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Message de minouche15 posté le 2004-07-07 18:44:52 (S | E | F | I)
You like reading, then this message is for you ... It's fun...this topic isn't from myself and perhaps you know it or his author ?... It really is a brain teaser, however it is no use catching a headache : good luck .
John and his love affairs .
John carries a torch for his secretary, unfortunately he's married and his wife brings home the bacon ; He really is in a jam . He wants to tell her the truth but he beats around the bush. Poor old John! He is sitting on the fence . As soon as he sees his wife, he gets cold feet, feeling guilty he buys gifts for both his wife and his secretary which costs him arm and leg and he has to scrape the bottom of the barrels .
I keep on telling him that he can't have his cake and eat it too, especially as a little bird told me that his wife smelt the rat . He is always very angry with me but I answer that he is barking up the wrong tree .
It's terrible to see him eat his heart out . I'm very worried because when he is down in the dumps, he drinks like a fish and cries in his beer, everytime he comes home drunk, his wife wipes the floor with him and he 's in a dog house for three days . John isn't a lucky dog, his secretary also has an asce to grind with him : she thinks John is pulling her leg and taking her for a ride by promising to marry her . He really is high and dry!..
He doesn't want to divorce and get married again, once bitten twice shy, It was very stupid of him to talk about marriage, John always puts the cart before the horse . I'll eat my hat if he gets divorced : first of all because it's old hat to get divorced, secondly he doesn't need to jump out of the frying pan into the fire and thirdly because a bird in a hand is worth two in a bush, even if he bends over backwards, he will never be able to let his hair down and enjoy life .
I have never met John's secretary but I know from the horse's mouth that she can't hold the candle to his wife even though she is really beautiful ... John's mother also hopes that her daugter-in-law wins the battle hands down . As John is such a hard nut to crack she always says :
"Johnny open your eyes, you are blind as a bat". My dear friend John gets furious and bites his head off . His mother isn't known for her diplomacy and she calls a spade a spade, she always upsets the apple cart . Oh ! dear, I'm holding the bag -The other day John told me furiously : "Why did you tell her ? You promised me not to let the cat out of the bag . How embarrassing for me! I simply wanted her advice, after all two heads are better than one . John's mother can't keep a secret, I should have known one can't teach an old dog new tricks . John's mother and I are in the same boat, between you and me, I will not discuss the matter anymore with either of them, my old dad said : "My boy, always let sleeping dogs lie!" In the meantime the poor woman is on pins and needdles, for her Johny is still a little boy, she will accept that John is a man when the cows come home .
Well, well, why do I worry so much about John ? He is a picture of health, he gets declaring the early bird catches the worms, whereas I could sleep around the clock . If I continue like that I'll soon kick the bucket, then as they say : when it rains it pours. I'd better invite my wife to this new restaurant where you can eat for a song and after dinner WOW!!!... I'll paint the town red !...Well, let's not dream, don't count the chikens before they hatched, a stitch in time saves nine . By the way I really feel hungry now, I could eat a horse, well then good bye; folks .
I know, I forgot my umbrella and it's raining cats and dogs .
see you soon ;
You like reading, then this message is for you ... It's fun...this topic isn't from myself and perhaps you know it or his author ?... It really is a brain teaser, however it is no use catching a headache : good luck .
John and his love affairs .
John carries a torch for his secretary, unfortunately he's married and his wife brings home the bacon ; He really is in a jam . He wants to tell her the truth but he beats around the bush. Poor old John! He is sitting on the fence . As soon as he sees his wife, he gets cold feet, feeling guilty he buys gifts for both his wife and his secretary which costs him arm and leg and he has to scrape the bottom of the barrels .
I keep on telling him that he can't have his cake and eat it too, especially as a little bird told me that his wife smelt the rat . He is always very angry with me but I answer that he is barking up the wrong tree .
It's terrible to see him eat his heart out . I'm very worried because when he is down in the dumps, he drinks like a fish and cries in his beer, everytime he comes home drunk, his wife wipes the floor with him and he 's in a dog house for three days . John isn't a lucky dog, his secretary also has an asce to grind with him : she thinks John is pulling her leg and taking her for a ride by promising to marry her . He really is high and dry!..
He doesn't want to divorce and get married again, once bitten twice shy, It was very stupid of him to talk about marriage, John always puts the cart before the horse . I'll eat my hat if he gets divorced : first of all because it's old hat to get divorced, secondly he doesn't need to jump out of the frying pan into the fire and thirdly because a bird in a hand is worth two in a bush, even if he bends over backwards, he will never be able to let his hair down and enjoy life .
