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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp
@adamcsharp.bsky.social
45K followers 13K following 5.7K posts
1. Writer (https://www.adamsharp.me/) 2. Obsessed with lists 3. COMMON PEOPLE 4. THE CORRECT ORDER OF BISCUITS 5. THE WHEEL IS SPINNING BUT THE HAMSTER IS DEAD (http://geni.us/yDxa)
www.adamsharp.me
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · Oct 19
My latest book is a collection of idioms, proverbs and slang from around the world. It's called The Wheel is Spinning but the Hamster is Dead and in the UK you can get it from these places (geni.us/yDxa). Outside UK, Blackwell's do free/fast international delivery... blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
The cover of The Wheel is Spinning but the Hamster is Dead: A Journey Around the World in Idioms, Proverbs and General Nonsense. Next to it is a quote from the comedian Russell Kane that reads "Extremely entertaining and very useful for new insults", although reading between the lines what Russell actually meant to say was "this is the greatest book in the history of books and you should immediately buy a copy for you and everyone you have ever met"
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folukeifejola.bsky.social
folukeifejola @folukeifejola.bsky.social · 2h
Octopus in Yoruba is apparently "Ayéfófo" or more recently "ẹja ẹlẹsẹ mẹjọ." The latter literally means the eight-legged fish. When consumed as meat, it's called "fọ́ntọ́nfọ́ntọ́n", which I personally translate as "eww! yuck! Squishy!"
adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 3h
As today is World Octopus Day I’ll again mention that a Spanish equivalent to “like a fish out of water” is como un pulpo en un garaje. It means “like an octopus in a garage.”
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 2h
Why did the octopus cross the reef?
To get to the other tide.
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 2h
What does the boss octopus say before work?
Let’s get kraken.
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 2h
How much does an unwell octopus cost?
Sick squid.
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 2h
What do humans and octopuses have in common?
Two sets of forearms.
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 3h
What do you call two octopuses that look exactly the same?
Itenticle.
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 3h
A colloquial Colombian phrase about being very busy is mas ocupado que pulpo lavando platos. It means “busier than an octopus washing dishes.”
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 3h
A Māori proverb about laziness is he mahi te āta noho, e kī ana te wheke. It means “Sitting still is working, so says the octopus.”
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 3h
As today is World Octopus Day I’ll again mention that a Spanish equivalent to “like a fish out of water” is como un pulpo en un garaje. It means “like an octopus in a garage.”
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 1d
Today is National Noodle Day, which is very lucky because it gives me the chance to mention that a French way of saying you are very lucky is avoir le cul bordé de nouilles. It means “to have an ass lined with noodles.”
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 2d
As far as I know most languages just have a word that is close to camp. I’ll look into it more but I do know Spanish has the phrase tener mucha pluma (“to have a lot of feather”) to describe something very camp (perhaps similar to the English “as camp as a row of tents”)
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 2d
“Up ‘n’ Adam” or “Look, Sharp”
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 4d
I will again say that my favourite way of telling someone to fuck off in French (often chanted to opposition crowds at football games) is rentre chez toi, ta mère a fait des gaufres. It means "go back home, your mother made you waffles"
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 4d
On a related note, in Finnish someone with a sweet tooth can be called a pullahiiri, which means "bun mouse"
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garywyles.bsky.social
garywyles.bsky.social @garywyles.bsky.social · 4d
I shall now recite "Ode To A Goldfish" in it's entirety, a poem I read in school over 40 years ago:

O, wet pet
🐟
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 4d
I will again say that my favourite way of telling someone to fuck off in French (often chanted to opposition crowds at football games) is rentre chez toi, ta mère a fait des gaufres. It means "go back home, your mother made you waffles"
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 5d
As I have to make everything a list

Ken Cheng (@kenchengceo.bsky.social)
Brian Bilston (@brianbilston.bsky.social)
Low Quality Facts (@lowqualityfacts.bsky.social)
Inspirational Skeletor (@skeletorinspires.bsky.social)
The Life of Sharks (@thelifeofsharks.com)
Smooth Dunk (@smoothdunk2.bsky.social)
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 5d
Happy National Poetry Day! There's a poem by Austrian poet Ernst Jandl that tells the story of Otto and his naughty pug using no vowels other than O. The image on the left shows the original in German. It doesn't translate that well to English but there's a clumsy attempt in the image on the right.
Ottos Mops Ottos Mops trotzt Otto: fort Mops fort Ottos Mops hopst fort Otto: soso Otto holt Koks Otto holt Obst Otto horcht Otto: Mops Mops Otto hofft Ottos Mops klopft Otto: komm Mops komm Ottos Mops kommt Ottos Mops kotzt Otto: ogottogott otto’s pug otto’s pug is stubborn otto: go away, pug, go away otto’s pug hops away otto: well well otto fetches coke otto fetches fruit otto listens otto: pug, pug otto hopes otto’s pug knocks otto: come, pug, come otto’s pug comes otto’s pug pukes otto: ohgodohgod
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gerellen.bsky.social
Ellen Jæger 🌻 @gerellen.bsky.social · 7d
Which reminds of the old Danish kaffepunch: Put a coin in the bottom of your cup. Pour coffee until the coin can’t be seen. Then add schnapps until the coin is visible. Drink.
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 6d
And I should mention again here that my favourite English phrase used when someone brings you a cup of coffee (or tea) that's nowhere near full is “are you expecting stormy weather?”
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newtongrunnion.bsky.social
Newton Grunnion🇬🇧🇩🇪🇪🇺 @newtongrunnion.bsky.social · 7d
See also "Blümchenkaffee" - coffee so weak, that you can see the floral decor on the bottom of the cup.
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 6d
There's also a theory that it originates from the French moka faux (fake mocha) but "rotting wood mulch" is the more likely etymology... www.dwds.de/wb/etymwb/Mu...
›Muckefuck‹ in: Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen
DWDS – Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
www.dwds.de
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xipha.bsky.social
Xipha @xipha.bsky.social · 7d
On a related note, those mugs exist. If you can read the bottom, your coffee is too weak for a German.
A mug with a vintage blue glazing that reads Flood at the rim and ebb at the bottom
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adamcsharp.bsky.social
Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 7d
Happy International Coffee Day! A German word that describes a coffee substitute, usually made from barley malt, is Muckefuck. It essentially means "rotting wood mulch" and can also describe any weak coffee. So next time someone makes you a bad coffee feel free to say "What the Muckefuck is this?"
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danjac.bsky.social
danjac.bsky.social @danjac.bsky.social · 6d
Disappointed with Icelandic. Usually they make their own neologisms like "the black spittle of Thor"
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