Gervėčių tarmės frazeologizmai

LEKSIKOS TYRINĖJIMAI LIETUVOS TSR MOKSLŲ AKADEMIJA PHRASEOLOGISMS OF THE GERVĖČIAI DIALECT J. LIPSKIENĖ The town of Gervėčiai and the neighboring villages (Gaigaliai, Galčiūnai, Girios, Gėliūnai, Gudinykai, Knyštuškės, Miciūnai, Milcėjos, Mėckos, Pelegrinda, Pėtrikai, Rimdžiūnai) form one of the Lithuanian islands in the Republic of Belarus. The Eastern Dzūkian dialect is spoken on this island. The dialect of the Gervėčiai area has not yet been comprehensively investigated and described, although a considerable number of linguists, including well-known scholars from other nations, have taken or continue to take an interest in it1. Until now, greater attention has been paid to the phonetic and grammatical features of this dialect, which help clarify its place among the other dialects of the Lithuanian language. The lexicon of the Gervėčiai dialect, and especially its phraseologisms, can be said to have attracted little attention. In fact, phraseologisms are also very important for the study of a dialect and its lexicon, since it is often only in them that words no longer used in their primary sense have been preserved. Moreover, phraseologisms, being relatively fixed expressions, like folklore (songs, proverbs, and sayings), are passed down from one generation to another and often preserve rare morphological features of the dialect as well. The Gervėčiai texts published by P. Aruma contain only the following comparisons, mostly from one song: tai· ma· akə·lės ka.b žerkolė·lei “very beautiful, shining”; tai· ma· aušelės ka.p trūbė·lės “very good, large”; tai· ma· ragė·lei ka.b i·la·lės “very sharp”; tai· ma· paustė·les ka.b adate·lės “very sharp”; tai· ma· kojelės ka.p tšėbatė·lei “very pretty”; tai·ma·vuodegė·le ka.p šluotėle “very bushy, large” (Aruma L.M. p. 9). Other songs and tales also contain such phraseologisms, for example: abrin·ko džiė·du ka.p pə·nu, ē· b·əbu ka.p pə·nu “dressed and adorned very beautifully” (Aruma L.M. p. 15). da. ka.s ai·s pro· man’ — ašarėlēm apsilė·s “will burst into tears” (Aruma L.M. p.8). There are also two fixed expressions: ka.p kar’tas “just, exactly” (Aruma L.M. p. 13) (cf. Belarusian как раз); un ga·lo “finally, in the end” (Aruma, L. M. p.14) (cf. Russian наконец). The following fixed expressions are recorded in the Gervėčiai texts published by E. Volteris: Dūmais traktaruoja (vaišina), kačėrga vītójau “I beat” (Volteris L. Chr. p. 397); žālijas medžjas, juodos viūgos, nēt šakėlės lūnīksta “a great many” (Volteris L. Chr. p. 400); Pririšau žirgų paū žalijų grūšių, pririnkau panu, kap sāvo dūšju “a very beautiful girl” (Volteris L. Chr. p. 398). 1 Plg. Э. Вольтер, Литовская Хрестоматия, Санктпетербург, 1904, т.2, р. 396—402 (Toliau — Volteris L. Chr.); P. Arumaa, Litauische Mundartliche Texte aus der Wilnaer Gegend, Dorpat, 1931, p. 7—18 (Toliau — Aruma L. M.); E. Fraenkel, Apie Vilniaus krašto lietuviškų tarmių ypatybes. — Lietuvių Tauta, Vilnius, 1936, kn. 5, p. 256—262. 111 The fixed expressions recorded by P. Aruma and E. Volteris naturally do not provide a fuller picture of phraseologisms in the Gervėčiai dialect; this article therefore aims to introduce them in somewhat greater detail2. As for the lexical structure of phraseologisms in the Gervėčiai dialect, most of them can be said to be related not only to phraseologisms in other Lithuanian dialects, but often to those in other languages as well, since their core is generally made up of words with the same lexical meanings: eyes, ears, teeth, head, tongue, nose, hands, heart, and so on. Thus the Gervėčiai dialect phraseologism galvą nukarti “to become discouraged” has the following equivalents in other languages: Latvian nokārt galvu, Russian повесить голову, Polish opuścić głowę, German den Kopf hängen lassen, English hang down one's head, French baisser la tête; ranką ranką praūdo “they support and defend one another, and help one another”: Latvian roka roku mazgā, Russian рука руку моет, Polish ręka rękę myje, German eine Hand wäscht die andere; širdį išėsti “to grieve”: Latvian sirdi graužt, Russian грызть (точить) сердце, German sich das Herz schwer machen, English break somebody’s heart; dantis šiepyti “to laugh, smile”: Latvian zobus rādīt, Russian скалить зубы, Polish pokazać zęby, German die Zähne zeigen, and so on. “This type of phraseology is perhaps the most widely used in colloquial folk speech, since phraseological expressions of this kind have the most