HAGS!

Age: 20

Date of Performance: 2/13/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a sophomore student at USC, who is studying Public Relations. She quoted a minor genre saying of “HAGS” that she used to write in yearbooks.

2. Context

“In yearbooks, everyone would write ‘HAGS.’ I did it a lot, it means, ‘have a good summer.’ It was for friends, teachers, but it was bigger in elementary school and middle school I feel like.”

3. Analysis

The reference of the informant to the tradition being larger in elementary school than middle school is reflective of the proverb’s reflection of youthful values. “HAGS” is a casual saying exchanged between peers to represent camaraderie and encourage optimism for the future. Summer is a traditional celebration for school-aged children, and HAGS aligns with that value for students. Additionally, yearbooks are a tradition for many students and a measure of friendships between peers.

“Cuando el río suena es porque piedras trae”

Age: 20

Date of Performance: 2/24/2025

Language: Spanish

Nationality: Mexican

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a junior student at USC, who is studying Health Promotion & Disease Prevention. He quoted a Spanish saying that reads “Cuando el río suena es porque piedras trae.” It translates in English to “When the river makes noise, it is because it brings rocks.”

2. Context

“It means if you have suspicions of something happening, it’s because you have to trust your gut because something is happening.”

“My mom told it to me when I was 10. It’s just always to trust your intuition, you feel it because something is happening and you should listen to that.”

3. Analysis

This metaphorical proverb uses a natural environment to make a comparison to human intuition. A river is often making subtle noises; however, a loud river is unusual and alarming. Therefore, this proverb references a loud river as being because the river has rocks– warning signs, if you will. This compares directly to the idea of if you feel weary about something, it is likely because you have reason to. For the informant, it stems from his upbringing and his mother sharing it in her primary language, which is Spanish.

Only Fools Are Positive – Proverb

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: College student
Residence: Farmington, Minnesota
Language: English

Text:

Only fools are positive

Context:

The informant heard this from their dad as a kid growing up in Minnesota. The example they gave me was that they would say a neutral statement to their dad such as “I walked the dog.” Their dad would respond with “are you sure?” and when the informant said yes, their dad would say “only fools are positive.” The informant said this proverb was always used as a joke in their life. Their dad used the phrase which is meant to be about not being too overconfident in a context where the informant can be confident without any concerns. The informant added that they enjoyed the double meaning of the phrase where it can mean that only a fool is positive meaning sure of what they are saying or positive meaning happy. They said that they weren’t always sure which meaning their dad was trying to use in his jokes.

Analysis:

This use of the proverb may have been mainly as a joke but this phrase has a lot more meaning to it. The proverb implies that it is foolish to be positive but given the double meaning of “positive,” the phrase can be used in multiple ways. Beginning with positive meaning overconfident or saying a definite statement, the phrase is a warning to the listener. It tells the person to not speak in absolutes and there is a possibility that they are uninformed. If they do, it might make them look like a fool when they are proven wrong. This phrase reflects some American cultural values, because an awareness of one’s own lack of knowledge is seen as a virtue. For example, in the workplace, being able to admit that you don’t know everything makes you more appealing to managers. They know you won’t overcommit or be overly confident in the workplace. This value is reflected in broader culture as people generally don’t like the cocky know-it-all and tend to gravitate towards people who are humble.

This phrase is slightly comedic with this definition. It tells a person to not speak in definitive statements but it itself is a definitive statement. It says that only one type of person is overconfident, and that no one else is.

The second way to read “positive” is as happy. In this interpretation, the phrase means that only a fool would be overly happy. Anyone else would have a healthy level of realism with the world. This implies that being too happy is bad and that realism is good. This reflects another cultural value of America where happiness and joyfulness are associated mainly with youth. As you age, you are expected to grow out of your carefree nature and come to a mindset with more realism. This phrase tells you that only a fool would stay with their unrestrained mindset and reject realism. In America, realism is valued and is associated with self-sufficiency, another cultural value that you are meant to embody as an adult.

This phrase has two meanings that on the surface look very different but, looking deeper, they both have strong ties to American cultural values of adulthood that are viewed as strengths in the workplace. It tells people to be wary of absolutes and to view the world with an amount of realism instead of being too happy-go-lucky.

