Tag Archives: folk metaphor

“Meet Me at the Airport, We’re Going to Tahiti”

Nationality: American
Age: 63
Occupation: Retired

Informant Information:

Age: 63

Date of Performance: 2/18/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Retired

Primary Language: English

Residence: Alameda, California

Text:

“Meet me at the airport, we’re going to Tahiti.”

Context:

The informant, a native of Berkeley, California, has faced significant family hardships, including her mother’s sudden health crisis, her son’s chronic illness, and her brother’s child being diagnosed with autism. During particularly stressful moments, she and her siblings would jokingly text each other, saying, “Meet you at the airport, let’s go to Tahiti” or “I’m going to Tahiti right now, come join me.” This became their way of signaling that they had reached an emotional breaking point and needed a mental escape.

Analysis:

The metaphorical idea of escaping to Tahiti, an idyllic vacation destination, served as a form of humorous escapism for the informant and her family. By inviting each other to “meet at the airport” and “go to Tahiti,” they created a shared symbolic refuge—a way to momentarily detach from their struggles without actually leaving.

Tahiti, often associated with paradise and relaxation, represented the fantasy of escaping life’s burdens and finding peace. By extending this imaginary invitation, the informant and her siblings not only acknowledged their shared hardships but also reinforced their emotional support for one another. This expression worked simultaneously as a joke and coping mechanism that allowed them to communicate distress, offer solidarity, and maintain their bond through humor, despite adversity.

“It’s snowing in the south”

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Clerical
Language: English

Folk metaphor: “It’s snowing in the south”

“When my sister and I were younger, uh, probably around middle school age on her part, so around 5th or 6th grade for my part- so, anytime you went out to church, or out to dinner, or anytime you had to dress up, you know you’d be wearing a dress; you’d be wearing a slip. Because you wanted to make sure nothing showed through. You didn’t want the sun shining through your dress. Or your skirt. Anyway. The problem is slips can.. Slip down a little bit sometimes, depending on the length of your skirt, depending on how tight the slip is. Anyway, if you noticed each other’s slip was starting to show underneath the bottom of their dress, you’d kind of just come up next to her or she’d come up next to me and mutter under our breath, “ Hey, um it’s snowing in the south”. And so, that was- you knew your slip was showing and you’d need to go excuse yourself and go fix it.”

Analysis: This folk metaphor seems to stem from perceptions of femininity and modesty and marks a subtle way to tell someone their slip is showing. While it would be inappropriate to declare that the slip has fallen in the middle of a social event, using the folk metaphor avoids tabooistic language and allows the individual to retain their dignity and fix the issue privately. The fact that this was mostly between the informant and her sister may mean that for this individual, this phrase was entirely or at least predominantly used by other women. It likely existed within their vocabulary not only as avoidance of a general taboo, but as a gesture of respect for the other woman and as a means to not draw men’s attention to the issue. The fact that this was muttered or spoken under the breath furthers the emphasis on privacy and dignity, allowing one to compose themselves away from judgement.

Stars In Your Eyes – Proverb

“वह लड़की जिसकी आँखों में सितारे हैं”

“Vah ladakee jisakee aankhon mein sitaare hain”

“The girl with stars in her eyes.”

Origins: Indian

Context:

The informant was taught this specific Hindi phrase by her grandmother. They recall hearing this phrase “since [they were] a baby” and “can’t remember the first time” they were introduced to this proverb. The informant elaborates, “My Nani taught me the Hindi phrase. It’s what her father would call her.” Furthermore, Nanaji, their Nani’s father, “was a poet. He told her the story of how stars were good acts materialized, and that’s why Nani was the girl with stars in her eyes.” Growing up, the informant’s “grandma always told [them they] had stars in [their] eyes.”