readily decipherable figurative meaning and are at the same time highly vivid”3. Alongside phraseologisms made up of words known in other dialects, a considerable number of fixed expressions are used in the Gervėčiai area in which one component, or less often two, consists of words characteristic of this dialect. a) noun: an pačios spūrgos (bud) ažlipti; (became desirous) kap būba sunkėnė (carrier); kap medžias (forest); kap šepetynas (brush); per smūrgaini smūrglas (snout) gauti; kap plōstais (in large chunks) veršti; rakštis (bonfire) regėti; skālsinykas, (house spirit?) ataneša; skiedos (splinters) lāksto; saldumōs (sweet) and gardumōs (tasty) matyti; skystumōs (wit) galvōj turėti; šiltis (warmth) kaulų nelāužia; b) adjective: baptismal (of baptism) daughter; woodland (forest) goat; wet as a pig (wet); c) verb: akis apstūmti (to deceive); būza sriaubti (to slurp); burnā susimainė (changed); kriōkščia (snores) kap gyvulys; kap vainiką vyti (to weave); kojas aždirti (to cover over); eglūtė pririnkti (to decorate); palėidus blūsą užvysi (you will see); per duoną duonos veizdėti (to look for); kap vėlnias prikliūvo (latched on, became a nuisance); per gaižio žangsnį pribūti (to grow longer); rankom masnōti (to shake); galvōn prieidīti (to come to mind); iš proto išsikraustyti (to lose one's mind); liežuvius raznešdīti (to spread); smertis paeido (death is coming, approaching); žydai pavažiūodo (they are coming); iš skūros griūti (to fall out); akysa prisidavinėti (to haunt, appear); d) participle: kelias atklōtas (open, clear); kap trūbā sušlije (twisted together); e) verb and noun, more rarely verb and adjective or participle: pėnčius (heels) apsivōti (to bruise oneself); kap apušės lākštas (leaf) lāpsi (vir- 2 The phraseologisms presented in this article were recorded mainly by the author during a 1970 dialectological expedition. They have also been supplemented with folklore collections recorded by K. Aleksynas and A. Dzetavečkaitė, K. Grigas, A. Juška, L. Sauka and R. Šliogerytė, and N. Vėlius, held in the Folklore Manuscript Repository of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language and Literature. 3 B. Kalinauskas, The Natural and Conventional Phraseology of the Language of Žemaitė’s Writings. — VVPI Mokslo darbai, Vilnius, 1960, vol. 11, p. 120. 112 pa, trembles); niùnią (nose) nuniáukti (lower); rakštis paskum tąsosi (drags along); spirginiai (bacon) aukštai kāro (hangs); (works) like a black calf (ox); (works) kap ga išas (a sluggard, a good-for-nothing); kap virvė pavijóta (twisted) vijasi (goes everywhere). Like those of other dialects, the phraseological expressions of the Gervėčiai dialect are not all equally old. Those formed with words denoting the principal parts of the human body are probably the most archaic, for example: akįs plėšti “to contradict, argue”; burną praverti “to start speaking”; dantį griežti “to be angry”; galvą imtis “to worry, be concerned”; kojas pakratyti “to die”; liežuviu loti “to talk a lot”; nosį kišti “to meddle where one shouldn’t”; rankas laužyti “to grieve, torment oneself”; širdį sugrąžinti “to become tiresome, annoying, etc.” Such phraseological expressions are used in almost all Lithuanian dialects. We would probably find one or another in older writings as well, which also attests to their age. Among the older expressions, one should probably also include fixed word combinations connected with the old customs of the dialect area, for example: ažgavėti an linų ūgio (a Shrovetide custom of swinging someone as high as possible so that the flax would grow tall); dantis plauti nog mėsos “to drink vodka on Ash Wednesday to mark the end of Shrovetide”; der̃liaus kiaušinis “an egg baked into a bun, with which the fields are circumambulated at the Jurginės spring festival.” Perhaps more recent are those fixed expressions that arose through the shortening of proverbs and sayings, for example: nevýk dievo médin (cf. the dialect proverb: Nevýk dievo médin su rančia, ba nesupra[s]ysi ir su pyragù), or: Médy áugo (cf. the dialect saying: Medý gimęs, medý áugęs). However, the reverse process may also have taken place here—the phraseological expression, as a fixed unit, may have arisen earlier and only later become incorporated into the context of a saying or proverb. The fixed word combinations with a local meaning, found mainly only in the Gervėčiai area, may be considered relatively recent dialect phraseological expressions, for example: (became