«To have a horse’s pulling and a donkey’s stop»

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Val. «Tenir arrancada de cavall i parada de burro»

It is said of any project or activity which is undertaken with great vigor and energy, but soon the activity is suddenly ceased.

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Es diu quan qualsevol activitat o empresa comença amb gran empenta i ímpetu, però prompte recula, perd el coratge o l’activitat cessa.

Example:

The town council promised that, instead of making alterations to the library, they would build a brand new one. But... they had a horse’s pulling and a donkey’s stop: the building works stopped and the library is half-finished.

Exemple:

L’ajuntament va prometre que, en comptes de reformar la biblioteca, en construirien una nova de trinca, però... arrancada de cavall i parada de burro: les obres estan a mitjan fer.

In Valencian, you can also say:

«Tenir arrancada de cavall i parada de matxo»
«Tenir arrancada de cavall i parada de somera»

Those who do what they can are not required to do more*

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Val.: «Qui fa lo que pot no està obligat a més»

This saying means that when a person does his best it is not reasonable to ask more of him. There is no point in criticizing him or asking him for the impossible.

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Este refrany vol dir que quan algú fa tot lo que pot per a ajudar en la resolució d’un problema o per a col·laborar en qualsevol empresa, no és raonable exigir-li que faça més coses, demanar-li un impossible.

*Also «If a man does his best, what else is there?»

«Black pantyhoses, white pantyhoses, I bet you a duro you don’t catch me»

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Val. «Calces negres, calces blanques, m’ajugue un duro que no m’alcances»

There is a Valencian children’s game in which a child (who plays the role of the “victim”) has to approach a cemetery gate and recite this rhyme loudly while showing his back to the cemetery. The sentence is a type of invocation to challenge the spirits of the place. If the child is able to say the whole sentence without being defeated by fear, then he passes the test, as he has proved he is a brave child. When he finishes, anyway, he would normally run out, just in case spirits get angry!

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Esta rima prové d’un joc infantil valencià en què un xiquet, que fa de víctima, ha d’acostar-se de nit a la porta d’un cementeri i recitar la rima d’esquena a la reixa de la porta. La frase és una espècie d’invocació o conjur per a desafiar els esperits, i aconseguir dir-la sencera sense ser vençut per la por és la prova de la valentia del jugador. De totes maneres, normalment, una vegada ha dit la frase, el xiquet arranca a córrer i s’allunya del cementeri, per si de cas!

Variations:

«Calces negres, calces blanques, a l’acuit que no m’alcances»
«Calces negres, calces blanques, a la quit que no m’alcances»
«Calces negres, calces blanques, a la cuit que no m’alcances»

Linguistic clarifications:

1) A duro is a five-peseta coin. Peseta was the Spanish currency during 19th and 20th centuries, before euro came.


2) «Jugar a l’acuit» is a playground game which means, depending on the region, to play hide-and-seek or to play tag.

I cross myself

Tweet Val. «Me’n faig creus»

‘Fer-se creus’ means to be astonished. Thus, you say ‘Me’n faig creus’ when you can’t believe something unusual that somebody has just told you, or something extraordinary that has just happened. The origin of the expression is obviously christian: in our culture, you make the sign of the cross when you are astonished or when you want to ask God for protection.

When we tell her what has happened, she’ll cross herself

I can’t believe my eyes! I cross myself!

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«Fer-se creus» significa admirar-se, estranyar-se, davant una cosa insòlita, extraordinària, increïble. L’origen de l’expressió és, òbviament, cristià: en la nostra cultura, la gent se senya per a mostrar respecte a Déu o per a demanar-li protecció quan passa una cosa inesperada.

Quan li direm el que ha passat, se’n farà creus

No m’ho puc creure, me’n faig creus!

«The flea is the true devil, a tiny animal that sleeps with young women... And I, being single, am not allowed to do the same!»

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Val. «El dimoni són les puces, animal tan remenut, que dormen amb les fadrines, i jo que sóc fadrí no puc!»

Esta rima expressa la frustració d’un xic en plena efervescència sexual, que, per algun motiu, no satisfà amb cap dona el seu desig sexual.

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This is just a funny rhyme that expresses the frustration of a boy in full sexual effervescence who, for some reason, does not fulfill his sexual desire with any woman.