of toxic masculinity in this culture specifically, and it’s not something that’s talked about with older generations. But growing up in the US, it’s something her generation is a little more aware from. This little saying highlights that. She likes it because it uses the “a” at the end for women or people who identify as women but it could also be “Mejor solo que mal acompañado” but women are mostly the ones she hears saying this. She thinks it uplifts women to not settle, that it’s okay to be alone than be with someone who doesn’t deserve you. She says that in this culture, there is a lot of pressure to settle down and be with someone. This [saying] fights that idea.  

My Interpretation: I think the informant did a wonderful job of explaining this saying in detail as well as the cultural implications it carries. The emphasis of the subject being feminine is very telling of the rigid gender expectation for women to be in relationships, marry, have children, take care of their parents and elders, all while enduring toxic or, in some cases, abusive behavior from these relationships. Because the saying is particularly common among younger women, it leads me to believe that it is a fairly newer saying, adopted by younger people as a way to challenge generational patriarchal beliefs that worsen and endanger the lives of people, especially women, in this culture. Consequently, I would also expect for this saying to become ever more widely used as internet cultures begin to tackle injustices that parents and grandparents suffered but could not challenge due to a lack of tools and language to do so. 

“Ponte Las Pilas”

  1. “Ponte Las Pilas”- Hispanic Proverb

Context : CL is a Mexican American student at USC. Her parents are from Michoacan, Mexico and her family currently resides near Bakersfield, California. She’s not sure where this saying originated from but she knows that it’s mainly used a lot when people graduate. She thinks it’s a saying that’s become popular among people in Hispanic culture. While explaining it, she also thought of another similar saying: “Ponte Trucha”. 

Description (From Transcript): 

CL: Okay so “ponte las pilas” is like you have to constantly be on your guard… you have to like make sure that you’re on top of things, that you don’t fall behind… The literal translation would be “put your batteries on” or “put on your batteries”. Figuratively it would be like… you have to start grinding, working hard. I think “ponte trucha” is kinda similar, like stay aware. 

Interviewer: What does trucha mean??

CL: *laughs* I have NO idea. My mom tells me this, like whenever… if we’re talking about something and she tells me something I didn’t know and I’m like “oh, what?”, she’s like “yeah, ponte trucha”. 

Interviewer: ohhhh, like smarten up kind of?

CL: Yeah! Or like if I am telling her about something that happened to me and she’s like “oh, well you should have done this” and she’s like “ponte trucha”. I think I’ve only heard this from my mom. I think she got it from her family or friends or something. Both of my parents are from [Michoacan]. 

My Interpretation: The way that I interpret this proverb is that humans often work like machinery and when they put their batteries in, they function at their best. I also think it might be a common saying among Hispanic communities because they were so largely disenfranchised from higher education therefore when people graduated high school and decided to go to college, families encouraged them to work extra hard with this saying. As for the second phrase, I think it adds to ideas such as “working hard” and “working smart”. It also makes sense that parents would tell their children these phrases because they would want them to succeed and do their best in all contexts of their lives, whether it be in education or everyday situations like my informant described for the second phrase. 

For further reading on this proverb, see: 

Pearson. “Ponte Las Pilas – Meaning, Origin and Usage.” English-Grammar-Lessons.com, 2 Feb. 2022, english-grammar-lessons.com/ponte-las-pilas-meaning/. 

Not my circus, not my monkey

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: 4/29/21
Primary Language: English

Me: How’d you hear about this?

SD: I think I heard about it on, um, I believe it was an Instagram post that was a screenshot of a Tumblr post, probably about 2016, maybe.

Me: What does it mean?

SD: So the phrase is not my circus not my monkey, I believe it’s an English translation from a Polish saying. It basically means it’s not my problem.

Me: What do you think the circus and monkey mean?

SD: I like to think that it’s like a literal circus, you know, like a travelling circus, uh, and there was like a loose monkey somewhere and someone saw this loose monkey and they were like well, you know, it’s probably from the travelling circus, but like it’s not my circus, it’s not my monkey.

Background: The informant, SD, was born in the US in the Bay Area. Her parents are also from the US. The informant does not speak the language, but informed me that this proverb is from Poland. She uses it a lot and uses it instead of saying not my problem, she thinks it’s just fun and likes to confuse other people when she says it.

Context: This piece was collected during an in person conversation.

Thoughts: I’ve heard multiple other people use this phrase in the past couple years. When I looked it up after I heard it the first time, it came up always as “Not my circus, not my monkeys” but I’ve only ever heard it with monkey singular. That’s just an interesting variation that I don’t feel changes the meaning much. Her getting it from online shows the easily shareable quality, especially with something quippy and short like a proverb. Phrases pass into speech from various online sites and it has become a saying understood in vernacular.

If it ain’t pig, it ain’t BBQ

Nationality: American
Age: 82
Occupation: Retired Professor of Pharmaceuticals
Residence: Chapel Hill, NC
Performance Date: 5/2/21
Primary Language: English

Background: The informant was born and raised in Western North Carolina. He has lived in North Carolina his whole life. The following phrase expresses a sentiment of North Carolinians surrounding a classic Southern dish: barbecue.

“If it ain’t pig, it ain’t BBQ”

I was told that for most people in North Carolina, barbecue is specifically pulled pork. It’s a very regional thing whereas other parts of the country also have barbecue, theirs is anything that’s cooked on a barbeque–could be tri tip, could be chicken, could be pulled pork, could be sausage. North Carolina also has a vinegar based barbeque sauce, where other places use mustard or ketchup based sauces.

Context of the performance: This was explained to me over FaceTime.

Thoughts: This short, fixed phrase states what is considered a truth among North Carolinians. It reveals a regional difference in a big part of the Southern culture–which is food. The phrasing suggests a binary view of barbecue that distinguishes region, and in North Carolina, you wouldn’t call something barbecue if it isn’t a form of pork, usually pulled pork. Barbecue seems to be a small way of forming an identity in North Carolina.