rich) kap Šūtai cerkvėj (a simile derived from a story about how a local resident, surnamed Šuta, went to church and unexpectedly came into some money there). Or: (will be) kap Šūtai su džėgoriu (the expression is said to derive from a story about how the same Šuta, having found a watch, was frightened by its ticking and threw it away, thinking it was the devil). The dialect also has phraseological expressions probably formed with more recent words borrowed from the literary language, for example: ar vestùvėsna prašyti atėjai (the dialectal form is veseilia), liežuvius dirbti (the dialectal form is krutėti), kai vieną dieną (in the dialect, kap is used), už pečių stovėti (the dialect more typically uses the preposition až). Such constructions as these, too, are probably not characteristic of the dialect but have come from books: į mėles pánčius pakliūti; į šalis išsimėtyti; į trūbą susisūkti, etc. Although phraseological expressions are characterized by stability, and most of them also by age, some can nevertheless change over time, just like individual words: some because of new social and economic conditions, others for different reasons. In place of an older phraseological expression, a new phraseological expression or an ordinary word combination may arise in the dialect and displace the old one4. For example, in the Gervėčiai dialect, the “dance” of mosquitoes seen before a change in the weather (circling upward and downward) is described by the phraseological expression aguoną grūda. It has been observed that nowadays most speakers of the dialect use the word combination without its first component, aguona, for example: uodai grūda. It is possible that, over time, this expression will ultimately lose 4 Plg. dar Фразеологический словарь русского языка, Москва, 1967, p. 19. 8. Leksikos tyrinėjimai 113 of the first component, having ceased to be a phraseological unit, and will be replaced by an ordinary word combination uodai grūda. Comparing this phraseological unit with fixed, figurative expressions of the same meaning in other dialects (čiūlkinį grūda, grūce grūda, etc.), it does not seem that the expression aguoną grūda is a new phraseological unit that has emerged in the dialect in recent times. Finally, the verb itself, grūda (in the context uodai grūda), which normally governs the accusative case, suggests that a noun must once have been used here. In this dialect, there are cases in which the range of use of a particular phraseological unit with a given meaning becomes narrower. For example, the Gervėčiai dialect had preserved until the present day another, customary, use of the expression kūlius versti, known in many dialects (meaning “to turn somersaults” during games): after the rye harvest was finished, people would still turn somersaults so that the rye would grow well the following year, “springing up from the soil.” If the phraseological unit kūlius versti will continue to be used in the dialect for a long time in reference to the game, in the second case, associated with the end-of-harvest festivities, it will probably disappear, since the custom itself has now almost died out. Without a thorough study of all the dialect’s phraseological units, it is difficult to judge which of them will disappear sooner. It might perhaps be argued that fixed expressions such as those mentioned above—ažgavėti an linų įgio; dantis plauti nog mėsos; derliaus kiaušinis—will soon be forgotten and eventually disappear, since the customary traditions that gave rise to them are themselves dying out. Almost all phraseological units of customary origin, of which there are especially many in these areas, will probably meet the same fate. As in other Lithuanian dialects, the Gervėčiai dialect also has quite a number of synonymous phraseological units. Material from other dialects shows that phraseological units describing roughly the same natural phenomenon or similar action generally have almost no synonyms within the same dialect or a particular dialect area. They are distributed in regular geographic areas. For example, the aforementioned phraseological unit aguoną grūsti has the following synonyms, used in a relatively regular way in various dialects: čiūlkinį grūsti; grūce grūsti; mažalą gróti (šokti); mažalojų gróti (šokti); pipirus trinti, sviestą mušti, and others. In the Gervėčiai dialect, however, it has been observed that the same or a similar phenomenon or action is often described by separate