These four words and the last phrase never fail to bring a smile to my face:
Pongo = I put
Bimbo = sliced bread
¡Bestial! = fantastic, amazing
Tonto = idiot, stupid (the Lone Ranger and...)
Metro station announcement: "Atención, estación en curva. Al salir, tengan cuidado de no introducir el pie entre coche y andén" = "Mind The Gap".
Literally, "Attention, the station is on a curve. When you leave, take care not to introduce your foot between the coach and the platform." I think I prefer the British version!
Spanish Floods
4 days ago
5 comments:
Mind the gap - short, sweet & to the point! Bestial! brings to mind all sorts of connotations though! Nice post keefie :-)
The warning comment "Mind the Gap" is certainly short and to the point. There again, "Mind the £4 miniumum charge, breakdowns at Kennington or Acton, and don't even think about getting anywhere in south London by Tube..." wouldn't go down too well either! One thing I miss about Madrid is the transport system. Apart from the pickpockets of course!
I have to say, I much prefer the Spanish version. It actually tells you to your face what is going on. When I first moved to London (1990) it took me about a year to figure out what the hell they were talking about. The gap? What gap? the existential gap? The poverty gap? the gap between my teeth? No clue.
I asked a friend and he explained very matter-of-factly which "gap" was being alluded to.
I remember listening to a recording by BT when you dialled this or that number- I have forgotten what for. "There may be a charge". If you are not British, "there may be a charge" sounds like an optional threat. "We may cut your head off".
Well, will you or won't you? Is there going to be a charge or isn't there? What is it dependent on? Chance? The weather?
My friends used to think it was funny. It made sense to them. "It's because we are British" they used to say. "Its because you are odd", I used to think.
As per usual, rules and logic are as subjective as everything else.
Jajaja esto es buenísimo!!! y describe perfectamente la diferencia entre la mentalidad latina y aquella esencial y concisa del norte. Yo creo que por esto nosotros somos menos efectivos a la hora de llevar al cabo algo. Perdona si escribo en español pero creo que mi ingles seria imposible de intender para vosotros ;)
Gorianoff - the Existential Gap: I love it!
La Rampante - I would have expected the Health and Safety-obsessed British Nanny State to be a lot more verbose on the topic than the 'not-really-bothered, if-you-die, you-die' Southern European crowd.
Strange.
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