Proverbs And Sayings

Agriculture


Ch'est tché triste quànd la créature tou'ne au g'niche, mais pière quànd ch'est au biche.
Said of a bad-tempered or wicked person getting worse.


La caboche n'est pas acore poummaïe.
The cabbage has not headed yet; the time is not ripe yet.


Les peis et les moussaëttes dans la poudraëtte; et les faïves dans la marette.
Peas and haricots must be sown in the dust; butter or horse beans in wet soil (in the puddle).


Quànd lé buisset est plioin il jeutte.
When the bushel measure is full it spills over.


Quand l'tchériot est versaï il est trop tard à y pensaïr.
When the cart is upset it is too late to do anything about it.


Animals, Birds or Fish


Ch'est iel du maite qu'engraisse lé boeu.
It's the master's eye which fattens the steer.


Fou coum énne pon'raïe d'tchens.
Foolish as a basket of dogs (puppies).


Il c'menche par l'héron et finissent par l'boëu,
or
il c'menche par l'boëu et finissent par l'héron.
They begin one way and finish by another.


Lé ch'fa éra l'vent sous sa coue.
The horse will be frisky today, things will get moving.


Ouecque la jument roule a' lâque terjous du pio.
The mare always leaves hair on the spot where she bas rolled.


Si n'aönt pas mangi d'l'avogne il n'peuvent pas en rendre.
If horses are not fed on oats they cannot produce results. You cannot be what you are not.


Si nou l'li dounne aën peis, i'l prend énne faïve.
If he is given a pea, he takes a bean. (If he is given an inch he takes an ell).


Tànt qu'nou-s-attend qué l'herbe creisse, lé ch'fa vit sus sa greisse ou meurt dé fogn.
As we wait for the grass to grow, the horse lives on his fat or dies.


Tu n'as pas acore vaëu la grosse beste qui t'mang'ra.
You have not seen the great beast who will eat you up; you have not seen the danger.


Va aussi bouan païssaôn à la maire coum y'a eaëut d'pestchi.
Similar to English saying "as many fish in the sea as has ever been caught" except the word "bouan" (good) is used.


Y'a juges dé bestes et bestes dé juges.
There are judges of beasts (in animal competitions), and beasts of judges. You cannot please everyone.


Nautical


J' pourrais t'en caöntair d'pis maïr haôute jusqu'a basse iaôue.
I could tell you enough (about the subject) frorn high water to low tide-for hours.


Idiomatic phrases and words having a nautical origin in common usage.


Ancre dé faônd.
Bottom (keel) anchor. A slow-coach.


Déridger.
Pull down the rigging, demolish something.


Du grànd pêtras d'galère.
Riff-raff - a motley crew, a gang of no-goods.


Enroulli coum énn àncre.
Rusty like an anchor.


Fort coum aën bord dé bâté.
As strong as a ship's side.


Les agrès.
The rigging of a ship; horse harness.


Navigue ta maraïe!
Beat on your own; row your own canoe; stand on your own feet!


Portaïr basse vêle.
To have lowered sails; to have had to retrench, esp. in a financial sense.


Toute est houlaï hors rabord.
Everything is thrown overboard, nothing kept in reserve.


Parts Of The Body


Chéna mé fait quéti ès boudins.
That tickles my bowels - makes my mouth water.


People


Aussi longtemps coum les poummiers flleuriraönt nou' pourra aver des cragnaöns.
As long as apple trees blossom we will be able to engender children.


Grànds n'veulent pouit; p'tits n'peuvent pouit.
The high-ups won't; the lesser people can't.


Il faut prendre les gens coum il saônt.
One must take people as they are.


Il a iaëut son coupé.
He has had his chips: he is finished.


Il ment tànt qui s'démente.
He denies his own lies: he contradicts himself.


Il n'as pas d'aöute dé tchu, il y'est foutu.
He has no more seat (anat.) he is done for. Said of a person who has lost weight through being bed-ridden.


Il n'as pas les daëux pids dans l'mesme sôler.
He has not got two feet in one shoe; grass does not grow under his feet.


Il raze les fossaïs jusqu'ès colimachaôns.
He does not miss a thing to which he is entitled.


Té né hâll'rai pas ma quininse (or, mes sôlers) pour bâiller à énn aoute.
I will not take the shirt off my back (or the shoes off my feet) to give to somebody else. I will look after myself first.

Les prumiers v'nus les prumiers servis
First come, first served.


Les pus chafernaëux, ch'est la acouore les pus salopes.
In the long run the most fastidious are the biggest sluts.


L'homme propose, mais Dieu dispose.
Man proposes but God disposes.


Nèglligent va draëte ès tchens.
The negligent go straight to the dogs.


Pour sé faire vigouraëux énn haômme met du persi dons s'n'aisselle.
To make him more virile a man puts parsley under his arm-pit. (Parsley is well-known as an aphrodisiac).


Quànd énne faumme mànque la maisaôn, il est temps pour qué l'haömme pend ses vieilles braies derrière l'hu.
When a house lacks the wife, it is time for the man to hang his old trousers behind the door, put on his best clothes and go courting again.


Tandis qu'lé poummier flleurit y'a la chance d'aver énne paömme.
Whilst the apple blossoms there is always hope of having an apple. Said in connection with a woman's child-bearing ability.


Y'a qu'les impudents qui vivent.
Only the brazen thrive.


Quantities

Ouecque y'a rien nou n'halle rian.
Where there is nothing we draw nothing.

Tchi qu'nou-s-acate à bouan marchi nou-s-acate trop chiaër.
Goods bought cheap are too dear.

Speech

A mes dites pérnaiz garde, et miette à mes faits.
Take heed of my sayings and not et all et my deeds.

Time

Oniét pour tchicun, d'möin pour les autres.
Today for some, tomorrow for others.

Weather


Aën frais mars, aën caud étai.
Cool March, warm Summer.


A la veies qué les jours racourchent il s'écauffent.
As the days shorten they become hotter. The heat of summer is not reached until after mid-summer day.


Il plleut et fait soleil, le djablle bat sa faumme.
It is raining with the sun shining. The devil is beating his wife: she is crying, he is laughing.


La leune cllairgit l'temps.
The moon clears the sky. Said hopefully during a period of wet weather when the moon is due to wax again. It is still a firm belief that the moon controls the weather.


Work


Aën travas est mux l'si en r'pos qu' d' ête-r-touatchi mal à propos.
Better to leave work undone than maire a mess of it.


En allànt douachment nou va llian.
Going steadily one goes far.


Il vaut mux ête bian pllaëux que bian servi.
It is better to be well satisfied than well served.


La loué sàns oeuvres né vaut pas lé chimet d'jaön qui fait bouidre la caudjère.
Faith without works is not worth the tuft of furze which brings the kettle to the boil.