synonyms or by variants of the same phraseological unit. For example, heavy snowfall with very large flakes, sleet, is described in this dialect as: kap plóštais (vištom, vyžais) drėbia (verčia, sniega); plóštais (žvaigždėm) krinta (verčia, sniega). It is interesting that the expression kap vištom sniega is found more widely among the Western Dzūkian dialects around Alovė, Daugai, Kalesnykai, Punia, and Valkininkai. It should be noted that Gervėčiai has more phraseological units in common with the Western Dzūkians, but not with the geographically closer Eastern Aukštaitian or Eastern Dzūkian dialects. Variants of phraseological units whose differing components are stylistically related are also quite common in the dialect5, for example: ašaras braukti — ašaras lėti; kojas aždirti — kojas pakratyti; liežuviu málti — liežuviu lóti. These pairs of word combinations replace the verbs to weep, to die, to talk a lot. In these phraseological units, the variable components (verbs), when used in free contexts, are not synonyms and cannot replace one another; within the phraseological unit, however, they impart a very similar, even identical, stylistic coloring. The same is true of combinations such as kãklą láužti — sprándą láužti; per akis ažšvilinti — per lūpas ažšvilinti. Here, however, the variable components denote an object. 5 Plg. Н. А. Кирсанова, О некоторых семантических признаках фразеологических единиц. — Проблемы фразеологии, Москва, 1964, р. 97. 114 Among variants of phraseological units, those in which the differing components are not stylistically related are less common; one component may be neutral while another has a derogatory or disparaging tone6, cf.: kap gaidys — kap glinda “very small”; (prilipo) kap lākštas — (prilipo) kap spirā “clung stubbornly, stuck fast.” The structure of the phraseological units of the Gervėčiai area is highly varied, but similar to that of phraseological units in other Lithuanian dialects. The richest and largest group consists of fixed word combinations made up of an inflected word and a verb. In some cases the verb directly governs the inflected word; in others, it does so through a preposition. Most phraseological units in this group consist of a noun, alone or with a preposition, and a verb, for example: akis pamėsti “to go blind”; kojas judinti “to work, not to sit idle”; nagùs kišti “to touch, to take”; ratùs patėpti “to give a bribe”; an akių mesti “to reproach”; pro gómuri pravaryti “to drink away.” Fixed expressions consisting of other inflected words (adjectives, numerals, pronouns), or sometimes adverbs, and verbs are relatively rare in the dialect, for example: storãi vaikščioti “to be pregnant”; ilgas rankàs turėti “to be a thief”; dviejų būti “to be married”; atgalion veršti “to feel nauseated, to feel like vomiting”; baisù pažiūrėti “a very large amount”; sā galva vēsti “to manage things oneself, to take charge.” A considerable number of fixed word combinations consist of two nouns related to each other as an uninflected modifier and the word it modifies, for example: dievo rasa “weak, meager food”; kàtino ašara “very little”; svieto liežiuviai “gossip, idle chatter.” Compound terms are formed in the same way; quite often the literal meaning of their components has also disappeared, and they designate various things, for example: meškos šonai “a certain forest plant”; velnio barzda “the black roots of small ferns, boiled as a remedy for fright.” There are also phraseological units made up of a noun and a participle, or, less often, a noun and an adjective, for example: kirvis animesta (said of soup that tastes bad); kėlias atklotas “you can choose whatever you want”; mažos dienos “childhood”; senà uodega “an old person”; medinis bučys “a cockchafer.” A few phraseological units consisting of a noun and a numeral or pronoun also occur, for example: vienù kvapù “without drawing breath, in one go”; gālas jų “never mind.” There are also fixed, figurative word combinations that begin with various function words (prepositions, conjunctions, negative or comparative particles) and contain just one independent word, usually a noun, for example: po vežimu “pregnant”; nė gurūčio “there is absolutely nothing”; ne tas galvōj “that is not what matters”; nors ažsidaužk “do whatever you want”; tik ašaros “very little.” Comparative phraseological units in the dialect, which vividly highlight people’s moods or the characteristics of objects and environmental phenomena, mostly begin with the comparative particle kap, less often with the Slavic forms loč, koč, kot. Their constituent part is most often a singular nominative noun, less often a participle, sometimes an adverb, or a verb form, for example: kap špygà “very small”; kap kultuvaitės “flat, large”; kap suteptà “very greasy”; kap šiandien “very quickly”; kap regì “in the blink of an eye, very quickly”; loč žagrē “very thin.” Such comparisons often 6 Plg. ten pat, 98. 