Analysis:

Being told one has “stars in their eyes” symbolizes all of the good that another person has worked for, manifested in front of them. The informant’s personal story of an older generation saying this phrase to members of the younger generation is telling of the sacrifices that families make to see their children succeed. This is reflective of the inherent importance that is held for trying to give younger generations better lives than those who have lived before them. Also, this proverb creates a folk narrative that emphasizes the impermeability of family ties. Similar to the stars, the notion of the goodness wished for the next generation shines bright. Stars, in this case, personify the beauty of creation and the underlying interconnectedness resounding from loved ones.

“Bowling cows.”

E is a 35-year-old Irish female originally from Cork, Ireland. E currently runs a bed and breakfast with her husband outside out Cork, Ireland.

E performed this folklore over breakfast in the dining area of her bed and breakfast. I asked E if she had any Irish folklore she would be willing to share with me.

E: My husband has this saying, it’s an old Irish thing. Um, if-if you eat all your dinner basically and you’re full of, you’re gonna-you’re full of energy and now you’re feeling really strong and all that, and “I could bowl cows against the hill!” Is what it is, this old saying he has. And he was telling my German friend recently he was just-basically is you feel.. really strong that you could take on anything you could do anything. “Bowl cows against a hill” like in other words you’re gonna just, push the cows up the hill kinda thing. But, it doesn’t really make sense but it’s just a saying you know?

Reflection: To me, E’s saying invokes the same kind of emotion as other sayings like ”I’m on top of the world” or ”I feel like a million bucks” to express the feeling of self-empowerment one feels after eating a good meal. Even though E asserts that the saying doesn’t make sense to her, it at least makes sense within a geographical and cultural context. As E and her husband both live in a rural farming community and tend to livestock themselves, it makes sense that E’s husband’s expression of strength would have something to do with exerting power over something he toils over on a daily basis (cows).

“When the tiger used to smoke” (호랑이 담배피던 시절)

Nationality: Korean
Age: 53
Occupation: Broadcasting Station Producer
Residence: South Korea
Performance Date: April 23rd, 2020
Primary Language: Korean

Main Piece : 

“호랑이 담배피던 시절”

Original Script : 호랑이 담배피던 시절

Phonetic (Roman) Script : Horangee dambae pidun shijul

Transliteration : When the tiger used to smoke

Full Translation : Long, long time ago… 

Context :

My informant is an adult male who was born in the Gangwon Area of Korea, which is located on the East side of the peninsula. He received Korean education throughout his life and he now works in Korea. Here, he is describing a commonly used proverb that is used in the Korean society. He is identified as S in the dialogue. This piece was collected over a phone call in Korean and was translated into English.  

S : So ‘호랑이가 담배피던 시절’ is one of the most famous opening lines of Korean folk stories. The storyteller, or whoever narrates the story would start off with this opening sentence and continue telling the first chapter of the story. It is similar to how Disney movies start with “once upon a time..”. They never identify the exact year of what’s taking place, but only hints that it is a very long time ago. 

E : Is the author for this opening line known?

S : I don’t think so. I’m not an expert on this, but because this is a very widely used opening in countless folk stories, I think it is unknown and will be hard to find who started this. I don’t think the author for “once upon a time” is known too. I’d be surprised if the author is known. 

Analysis :

I think this particular folktale opening reflects a very Korean aspect as they introduce the tiger out of all animals. Tiger has been a national animal of Korea for a very long time and a lot of the ancient folk drawings or cultures include, or is related to tigers. Tigers in Korean folklore hold a great importance and has been used in various occasions such as the Olympic mascot. Also, when we explain smoke, it doesn’t mean Western cigarettes, but it is most likely believed to be ‘곰방대(Gombangdae)’, which is a traditional smoking device of Korea made out of wood and metal. This opening lets the readers imagine a tiger, sitting in his house like a human, and smoking, using Gombangdae. The triggering of the imagination of the readers gives off a mystical feeling to open the scene. 

This article highlights how Korea used a white tiger as a mascot for their 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and what tiger means in their culture.