In which I explain my car accident and the micro break I am taking...
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Thursday
Tuesday
Idioms and Idiomatic expressions
Beware Greeks Bearing gifts
Meaning
Don't trust your enemies.
Origin
An allusion to the story of the wooden horse of Troy, used by the Greeks to trick their way into the city. It is recorded in Virgil's Aeneid, Book 2, 19 BC:
"Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts."
Of course that English version is a translation. Another translation, by John Dryden, has "Trust not their presents, nor admit the horse."
The same thought was also recorded by Sophocles (496 - 406 BC), in Ajax:
Nought from the Greeks towards me hath sped well.
So now I find that ancient proverb true,
Foes' gifts are no gifts: profit bring they none.
The Classics are no longer widely taught or read, so this phrase is now little used, although it was resurrected in a sideways reference during a 1990s copyright dispute. There was considerable discussion then,in Internet chat rooms etc., regarding the company Compuserve, who owned the copyright to the GIF image format, and their possible intentions to restrict its use. Some people feared that they might be taken to law by Compuserve if they received and viewed GIF images without permission. The phrase "beware of geeks bearing gifs" was coined to sum that up.
There - isn't that fun? I love when I find a really thurough explanation of a phrase. So , how would I sign it? CAREFUL. Then I would set up a person on the non dominant side, sign (topic) AGAINST-ME (comment) TRUST NOT.
What do you think?
Thanks to The Phrase Finder for such a great explanation!
Meaning
Don't trust your enemies.
Origin
An allusion to the story of the wooden horse of Troy, used by the Greeks to trick their way into the city. It is recorded in Virgil's Aeneid, Book 2, 19 BC:
"Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts."
Of course that English version is a translation. Another translation, by John Dryden, has "Trust not their presents, nor admit the horse."
The same thought was also recorded by Sophocles (496 - 406 BC), in Ajax:
Nought from the Greeks towards me hath sped well.
So now I find that ancient proverb true,
Foes' gifts are no gifts: profit bring they none.
The Classics are no longer widely taught or read, so this phrase is now little used, although it was resurrected in a sideways reference during a 1990s copyright dispute. There was considerable discussion then,in Internet chat rooms etc., regarding the company Compuserve, who owned the copyright to the GIF image format, and their possible intentions to restrict its use. Some people feared that they might be taken to law by Compuserve if they received and viewed GIF images without permission. The phrase "beware of geeks bearing gifs" was coined to sum that up.
There - isn't that fun? I love when I find a really thurough explanation of a phrase. So , how would I sign it? CAREFUL. Then I would set up a person on the non dominant side, sign (topic) AGAINST-ME (comment) TRUST NOT.
What do you think?
Thanks to The Phrase Finder for such a great explanation!
Monday
Idioms and Idiomatic expressions
Years ago I did an e-zine with a tip for improving interpreting, idiom, and suggested resource of the week. It had 52 entries, and was pretty popular for its time. I eventually gave up because it was so hard to keep coming up with every week. I put it together as a cd so if you want the whole thing sometime, just email me and ask for "tips and tricks". It is in html format so you can read it in any browser. This version has no video, although eventually we might redo it with suggested ways to sign the idioms.
What made me think of it? I was sitting in class today as an instructor spoke of greek mythology and "Achilles' Heel" came to mind:
Achilles Heel:
The one weak spot in an otherwise strong character or position. In Greek Mythology, Achilles was the most powerful of all the greek fighters at Troy. His mother was immortal and tried to pass that on to her son by dipping him into the River Styx (the sacred river by which all the gods swore). Where she held him by the heel was the only place not invulnerable and ultimately the source of the wound that killed him.
"She is quite a distance runner, but sprints are her achilles' heel."
I guess you can see I suggest WEAK as the sign. It doesn't seem to have as much color, but then there are ASL phrases that we don't do justice to as well.
Turn about is fair play. Proverb
It is fair for one to suffer whatever one has caused others to suffer.
So, you don't like being made fun of! Well, turnabout is fair play.
Again, one of those phrases that have one sign as a semantic equivalent (EQUAL) although, even with grammar markers and emphasis it seems to lack a little color.
Any other suggestions?
Both signs are available at the ASL Browser .
What made me think of it? I was sitting in class today as an instructor spoke of greek mythology and "Achilles' Heel" came to mind:
Achilles Heel:
The one weak spot in an otherwise strong character or position. In Greek Mythology, Achilles was the most powerful of all the greek fighters at Troy. His mother was immortal and tried to pass that on to her son by dipping him into the River Styx (the sacred river by which all the gods swore). Where she held him by the heel was the only place not invulnerable and ultimately the source of the wound that killed him.
"She is quite a distance runner, but sprints are her achilles' heel."
I guess you can see I suggest WEAK as the sign. It doesn't seem to have as much color, but then there are ASL phrases that we don't do justice to as well.
Turn about is fair play. Proverb
It is fair for one to suffer whatever one has caused others to suffer.
So, you don't like being made fun of! Well, turnabout is fair play.
Again, one of those phrases that have one sign as a semantic equivalent (EQUAL) although, even with grammar markers and emphasis it seems to lack a little color.
Any other suggestions?
Both signs are available at the ASL Browser .
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