8* 115 may have not one, but several independent words, e.g.: kap iš (v)andenio vagė viršta “very smooth”; koč tu an šunio láj “very sour (of soup)”; koč tu atsigut an jós “very fatty.” Another small group of phraseologisms consists of comparative word combinations that acquire a particular meaning only when used with a certain verb, e.g.: (to grow) kap an mielių “to grow very well”; (to sit) kap an yłų “to sit very restlessly.” Other comparative expressions are very closely associated with verbs used figuratively, e.g.: kap šuniuo lóti “to denounce very severely”; kap girnom málti “to talk a lot.” The verbs lóti, málti function here as inseparable parts of the principal elements of comparison. A separate group probably comprises the extended, comparative-type phraseologisms of the Gervėčiai dialect that contain no comparative particles, e.g.: dangùs regėti “very poor, watery (of soup)”; gali an nugarõs gulėti “very fat (of an animal)”; paléidus blùsą ažvỹsi (said of a poor, bare pasture). The Gervėčiai dialect also has phraseologisms based on euphony (rhyme and rhythm), in which the semantic connection between rhyming words is sometimes difficult to discern7, e.g.: nė šėn, nė ten “a very poor, badly done job”; (of a talkative person) nei šió, nei tõ (nei šei, nei tei) “talks nonsense.” Sometimes the semantic connection between the words in individual phraseologisms has been preserved, with rhyme serving merely as an auxiliary device, e.g.: susraukus, kap linùs braukus “very frowning, displeased.” There are also fixed word combinations juxtaposing two contrasting concepts with negation, reinforced by rhythmic euphony, e.g.: nė klausit, nė bėgt; nei gyvas, nei damiręs; (of a weather spell) nei žiema, nei vasara. Other phraseologisms juxtapose concepts that are not necessarily contradictory, e.g.: nėrà nė pūsti, nė dušinti; ir prie svėčio, ir prie pěčio. The dialect contains a few phraseologisms with Slavic loanwords, e.g.: drenà akìs; bacėnas atānėse; čiėnių ažmušti aukščiai nósiės; koŕkon žiūrėti. The Gervėčiai dialect phraseologisms themselves are presented in this article in alphabetical order. Compound terms are listed separately at the end. In round brackets, the components required immediately before the phraseologism (its obligatory contextual element) are usually given. These are words without which the meaning of a phraseologism is unclear and which, therefore, in a given context cannot be separated from the phraseologism proper, e.g.: (viena) kap kėlmas. However, this obligatory contextual element may vary in different contexts and is therefore not a structural part of the fixed expression. Round brackets are also used to give variants of phraseologisms, e.g.: išėti (išrūkti) iš galvòs; kãklą (sprãndą) láužti. An optional contextual element of a phraseologism—that is, a component without which the phraseologism can still be readily understood—is given in square brackets, e.g.: ašaros [pačios] byra. The verb forms in a phraseological combination, which usually vary from one context to another—that is, they can occur either in finite forms or in the infinitive 7 Cf. B. Kalinauskas, The Folk Character of the Phraseology of Žemaitė’s Language, Its Semantic and Structural Composition. – Kalbotyra, Vilnius, 1962, vol. 4, pp. 20–22; В. В. Виноградов, Об основных типах фразеологических единиц в русском языке, в. сб.: Академик А. А. Шахматов, Сборник статей и материалов АН СССР, 1947, стр. 339–364. 