He who steals an egg will steal a bull

Tweet

El misantrop, de Pieter Brueghel el Vell

Val.: «Qui furta un ou, furta un bou»

Este refrany diu que qui és capaç de cometre un furt de poca importància, és igualment capaç de furtar coses més valuoses; ja ha abandonat el comportament moral i recte, i li és ben fàcil anar més enllà. Aixina ho explica Víctor Labrado:

«Qui furta un ou furta un bou? Això asseguraven, a Sueca, les nostres mares allà pels anys seixanta. Com ara: enxampaven la criatura ficant la mà a la cartera (la cartera sagrada de la mare) i la criatura es defensava dient que només volia sostraure-li un xavo (10 cèntims de pesseta) o un gallet (5 cèntims). Era ben igual, perquè sentenciava la mare: “Qui furta un ou furta un bou”.

»Qualsevol furt per insignificant que fóra podia ser el començament probable d’una carrera delictiva. Així ho creia ―i potser encara ho creu― la nostra gent i tenia una frase feta per a dir-ho amb un màxim d’eficàcia expressiva i un mínim d’esforç».

“El patrimoni oral”, revista La chicharra, gener de 2008.

----------------------------------------

Qui [Those who] furta [steal] un ou [an egg] furta [steal] un bou [a bull]. This proverb says that those who commit minor theft are bound to steal valuables. Once they show an immoral conduct, it is easy for them to go one step beyond.

Related expressions in English: He who steals an egg will steal an ox

To those asking questions, tell them lies

Tweet

Val. «Al preguntador, mentires amb ell»

«Al que vullga saber, mentires amb ell»
«A qui pregunta, mentires amb ell»

Esta frase nos recomana que quan algú nos fa preguntes que no pertoquen (que pretenen fer-nos mal o que es fan amb una confiança que la persona no s’ha guanyat prèviament), la millor opció és contestar-li amb mentires o confondre’l amb falsedats. Saciarem temporalment la seua curiositat malsana, però quan s’assabentarà que lo que li hem dit no és cert, s’adonarà que nos hem rist d’ell a la cara, i potser se sentirà avergonyit d’haver sigut un dotor.

-----------------------------------------------

This set phrase suggests people to tell lies to those who make spiteful questions (questions that try to hurt you or just interfere in your private life). If you lie to that person, you’ll satisfy his/her curiosity for a while, but eventually he/she’ll realize you’ve cheated him/her. Then he/she might be ashamed for being so nosy.

Those who mock others will be pricked by the devil

Tweet

Val. «A qui es burla, el dimoni li furga»

Este refrany nos recorda que qui es burle cruelment dels altres rebrà, tard o d'hora, el seu castic.

------------------------------------

It means that each ill-intentioned joke will always find its respective punishment.

To be more jerk than the rough cane

Tweet

Val.: «Ser més bord que la canyota»
It's the maximum expression for describing someone's annoying behaviour.
* bord: annoying, rude, jerk. [see more definitions]

It's the maximum expression for describing someone's annoying behaviour.

* bord: annoying, rude, jerk. [see more definitions]

The play on words comes from the fact that in Valencian the word bord has 2 meanings: one is wild, like a wild plant, that is useless and annoying for the farmer. Thus, the sentence would be: To be wilder than a mass of reeds. The second meaning of the word bord is nasty or jerk, as when somebody gets stroppy. The expression is playing with the two meanings, as both (a wild plant and a nasty person) are unpleasant.

To be a demon

Tweet Val. «Ser un dimoni»

It means 'to have an annoying behaviour'

You'll be rid of being a miller, but you won't escape from being a thief

Tweet Val. «De moliner fugiràs, però de lladre no te n'escaparàs»

It's said to bad people who cannot avoid their wickedness in any situation. Like a corrupt miller who changes his occupation but cannot get rid of his evil behaviour.

To be meaner than tench in juice

Tweet

Val. «Ser més roí que la tenca en suc»

Un valencià diria això a un altre que no es comporta bé i reincidix una vegada i una altra en la mateixa actitud vil.

---------------------------------------

A Valencian would say this to another guy when the latter behaves in an improper way and relapses again and again into the same attitude. The saying means something like: ‘There is no hope for you’, ‘You’re hopeless’, ‘There’s no way of dealing with you.’

The two translations into English are due to the fact that roí in the original saying refers both to the evil nature of the character and to the bad flavour of the fish in question.

*also To be worst than tench in juice

To be wicker than Rope-Cutter

Tweet Val. «Ser més roí que Tallacordes»

És una frase feta basada en un personatge fictici de l’imaginari popular valencià.

--------------------------------------------

It’s just another set phrase based on a fictitious character of Valencian traditional tales and stories.

To be wicker than 'Fire-Skinner'

Tweet Val. «Ser més mal (/roí) que Pela-focs»


It's said to people who have a really bad behaviour; 'Fire-Skinner' would just be a fictitious character of Valencian culture, like many others as 'Carracuca', 'Garró' (Eng. Pig's Knuckle), 'Tacó' (Eng. Heel), etc.

Tweet To be made out of the Devil's skin

Val. «Ser de la pell del dimoni»

A careful Valencian grandma would advise her grandchildren not to hang around with those who are de la pell del dimoni, that is, those rascals who are a veery bad influence.