The English have many idioms for uselessness – perhaps this reflects a cultural concern with functionality, or ability? Often the commonest English idioms about uselessness seems to deal with non-functional nipples. Among the variants are:
Useless as tits on a boar
Useless as tits on a bull
Maybe this has something to do with the English and their sex lives – useless if the French press are to be believed!
There are other inventive idioms for uselessness in English:
As useless as a jam sandwich to a drowning rabbit.
As useless as a chocolate fireguard or as useless as a chocolate teapot
As useless as a one-armed juggler
As useless as a windshield wiper on a submarine
As useless as a pogo stick in quicksand
Germans on the other hand have many idioms for Superfluous and Unnecessary – now if I was generalizing I could make a pun here but I’ll refrain. But here’s some examples:
Superfluous as a frog’s croaks
Superfluous as a prostate gland
Superfluous as a bicycle for a fish
Unnecessary as a condom machine in a convent
Unnecessary as a well is to a village on the banks of a river
Unnecessary as a men’s bathroom at a Lillith Fair show
I just can’t think of any English idioms with Unnecessary or Superfluous.
Are there any Polish idioms which can be translated into Superfluous or Unnecessary?
Is this an unnecessary blog post?
I can’t think of any Polish idiom or proverb on uselessness (bezużyteczność) or being unncessary (niepotrzebny). And I’m too lazy to check up what superfluous means:)
Maybe DarthSida will be of more help:)
Bezużyteczność being a word that just flows off the tongue, it’s hardly surprising!
Superfluous means, roughly, “more than is required” or even more directly “not required” – zbyteczny?
Dat – surely the tits ones are of American origin, no?
Love the German ones. And to think I always thought Lillith was Frasier’s ex-wife!
How about:
“jak wół do karocy”
“as an ox to a carriage”
—> which can be interpreted and used in more contexts. Most appropriate imo would be “matching” (as an ox to a carriage), though “useless” would fit as well
wonder whether the fact its so hard to think of proverbs on uselessness – that means Poles are not concerned with functionality of things?:D
Hold on, my dad who happend to pop round, has some more:
- potrzebny jak świni siodło
(needless as a saddle for a pig)
- potrzebny jak dziura w moście
(needless as a hole in a bridge)
- (potrzebny jak wrzód na dupie
(needless as a ulcer on an arse)
…
=> Roll on, PP!
Something may be “potrzebne jak umarłemu kadzidło”, as needed as incense to the deceased (one)”.
[Btw, these examples go "[as] needed as”, not “[as] needless as…”. Polish, a subtler language?]
Scats – According to wiki it’s English, I know my father used to use tits on a bull – maybe it’s a northern thing? http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Transwiki:List_of_British_idioms
PP – not sure that I get the ulcer on the arse one – will ask my mother-in-law
Dat, you’ll ask your mother-in-law about that? Are you sure?:)
Dat’s not answering, Pawel. I fear he actually asked his m-i-l about the ulcer thing.
Shucks guys, I should know better now I’m really in the dog house…