116 forms, in the headword phrase they are given in the infinitive, e.g.: to lay one’s eyes together “to fall asleep”: I didn’t close my eyes all night, I’m tired, and I have to work. to take a needle in hand [to take] “to begin sewing; to take a needle in one’s hands”: When I take a needle in hand, I sing songs and sing. to grind poppy seeds “to fly around in circles, up and down”: Children, look how the poppy seeds are being ground. Poppy seeds are ground before rain; if they grind toward the west, there will be rain, but if toward the east, the weather will be good (= fine) and sunny. the eyes opened (said when an old person begins to see better toward the end of life): Now my eyes have opened; I’m about to die. the eyes were washed away by tears “one’s eyesight weakened from crying”: My eyes were washed away by tears—I need glasses. the eyes were bright “saw well”: When I was younger, my eyes were bright, but now they are dark; I can’t see. to cloud someone’s eyes (someone) “to deceive, trick (someone)”: You’ve been deceived; you don’t see anything. the eyes popped out “to be very surprised”: Her eyes nearly popped out [in astonishment]. to lose one’s eyes “to go blind”: Yes, I cried and then lost my eyes. to tear at someone’s eyes (someone) “to object, argue (with someone)”: The daughter argues with her mother. to look one’s eyes out “to lose one’s good eyesight, to no longer see; to be old”: I can’t remember anymore; my eyes are worn out now. to close one’s eyes “to fall asleep”: I didn’t close my eyes all night, I’m tired, and I have to work. tears stream from the eyes “to cry a lot”: Tears stream from the eyes and keep streaming. to imagine things (to imagine) “to imagine”: I imagine things. He imagined it. for the eyes to grow dim “to become weak”: Oh, my eyes grew dim; I can’t see anything. for the eyes to sparkle “to be very weak, e.g. from pain”: It hurt; my head was throbbing, and my eyes were sparkling. alijōšius rumbles (travels over stones) (said when thunder rumbles): Alijōšus dū.nda — lietaus būs. Alijōšus važuoja po akmenais; pōru arklių asikiniko i rātai barabonija. to put on one’s heels like an andarōkas (said of a woman walking quickly): Kōl tep grait [eini] — andarōko padalais pīnčus (kulnis) apst vôsi (apsimusi). to be before someone’s eyes “to get underfoot”: Ė dar (dabar) ito avinēlo nėkintė — kad mān un akū nebūt (ps)9. to cast in someone’s eyes (to someone) “to reproach, criticize (someone)”: Visu˙ āmžū mān un akū mēš, kad padarāu blogai. to get to one’s feet “to get up, go to work”: Ganā, raika un kōju˙ stōc. Kab cik ažtrūbija, tai visos mōteri:s un kōju˙ stojasi. to go for flax (a Shrovetide custom of riding about so that the flax would grow tall): Nu, ir klāga jau visi: raika un linų važūo: tolāu nuvažiuosi — linai būs ilgesni. to sit on someone’s neck (hang onto someone’s neck) (to someone) “to be supported (by someone)”: Ar vērta penēc tokis, un mōcinos kāklo sēdzi. Ānas un mā kāklo asikōrė, nieko krutėc nenōri. 8The phraseological expressions are presented in simplified phonetic transcription. The symbols for falling and rising-falling pitch accents also indicate vowel length. 9ps. — tale, d. — song. 117 to give (send) into a household “to marry off a son as a live-in son-in-law to another household”: Raika gave his son into a household. He had gone into a household. to walk on tiptoe “to walk carefully and quietly”: When he got up, he always walked on tiptoe so as not to wake the children. to climb to the very top (summit) “to boast a great deal”: He has already climbed to the very top (of the bud), boasting. You’ll already climb to the summit, but you may fall from the top. to turn into a gentleman “to become posh and spoiled”: They have all turned into gentlemen. to hang on the same branch “to be very alike, similar”: The two of them hang on the same branch. to remain (leave) on the perch “not to marry”: That girl remained on the perch. She stayed on the perch. to weave a wattle fence “to do unnecessary work at the wrong time, too early”: He wove a wattle fence too early. to keep a wasp “to give nothing to anyone”: They say you have a wasp in your meadow. (one must) set up an alarm clock (for someone) “to be difficult to wake”: One must set an alarm clock for him to wake that sleepyhead. have you sold your teeth? (teasing, said when someone laughs for no reason): Have you sold your teeth, why are you sitting there baring your teeth? And you stand like a ghost—perhaps you’ve sold your teeth? And you, don’t bare your teeth; no one is buying them. Did you come to invite us to the wedding? (said when a neighbor who has dropped in does not want to sit down). to soak with tears “to burst into tears”: She was soaked with tears. tears are flowing “is crying”: When I told what had happened to me, the tears started flowing. tears rolled down “burst into tears”: Tears rolled down my cheeks—the little tree had bent over and trampled the little shoots (sprouts). to wipe away (shed) tears “to cry”: The girl is