I have never met John's secretary but I know from the horse's mouth that she can't hold the candle to his wife even though she is really beautiful ... John's mother also hopes that her daugter-in-law wins the battle hands down . As John is such a hard nut to crack she always says :
"Johnny open your eyes, you are blind as a bat". My dear friend John gets furious and bites his head off . His mother isn't known for her diplomacy and she calls a spade a spade, she always upsets the apple cart . Oh ! dear, I'm holding the bag -The other day John told me furiously : "Why did you tell her ? You promised me not to let the cat out of the bag . How embarrassing for me! I simply wanted her advice, after all two heads are better than one . John's mother can't keep a secret, I should have known one can't teach an old dog new tricks . John's mother and I are in the same boat, between you and me, I will not discuss the matter anymore with either of them, my old dad said : "My boy, always let sleeping dogs lie!" In the meantime the poor woman is on pins and needdles, for her Johny is still a little boy, she will accept that John is a man when the cows come home .
Well, well, why do I worry so much about John ? He is a picture of health, he gets declaring the early bird catches the worms, whereas I could sleep around the clock . If I continue like that I'll soon kick the bucket, then as they say : when it rains it pours. I'd better invite my wife to this new restaurant where you can eat for a song and after dinner WOW!!!... I'll paint the town red !...Well, let's not dream, don't count the chikens before they hatched, a stitch in time saves nine . By the way I really feel hungry now, I could eat a horse, well then good bye; folks .
I know, I forgot my umbrella and it's raining cats and dogs .
see you soon ;
Réponse: re Some cludes : Idioms de minouche15, postée le 2004-07-10 19:51:04 (S | E)
Some clues to help you to understand this odd message, built with a lot of idioms :
Good luck
see you soon
-------------------
Edité par mariet le 11-07-2004 16:07
pour rectifier quelques fautes de frappe et ajouter les balises
Réponse: re de mariet, postée le 2004-07-12 16:18:19 (S | E)
Thank you for this compilation, minouche15
It really is a brainteaser and I enjoyed it.
Could you just check "has an asce to grind with him", please ? I've been hoplessly trying to find it. I couldn't even find asce. I've tried other spellings but none worked.
I knew the phrase "to have a bone to pick with somebody" (avoir un compte à régler avec qqn) but I'd be glad to have a new one to add to my list.
While I was searching I came across
http://www.funbrain.com/funbrain/idioms/index.html
It's a game meant for American children with lots of idioms that were new to me but as an example sentence is given you can understand the meaning from the context.
I think you'll enjoy it.
Cheerio,
Mariet
Réponse: re to Mariet & Minouche de caz9, postée le 2004-07-12 18:20:01 (S | E)
"has an asce to grind with him"
I suspect Minouche probably means "axe". The expression is "to have an axe to grind with him".
I picked up a few other corrections:
An arm and a leg
to smell a rat
daughter-in-law
don't count your chickens before they're hatched
Réponse: to caz9 de mariet, postée le 2004-07-12 18:42:44 (S | E)
Thank you caz9. I was hoping you would come and help!!!
Réponse: re de aodglas, postée le 2004-07-12 20:11:03 (S | E)
Thanks for those "cludes"(mean expressions?) and this text. I've some work to translate this one.My "cassell" dictionary is out of order.
See you.
Réponse: re to mariet and caz9 de minouche15, postée le 2004-07-12 20:35:49 (S | E)
I apologize for my mistakes and thank you for having given the corrections . you are right I'd have to write axe
- to have an axe to grind = avoir un compte à régler...
I have had a look at the advised site with idioms, I agree with you, I'm sure That I'm going to enjoy myself, I'm delighted it's relax and well for feeling in good mood .
see you soon .
Réponse: re de mariet, postée le 2004-07-17 20:46:50 (S | E)
Here's something else that might interest you (I've put a post about it in the 'Détente section' because I'd written it in French). There's a 7mn cartoon by Tex Avery (title : Symphony in Slang) in which he illustrates the phrases to the letter... You can imagine the result!!
If you have an opportunity to get hold of it, do not hesitate!
You'll find the reference at
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0044095/
Réponse: re à minouche15 et aodglas de leebenseng, postée le 2004-07-20 07:03:45 (S | E)
Hi, minouche 15 and aodglas,
I think the word "cludes" should be "clues".
leebenseng
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