You Would Complain If They Hung You With a New Rope – Folk Phrase

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: College student
Residence: Farmington, Minnesota
Language: English

Text:

You would complain if they hung you with a new rope

Context:

The informant heard this from their grandfather as a kid growing up in Minnesota. The example they gave me was that they might be complaining about something unimportant or trivial. Their grandfather would tell them this phrase to point out that they were whining just to complain and not because there is an actual reason to. The informant acknowledged that in those moments, they were complaining about things that didn’t actually matter. They said that their grandfather used the phrase accurately in pointing out that they didn’t really have anything to be unhappy with.

Analysis:

This phrase is associated with overly complaining about things that don’t matter. The phrase on first read doesn’t make a lot of sense. However, with some research, it is revealed that a new rope is actually a bad way to be hung. The rope should be treated so that it makes death quick. A new (untreated) rope would be inefficient and slow down the process, likely making it more agonizing to the person who is being hung. The phrase says that in the case of the listener being hung, they would still find something to complain about. If they were being hung, the type of rope shouldn’t be their most pressing concern given that they are dying either way.

This phrase seems to be a bit outdated in the US given that America does not hang people regularly. Although this practice is strong in the country’s history from wars and prisoners to racialized attacks, it is much less common today. This phrase is pulling from the shared historical memory of the country.

This phrase also reflects some American cultural values of taking what you are given or “toughening up.” Complaining is associated with someone who isn’t ready to take on the world. Being unable to complete a task without saying all the things that bother you is looked down upon, especially in the workplace. Managers look for people who get the task done, not people who spend time complaining.

This phrase is said to children who tend to be the ones complaining because they haven’t learned the cultural values yet. This means that this phrase is teaching them the way they should act within American culture. It helps them to understand that as an adult, overly complaining isn’t socially acceptable and that now is the time to change that.

From Where The Fish Pisses – Hebrew Proverbial Phrase

Nationality: Israeli-American
Age: 17
Occupation: High school student
Residence: Bellevue, Washington, United States
Language: Hebrew

Text:

מאיפה משתין הדג

Mi’ayfo mashtin hadag
From where the fish pisses

Context:

The informant heard this from other Israeli immigrants growing up in Western Washington nearby Seattle. Although they don’t use it themselves (making them a passive bearer), people around them use it often. It is a proverbial phrase that can used within a sentence such as “I’ll show you where the fish pisses” or “Just you wait, one day I’ll show you where the fish pisses from.” To the informant, the main meaning of the saying is “I’ll show you something even more unbelievable.” It is followed by the statement that is almost impossible to believe. The statement is usually used in a boasting way (where the person is going to say something even crazier than the other person). It is meant to show superiority over the other person by being more knowledgeable. It can also be used as an exclamation such as when someone says something incredible and the other person tells them that it is beyond belief, like the English phrase “no way”. The third way it can be used is as a warning that there are better things to come. For example, someone is telling a story and their audience is getting amazed before the climax of the plot. The storyteller might say this phrase to warn the audience that “you haven’t seen anything yet” and that the most unbelievable or amazing part is still to come. The informant stresses that this phrase is very flexible and has a lot of uses in many contexts. This reason is why the informant likes the phrase so much.

Analysis:

The text of the phrase is comedic to someone reading it for the first time although the uses of the phrase do not quite fit that. It can be used in a very menacing way where one person tries to prove that they are better than another person. This might reflect some cultural value of proving your worth through knowledge, especially over another person. If it is important within Israeli culture to show how much you know, then the usage of this phrase is an example of that.

Fish are an important symbol within Judaism which might explain why they are the animal selected for this specific phrase. While other cultures have similar phrases that are structured similarly, this version uses fish specifically. Fish are a traditional food for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and are a symbol of fertility along with being associated with protection from the evil eye. Given that they are important, the use within a phrase that is meant to show something exciting or unbelievable makes sense.

The phrase itself describes something that is amazing or interesting. Fish are not mammals so knowing where they urinate from is less common knowledge. If someone didn’t know where a fish urinated from and they were told, they might find it interesting and see it as a testament to the other person’s knowledge or expertise.

Without much knowledge about the cultural and historical context of the Hebrew phrase, it is difficult to say what exactly it shows. With more phrases and a deeper understanding of Jewish history, a deeper connection may be revealed. It is likely, in any case, that knowledge and the ability to prove it is an important part of Jewish and Israeli culture.