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| 58093 |
Idioms
I want some idioms to say:
That someone is sad
That something or someone is useless
someone fell in love
thanks
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Language pair: Spanish; English
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| 58147 |
Re:Idioms
Hi Matias!
That someone is sad
They are "blue", "down" or "down in the mouth"
That something or someone is useless
They are "as useless as 'tits' on a boar" (crude)
someone fell in love
they "fell for" someone, they "lell in fove", they are "taken", "smitten", "have a crush on (somebody)"
More later!
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Language pair: Spanish; English
This is a reply to message # 58093
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| 58210 |
Re:Idioms
> have a crush on (somebody)
This is an interesting idiom. Can you tell us how it came into existence? Why does it have the preposition "on"?
Puti
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Language pair: Spanish; English
This is a reply to message # 58147
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| 58253 |
Re:Re:Idioms
I wish I had a clue, Puti. The Oxford English Dictionary has nothing to say on the subject.
If I had to hazard a guess, it would have something to do with the nervous awkwardness we experience when we have a crush on somebody. We might be more likely to "crush" the flowers or whatever gift we've brought along for our lover, being so distracted by our passion. I guess perhaps the use of "on" here is idiomatic, we use it often to describe something happening "on one's watch" or "in one's presence," as in the expression, "Now, don't go getting all sentimental on me!" Or, more likely, the "on" could be in the sense of being focused on a particular object of desire. If I'm having amorous feelings, and they are focused on a particular person, then I have a crush "directed at" or "focused on" that person, which would make the idea of "a crush on" them somewhat more reasonable.
But I'm just grasping at straws here. I'm pretty much as clueless as you are.
Anyway, I put a question into the Word Detective, Evan Morris, who answers questions like these on line. I'll let you know if I find an answer from him on the subject.
Reply to message # 58210
Re:Idioms Juha-Petri Tyrkkö
> have a crush on (somebody)
This is an interesting idiom. Can you tell us how it came into existence? Why does it have the preposition "on"?
Puti
This is a reply to message # 58147
Language pair: Spanish; English
Category: Slang/Expressions
Post date: August 10, 2005
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Language pair: Spanish; English
This is a reply to message # 58210
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| 58256 |
Notes on "have a crush on...."
By the way, it should be clear that there is a sense to "having a crush" of not being a very serious affair. We usually talk about school children having a crush on somebody, or experiencing "puppy love," something we consider to be a very naive, shallow sort of love. If I, as an adult, falling in love with a woman whom I was having serious feelings for, I would not say that I had a crush on her unless I was intentionally trying to downplay (minimize) my feelings.
Mark
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Language pair: Spanish; English
This is a reply to message # 58210
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| 58334 |
Re:Re:Re:Idioms
I think you got it. "having a crush on . . ." Or, you know how you say, "he/she was my first crush" Well most of the time when you have a "crush" on someone, you end up getting a broken, or "crushed" heart. Just throwen out ideas. This is a tough one!
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Language pair: English; German
This is a reply to message # 58253
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