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What weird idioms/phrases does your language have?
(lemmy.blahaj.zone)
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this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2023
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In the Sesotho language of Lesotho, if you say to someone, "I'm not your mother", it's a terrible insult.
Another insult of equal vehemence is, "you are like a cat that jumps across a ravine and scribbles up the other side".
People in the village I lived in told me that either of these could result in someone being killed.
Vader: No, I'm not your mother, I'm your father.
Please tell us what these insults mean, and why they are so dire!
Unfortunately, I have no idea what the origin of these phrases is, or why people there take offense at them.
My wild guess is that "I'm not your mother" could be an explicit denial of sympathy, carrying the implication of "you're being a whiny bitch".
U.S. here. I find this both interesting and disturbing. I can sort of get the meaning. But scary! I hope you are okay.