Greek Proverbs III

Σ

* "Σπίτι που δεν το βλέπει ο ήλιος, το βλεπει ο γιατρός."
o "A house not seen by the sun is seen by the doctor."


* "Σπίτι μου σπιτάκι μου και σπιτοκαλυβάκι μου."
o "My home, my little home, a little house of my own."
o Greek equivalent of "Home, sweet home".


* "Στου κουφού την πόρτα, όσο θέλεις βρόντα."
o "At the deaf man's door, knock as much as you like."
o Some people ignore any advice or guidance that may be provided to them. In more modern Greek, there is a funny spoof of this proverb : "Στου κουφού την πόρτα, μπες απ'το παράθυρο" ("When at a deaf man's door, get in through the window").


* "Στον άρρωστο το γιατρικό, στον πονεμένο ο λόγος."
o "To the sick you give medicine, to a suffering person a good word."


* "Στους στραβούς κυβερνάει ο μονόφθαλμος."
o "In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."


* "Σ' τσου είκοσι μυαλό, σ'τσου τριάντα βιο και σ' τσου σαράντα γυναίκα, ειδ' αλλιώς είτε μυαλό είτε βιος είτε γυναίκα." (Κεφαλονίτικη παροιμία)
o "At age 20 mind, at age 30 life, at age 40 a wife. Otherwise no mind no life no wife (Kefalonian proverb)
o If you don't have good sense by 20, life(work, social life, etc.) by 30, or married by 40, then it is too late for each respectively.


* "Στα είκοσι θα δουλέψεις, στα τριάντα θα κάμεις, στα σαράντα θα 'χεις. Δε δούλεψες, δεν έκαμες, δεν έχεις."
o At (age) twenty you'll work, at thirty you'll make, and at forty you'll have. If you don't work, you will not make, and you won't have."


* "Σφάλμα γιατρού, πεννιά θεού." (Κεφαλονίτικη παροιμία)
o "A doctor's mistake is God's writing." (Kefalonian proverb)
o God's Decision.

Τ

* "Τα νιάτα (ή ο έρωτας) κι ο βήχας δεν κρύβονται."
o "Youth (or love) and a cough can't be hidden."
o "You cannot fully change yourself"


* "Τα φόρτωσε στον κόκορα."
o "He loaded them (dumped them) on the rooster."
o To abdicate one's responsibilities, especially in studying. Other version: "Δεν μελετάει καθόλου στο σχολείο. Τα έχει φορτώσει στον κόκορα" ("He doesn't study at all in school. He dumps it on the rooster.")


* "Τα πολλά λόγια είναι φτώχια."
o "Many words is poverty."
o Advises against talking too much; avoiding circumlocution.


* "Τ' αργαστήρι θέλει κουτσό νοικοκύρη."
o "A workshop should have a lame master."


* "Τα παθήματα των πρώτων, γεφύρι των δεύτερων."
o "The misfortunes of the first ones, a bridge for the second ones."
o Learning from one's mistakes.


* "Τα ράσα δεν κάνουν τον παπά."
o "A cassock doesn't make someone a priest."
o Roughly equivalent to the Εnglish: "Clothes don't make the man."


* Της νύχτας τα καμώματα τα βλέπει η μέρα και γελά.
o "The day sees the deeds of the night and laughs."
o That which occurs at nighttime is the folly of the daytime.


* "Τι κάνεις, Γιάννη." "Κουκιά σπέρνω."
o "How are you, John?" "I'm planting beans."
o Miscommunication. One says one thing, the other gives an unrelated response."


* "Το μεγάλο ψάρι τρώει το μικρό."
o "The big fish eats the little one."
o People of wealth or high position always take advantage of the less fortunate or weak.


* "Την προδοσία πολλοί αγάπησαν, το προδότη κανείς."
o "Many have loved treason, none the traitor."
o "Many people want to do things, don't have the guts, and the scorn someone who does"


* "Το αγκάθι από μικρό αγκυλώνει."
o "A thorn stings even if it's small."
o "The smallest problems can hurt you"


* "Τον αράπη κι αν τον πλένεις, το σαπούνι σου χαλάς."
o "No matter how much you wash a black person, you are wasting your soap."
o This proverb is mainly used to express the futility of trying to change the mentality of a headstrong person (the color of a black person cannot be washed off) and it does have racist connotations. In modern Greek, the word "αράπης" (arapis -- black man) is a lay (and at times borderline pejorative) term -- originally probably derived from the word "Άραβας" (Aravas -- Arab).


