VBP Thursday: The One When It Ended

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

Dear Furriends,

Today, we have a special announcement regarding the VBP Blog Hop.

On January 17 of this year, Jet, Savannah, and I started a blog hop called VBP – Vocab Building Project (Check above link for more information).

We had lots of fun using new words, and I loved looking for French/English idioms (VBP) that were similar or not and which included the word cat. Unfortunately, life being life, we cannot get the energy needed to continue it right now. So we have decided to stop it, at least momentarily.

I would like to thank all the furriends who collaborated in this project:

Jet and his human, for coming up with the original idea for the blog hop! We’re sending you lots of purrs and hugs!

Savannah and her human, for their perseverance (VBP) and patience, and for posting when we couldn’t. We send you hugs and purrs too!

Miss Ann from Zoolatry for creating all the graphics that you see on this post, as well as the badges. Again, hugs and purrs!

Last but not least, thank you to all the furriends who pawticipated! We hope you had fun in the process. We certainly loved reading your posts! Lots of purrs!

A special shout-out to The Tabbies O Trout Towne for participating to all but 2 of the total of 11 hops! Thank you! Lots of purrs! And salmon!

So, for now, we are closing the VBP dictionary and stopping the hop. But one day maybe…

P.S.: If you had planned a VBP post and plan to post it, please post the link in the comment and I will post a link in a post next week. Thank you furry much for your understanding!

VBP Thursday – More bilingualism and kitty expressions!

VBP Thursday – More bilingualism and kitty expressions!

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

Two weeks ago (already!), I posted a VBP post about French and English idioms that were related to kitties.

My dear furriends and readers shared some other idioms and expressions that I would like to start sharing with you today.

First one was suggested by Easy.

to put a spoke in somebody’s wheel: to spoil someone else’s plans and stop them from doing something

We knew the literal translation in French, that is “mettre des batons dans les roues”.

But Easy knew another translation that we like better – kind of:

“to throw a cat in someone’s legs” or in French, “jeter un chat aux jambes de quelqu’un”.

Sammy mentioned the expression “cat got your tongue?” which in French would translate into “tu as donné ta langue au chat ?” (“you gave your tongue to the cat?”).


Clowie reminded us of the expression “when the cat’s away, the mice will play”, with translates exactly the same in French: quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent.”

More next week =^.^=

Below are the past two 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>

da tabbies @da tabbies of trout towne

da tabbies @da tabbies of trout towne

Ann @Pawsitively Pets

Ann @Pawsitively Pets

Easy @Easy Rider

Easy @Easy Rider


Loy @Yikes! Loy Turns 60

Loy @Yikes! Loy Turns 60

Dash Kitten @Dash Kitten

Dash Kitten @Dash Kitten

Savvy @Savannah's Paw Tracks

Savvy @Savannah’s Paw Tracks

Texas @Texas, a cat in NY

Texas @Texas, a cat in NY

da tabbies @da tabbies of trout towne

da tabbies @da tabbies of trout towne

Gizmo @Terrier Torrent

Gizmo @Terrier Torrent

Ann @Zoolatry

Ann @Zoolatry


Socks @Alasandra, The Cats & Dog

Socks @Alasandra, The Cats & Dog

Ann @Pawsitively Pets

Ann @Pawsitively Pets

Savvy @Savannah's Paw Tracks

Savvy @Savannah’s Paw Tracks

Texas @ Texas, a cat in NY

Texas @ Texas, a cat in NY



















































VBP Thursday: Let’s make it bilingual!

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).