- The Mighty Moltres
- Dec 21, 2012
-
Come! We must fly!
|
Well, consider my mind blown. That's two new words I've learned today.
Nice posts so far, guys! (Also, thanks for the sticky!  )
Not a new one to me, but one of my favorite foreign words is "Aufhebung". Ah, my German ancestors, always got a handy word for something that takes 20 words or more in English.
It's got a seemingly contradictory meaning, in that it can mean "to preserve" or "to abolish". Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, it boils down to "to reinforce the existence of something as it's being destroyed." The example given in a dumbed down way so even a stoned college-age me got it: A hamburger is not really fulfilling it's existence as a hamburger until someone eats it. It's a hamburger-like-thing when it's made, yeah, but it's not REALLY a hamburger until you destroy it by consuming it. Once it's just crumbs on a plate and a chewed up mass in your belly, that's when it truly exists/existed as a hamburger.
(In my mind, same thing applies to those people my parents' age who have a sofa that's wrapped in plastic that no one's allowed to sit on. Ain't really a sofa unless you're willing to sit on it and wear it out, otherwise it's, I dunno, a useless object and not really furniture. Aufhebung that poo poo up, people.)
Mind blown.
What aren't the Germans good at?
That's not a joke, I'm literally asking.
Anyway, it may seem mundane, but I finally figured out the meaning behind the phrase "A bird in hand is better than two in the bush."
I've heard this proverb many times in my 32 years of existence, and never gave it much thought.
But it's true. You have a bird. Ignore the ones you don't.
Simple.
Great thread, I look forward to some excellent etymology.
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2020 18:01
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
¿
May 18, 2024 04:33
|
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2020 18:01
