cross-posted from: https://feddit.nl/post/19798927

Sure, the whole world is on fire right now, but there are also little things to be upset about. ☝😉

  • towerful
    821·
    4 months ago

    At one point, blue LEDs were super expensive because of their difficult production.
    So any product that has a blue LED was considered premium. I guess they were also considered futuristic and high-tech.
    Somehow, this is still in the mind of some manufacturers.
    All I want is a barely-visible-in-soft-daylight diffused/frosted red or amber LED.
    But no, it’s always some 5w lensed blue LED at somehow produces a tighter beam of horrendous blue light that’s brighter than most flashlights.

    • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      43·
      4 months ago

      Reminds me on a German proverb “to add your mustard to it”, which apparently came from a time at which mustard was rare and exquisite. So they added it to any kind of food just to “up it’s prestige”.

      • towerful
        14·
        4 months ago

        What a great origin. I Googled it, and it now means “to add your opinion”.

        1. Seinen Senf dazugeben

        Literal translation: To add your mustard to it.

        Actual meaning: To give your opinion on something./To give your two cents.

        Where there are sausages, there also must be mustard. If you want to ask someone for their opinion and sound like a fluent speaker when doing it, you better invite them to add their mustard.

        https://www.mondly.com/blog/german-idioms/

        In the process, I found some other great German proverbs with hilarious literal translations.

        Literal translation: To talk around the hot porridge.
        Literal translation: To ask for an extra sausage.
        Literal translation: I believe I spider. (Edit: I believe I spin, see comment).
        Literal translation: To have tomatoes on one’s eyes.
        Literal translation: I can only understand ‘train station.’.
        Literal translation: You’re walking on my cookie.
        Literal translation: The bear dances there.
        Literal translation: Everything has an end. Only the sausage has two.

        But, I guess that’s always the case with idioms. Their literal translation/meaning is useless. Regardless, I find German ones particularly titular

        • Vlyn@lemmy.zipEnglish
          10·
          4 months ago

          As a German they are all technically correct, but one of them isn’t a proper translation.

          I believe I spider.

          “Ich glaube ich spinne.” isn’t in regards to spiders, the last word is a verb. “spinnen” means “to spin”, originally coming from spinning yarn, which then became spinning a thought :)

          • towerful
            2·
            4 months ago

            That makes a lot more sense!
            I’ve edited my comment. Feel free to contact the blogger. “I believe I spider” is hilarious. But “I believe I spin” is much more believable!

        • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          3·
          4 months ago

          Yeah sorry, forgot to mention the actual meaning :) But I can add some more:

          • My dear Mister singing club
          • shit at the wall
          • one has seen horses puke Maybe I’ll remember some more with good English “translations”.

          Something else I just remember is a discussion between Erasmus students (Erasmus is a student exchange program in Europe, so you study for a semester in another country, ergo that group was quiet diverse) about how you call very strong rain: German: is raining cow shit (although that might be local, because those phrases often differ quiet much between German dialects) British: is raining cats and dogs Greek: is raining the legs of Zeus I don’t remember the others… But anyway… what is the deal with English speakers and cats??? A lot of languages have a proverb like “many paths lead to Rome”… But in English apparently it is “there are many ways to skin a cat”… dafuq?

          • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            3·
            4 months ago
            • I believe my hamster is sweeping
            • I believe my pig is whistling
            • you don’t have all cups in the cupboard