* "Τον καβαλλάρη μην τον λυπάσαι που κρέμονται τα ποδάρια του."
o "Don't feel pity for the rider's hanging legs."
o The implication being that at least he has a horse, while you don't.


* "Το αίμα νερό δε γίνεται."
o "Blood doesn't turn to water."
o Family will always be family. (i.e. "Blood is thicker than water")


* "Τι δε σε νοιάζει μη ρωτάς, ποτέ κακό δεν έχεις."
o "What doesn't concern you, don't ask about, and you'll never have bad (things in your life)."
o About curiosity.


* "Το καλό το παλικάρι ξέρει κι'άλλο μονοπάτι."
o "The good (wise) lad always knows of an alternate path."
o Used when an effort goes wrong or not as expected, but still you manage to find another solution.


* "Το μήλο κάτω απ` τη μηλιά θα πέσει."
o "The apple will fall under the apple-tree."
o The offspring will be like his parents, usually derogatory. Akin to, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree".


* "Το 'να χέρι νήβει τ' άλλο, και τα δυο το πρόσωπο."
o "The one hand washes the other, and both wash the face."
o Used when referring to cooperation and mutual dependency. Also possibly exchanging illicit favours.


* "Το παιδί σου και το σκυλί σου όπως τα μάθεις."
o "Your child and your dog (behave) the way you teach them."
o When you set up rules early, the behaviour that follows adheres to these rules.


* "Το χωριό καίγεται και η πουτάνα λούζεται."
o "The village is burning and the village prostitute is washing her hair."
o English equivalent to "Rome burned and Nero fiddled."


* "Το φθηνό το κρέας τα σκυλιά το τρώνε."
o "Cheap meat is eaten by dogs."
o Cheap items are thrown away.


* "Το σκοινί το μαλακό, τρώει την πέτρα την ξερή."
o "The soft rope corrodes the dry stone."
o Using persuasion, one can change strong opinions.


* "Το στανιό και τη βία ο θεός τα 'δωσε."
o "Force and violence were given by God."
o "Even the best of people have thier faults"


* "Τώρα έφαγες το βόδι, θ'αφήσεις την ουρά;"
o "Now you've eaten the bull, will you leave the tail?"
o On seeing a task through to completion.


* "Τώρα που ζω, θέλω να γδω τα πιθυμάω κι ορίζω, κι άμα, σα φύγω να με κλαίς, χάρη δε στο γνωρίζω."
o "This one is in "peasant" Greek and it says: "Now that I live , I want to see, to wish and own, and when I'm gone i want you to cry for me, but I won't acknowledge it."


* "Το καλό αρνί δυο μάνες βυζαίνει." (Βυζαντινή παροιμία)
o "A gentle sheep is being breastfed by two mothers." (Byzantine proverb)
o "Many a person will side with somebody when they are in the right"


* "Τροχός τ' ανθρώπινα." (αρχαιοελληνικό ρητό)
o "Human things are a wheel." (ancient Greek saying)


* "Το καινούργιο σπίτι, τον πρώτο χρόνο τ' οχτρού σου, τον δεύτερο του δικού σου και τον τρίτο του λόγου σου." (Κεφαλονίτικη παροιμία)
o "For the new house, the first year is your enemy's, the second is your own, and the third your reason/logic's."


* "Το γινάτι βγάζει μάτι."
o "Anger takes out your eyes."
o About the blindness of anger; being unreasonable.


* "Των φρονίμων τα παιδιά, πρίν πεινάσουν μαγειρεύουν."
o "The wise children are cooking before they get hungry."
o "Wise people take precautions"

Φ

* "Φασούλι το φασούλι γεμίζει το σακούλι."
o "Bean by bean, the sack gets full."
o On the merits of saving.


* "Φίλοι μου στην ανάγκη μου, κι εχθροί μου στη χαρά μου."
o "They are my friends when I am in need, and my enemies when I am happy."


* "Φύλαγε τα ρούχα σου να έχεις τα μισά."
o "Mind your clothes so that you can keep half of them."
o Refers to the fact that you can never be too careful, and even if you are very careful, there is still going to be some losses.

Χ

* "Χεστήκαμε και η βάρκα γέρνει."
o "We shit ourselves and the boat is leaning."
o There is no significant difference in a situation after the occurrence of a minor incident.

Ψ

* "Ψάχνεις ψύλλους στ' άχυρα."
o "You are looking for fleas in the straw."
o You are looking for something impossible to find. Akin to "A needle in a haystack."