Comment on What is a metaphor you like in your language?

• corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  “Don’t look at the teeth of a gifted horse”

  “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Yours makes way more sense

  Um, it’s the same statement: One could be a direct translation of the other. How can one make more sense?

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  • BmeBenji@lemm.ee ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    One is phrased with specificity, implying the action is extremely particular. The other one makes it sound like the horse is likely to bite you if you’re looking in its mouth too closely

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    • AppaYipYip@lemmy.world ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      So I think the “horse is likely to bite you if you’re looking in its mouth too closely” is an assumption we both had about this phrase. I grew up in the suburbs and rarely saw horses so I assumed this phrase was about it possibly bitting. However I now live in a more rural area and horses are pretty sweet and the only reason anyone looks in their mouth is to make sure they’re healthy or figure their age. I’m guessing you, like me, also grew up not around horses so we assumed the English version means something different than it probably did in the past when horses were common place.

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    • zealshock@slrpnk.net ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I always thought it was about how good were the horse’s teeth, since older horses usually get dental health issues and that usually has to do with how much care it had and / or it’s age.

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