wiping away tears. I weeded the rows, shedding tears (d.). to burst into tears (be overcome) “to cry a lot, to live a hard life”: All her life she has been overcome by tears. Now she has been flooded with tears (overcome by tears). tears [themselves] falling “not wanting to cry”: Dāgunčan undeniñ ūnkišau runkās, taī nēverku, ir ašaros pāčios bira. the devil will come to shave his beard (said when someone sharpens a scythe for nothing, but then does not mow with it): Kai galūnda dalgī i jau daugāu jau nepjāuna, tai sāko — atais vēlnās barzdōs skūscie. turn inside out “to feel nauseated, want to vomit”: Kap sūvalgė kū, tai atgalón vērča. a slice cut off “a married daughter, or a married son”: Danūtė jau atriekta riekė, kū daric. lie down to sleep “to fall asleep”: Momā miegān acigutė. gold is falling (coming down) (said when it rains—a rain needed for the harvest): Āuksas mūsū dzirvōsun bīra, ča ne lietūs, vaikai. Vaikai, vaikai, ča gi ne lietūs, ča āuksas kriñta. to swing high for the height of the flax (a Shrove Tuesday custom of swinging as high as possible so that the flax would grow long): Sūplaukes (swings) dāro pie Āžūgavēnes: gālvū balkin suduōc — ažgavēc un linū ūgo. the sea and the crow in one penny “it is good where we are not.” to have smoky eyes “to be unobservant”: Neraīka ažrūkus(i)oms akīms būcie i paci paragēsi (you will see). 118 to be overwhelmed with work “to have a great deal of work, to be very busy”: We were overwhelmed with work. You’ll be overwhelmed with work—there’s so much to do. in my memory “as far back as I can remember”: That is what it was called in my memory. to strike the heart “to be very frightened, to feel a pang in the heart, to be pierced through the heart”: It struck my heart when I saw it. the stork brought a baby (said when a child is born into a family): Well, my dear, the stork has brought a baby. What has the stork brought you through the window? a dreadful lot to look at “a great many”: There are so many carts—a dreadful lot to look at. On St Barbara’s day, the nights start to draw in (said when the nights begin to shorten and the days to lengthen on December 22): On St Barbara’s day: they began to shorten, and then the nights had already stopped getting longer. to lie with one’s beard sticking up “to lounge about, to do nothing”: Why are you lying there with your beard sticking up? You need to get moving. boots are too heavy (said of an old, frail person): That’s how I am now, too; my boots are too heavy now. to slurp beetroot soup (sour cabbage soup) “to snore while asleep”: He’s drunk again—he’s slurping beetroot soup. I’m very afraid that when he’s drunk, he slurps as if he were eating beetroot soup. I can hear him slurping beetroot soup like that. As soon as he fell asleep, he was already slurping cabbage soup. He came home and was already eating sour cabbage soup. to flee from [someone’s] eyes “to go away, withdraw, leave”: Get out of my sight, so I won’t see you. misfortune upon misfortune blows “a great many misfortunes and hardships”: Misfortune upon misfortune blows, but somehow one can live through it. evil eyes (the evil eye) (said of someone whose eyes can bewitch or cast an evil eye): He has the evil eye; he can bewitch you. Beware of him—he has evil eyes. a woman could cut it in Vilnius (said of something very blunt, such as a knife): The knife is blunt—a woman could cut it in Vilnius. to build castles in the sand “to make unrealistic plans”: He dreams too much and builds castles in the sand; he wants too much. one’s mouth turned pale “to turn pale”: My mouth has gone so pale—what should I do? to open one’s mouth “to begin to speak”: They didn’t open their mouths all evening. to vomit out of one’s mouth “to vomit after drinking too much”: The old Lithuanians drank less; even if the young people get drunk, they just vomit. put into the mouth “to eat”: What you put in your mouth, that you eat well. to handle the bottle “to keep drinking”: Those youngsters have started handling the bottle. to strike the butter higher than the nose “to raise the price very high”: When they take butter to the market, they price it way above the nose. to taste a little “to drink a little”: When you have a little, when you taste a little, then you speak better. to see the bottom of the sky (said of very poor soup): Well, you’ve cooked soup—you can see the bottom of the sky through it. The beet soup is poor—you can see the bottom of the sky through it—you could