VBP Thursday: Let’s make it bilingual!

[Still not sure what VBP is? Check here.]

Because my human has a cold (again!) and because of a funny thing she told me recently, I decided that I would use my polyglot (VBP) skills to do my post. Of course, right now, you can’t see the link with my human’s cold and the funny thing she told me, but keep reading.

When my human went to the Architects for Animals event, she met one of my favorite human bloggers, ailurophile (VBP) Layla, of Cat Wisdom 101.

I’ll spare (VBP) you the details, but at one point, my human learnt a new expression:

To have a frog in one’s throat

Well, guess what kitties? In French, the exact translation of this expression is:

Avoir un chat dans la gorge

or “to have a cat in one’s throat.”

Source:cheezburger.com

Source:cheezburger.com

You’d think the French would prefer the frog! You’d be wrong!

There are a couple of other French expressions using the word cat. In the comments of my last post, Sparky Spitfire asked me how to say “peek a boo” in French. There is no exact translation for it (something like “jouer à/faire coucou” would do), but it made me think of another expression.

“Play tag” translates into… you guessed it! “Jouer à chat” or “jouer à chat perché” (literally “play cat” or “play off-ground cat”).

I knew that my smart readers would not simply “give up” and… “donner sa langue au chat” (“give one’s tongue to the cat”)!

Illustration : Zelda Zonk Source: TV5.org

Illustration : Zelda Zonk
Source: TV5.org

Can you think of other expressions with the word cat, in English or another language?

Here are last week’s pawticipants. As always, click on the bluey badge at the bottom of this post to enter your link for this week. And don’t forget to grab the badge! Thanks to everyone!

VBT-Badge-V2-Texas_150

<a href="http://texascatny.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://texascatny.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/vbt-badge-v2-texas_150.jpg" border="0" height="150" width="182"></a>

Daisy @Everyday Adventures in Havachon Heaven

Daisy @Everyday Adventures in Havachon Heaven

da tabbies @da tabbies of trout towne

da tabbies
@da tabbies of trout towne

Ann @Zoolatry

Ann
@Zoolatry


Loy @Yikes! Loy Turns 60

Loy
@Yikes! Loy Turns 60

Misaki @The Misadventures of Misaki

Misaki @The Misadventures of Misaki

Dash Kitten @Dash Kitten

Dash Kitten
@Dash Kitten

Ann @Pawsitively Paws

Ann
@Pawsitively Paws

Nylablue @Nylablue & SherriEllen's Purrfect Pad

Nylablue @Nylablue & SherriEllen’s Purrfect Pad

Amy @Training Toby

Amy
@Training Toby


Gizmo @Terrier Torrent

Gizmo
@Terrier Torrent

Jet @Hey It's Jet Here

Jet
@Hey It’s Jet Here

Savvy @Savannah's Paw Tracks

Savvy @Savannah’s Paw Tracks



Texas @Texas, a cat in NY

Texas @Texas, a cat in NY
















































Here is the linkie for this new week, to enter the link to your post (permalink).



47 thoughts on “VBP Thursday: Let’s make it bilingual!

  1. Brilliant, a bilingual vocab builder post. Well that’s got us all trying to learn something new now. We use “a frog in the throat” often in South Africa. I just assumed everyone new it. Funny that the French would call it a cat (bit bigger and rather furry, so must be even worse over there :) ).

  2. What an interesting post. It is so fun to find out the origin of some of the sayings we use all the time. Love the frog hat, mes amis! MOL. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Josette

  3. Cool post Texas! Sorry your Mum’s got a bad cold….yuck. A human expression that makes ME laugh is “what’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”……….HAHAHAHAHA………

    Kitty Hugs, Sammy

  4. Bilingual is good, my sister and I are trilingual…dog, English and German. Most of our commands are German and mom talks to us in German a lot, kind of fun to see the reaction of people :)

  5. Ah! Merci mille fois! un jour nous viendrons chez vous pour jouer à cou-cou! et maintenant – y-a-t’il un phrase comme “the cat’s pajamas” en français? you know: “that Sparky, she’s the Cat’s Pajamas…” qui veut dire “ce Sparky, qu’elle est Super!” existe-t-il, ce phrase?
    merci encore pour ce blog intérssante et éducatif!
    (now Mrs. Whatsername has to take a nap as she has used up all her college french brain cells for one afternoon. but she thanks you just the same)

  6. dood…seer ee iz lee…tell yur mom ta eat sum trout N we wood like ta noe how ta say:

    burds R stoooooooooooooooooooooopid

    in french :)

    “the cat’s pajamas'”
    :)

  7. We like how things never translate from one language to another , in exactly the same way ! Very fun post :)

    the critters in the cottage xo

    P.S. Hope your Maman feels better soon :)

  8. Donner sa langue au chat, I love this expression! I know most of the English ones mentioned, but there’s a couple of Dutch ones I was taught: De kat uit de boom kijken (To watch the cat out of the tree) and Een kat komt altijd op z’n pootjes terecht (A cat will always land on its feet again).

  9. Pingback: VBP Thursday – More bilingualism and kitty expressions! | Texas, a cat in New York

  10. Hello! merci d’avoir partagé cet article et aussi toutes ces belles photos sur ton blog. je suis également passionné par les animaux et j’ai même débuté un blog y’a peu de temps. a bientôt, Julie

  11. Pingback: VBP Thursday – This IS The Cat’s Meow | Texas, a cat in New York

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