at least have added some butter to improve it. to look up at the sky (said when someone wants to pour water down the sleeve of a person looking up at the sky): Do you want to look up at the sky? Go on, then. to talk someone’s teeth away “to dissuade”: Why are you talking his teeth away? to grind one’s teeth “to be angry”: The brother gritted his teeth and was angry with his sister. to knock out someone’s teeth “to beat someone severely”: Just you wait, I’ll knock your teeth out. to bare one’s teeth “to smile, to show one’s teeth”: She bares her teeth whether it is appropriate or not. to set one’s teeth on the shelf “to have nothing to eat”: You’ve got nothing left to eat; you sit with your teeth put on the shelf and have nothing to feed yourself with.= (shelves), you’ve no fodder, no food. 119 to wash one’s teeth with meat (said when drinking vodka on Ash Wednesday): “I too must wash my teeth with meat.” And on Ash Wednesday, you know, they drink; they wash their teeth with meat. to chatter with empty teeth “to have nothing to eat”: “Your brothers were persuading you—come on, get moving, Peter, or you’ll be left chattering with empty teeth,” when you wouldn’t listen. the girls’ order was reversed (said when the younger sister marries before the elder): Katarà’s daughter was left unmarried, so they say the girls’ order was reversed. grandfather is standing in the corner “it is getting dark”: “Grandfather is standing in the corner; it’s time to give the animals their feed. It’s already getting dark, and the children aren’t here.” God gave us a cross (said when one has a drunkard for a husband): “Where there’s a drunkard, there’s a cross: God gave us a cross, such a rascal...” a large morsel tears (rips) the throat “one who wants too much gains nothing”: When someone rushes and strives too much, they say: “A large morsel tears the throat. A large morsel rips the throat.” salt in your eyes (said for fear of being jinxed): If someone rides a fine horse and others say, “Oh, what a beautiful horse,” the rider says, “Salt in your eyes, don’t jinx it for me.” “You’ve picked a very pretty girl”—“Salt in your eyes.” to catch one’s breath “to breathe again, recover, come to one’s senses”: “I can’t catch my breath.” to join bread to bread “to make ends meet”: “The wages were meager, but I managed to join bread to bread.” to go inspect the manor “to go courting”: “I also went later with my daughter to inspect the manor.” to be in twos “to marry, to get married”: [Kap] “When two ears of grain appear in the field, I reckon a girl or a boy has paired off—they’ll be in twos.” to go under the fires “to go away, get out”: “Get out of here, you’ve worn me out.” to go mow hay for the dogs (said when someone does not listen): “If you don’t listen to us, then go mow hay for the dogs: you’ll make a haystack, and end up beneath it yourself.” gãlas jũ „tiek to“: Važiúote namũlo, gãlas jũ, nẽra ir neraĩka. can lie on its back (said of an animal—it is very fat): “What a fat beast; it can lie on its back.” you could even swallow your tongue “very tasty”: “Oh, you did well—you could even swallow your tongue. These beetroot greens are delicious—you could swallow your tongue.” to tear off one’s head “to finish someone off”: Why didn’t he tear my head off? There are so many children like that. to lay down one’s head “to respect and love greatly; to be ready to die for someone”: Nowadays they are such good people—they would lay down their heads for the Lithuanians. to give a head “to give intelligence, talent”: God gave me a good head, and I manage the household and am pleasant everywhere. to hang one’s head “to be disheartened”: Why have you hung your head? There is no need to sigh. to raise one’s head “to look”: Raise your head— is it already getting light? (d.). to carry one’s head low “to humble oneself”: I couldn’t… carry my head low before my superiors. (d.). to take something to heart “to worry, to concern oneself”: You, mother, not being used to being alone, whatever you take to heart, we’ll get it all done [the acres]. Don’t take it to heart. No one takes anything to heart. to come to mind “to come to memory, to remember”: I was as good as dead; when it came to mind, I knew—the Lithuanian songs of old have now disappeared. 120 to keep in one’s head “to remember well”: That old man has it all in his head: he could both play and sing. come into one’s head “to occur to someone, to come to mind”: Whatever comes into his head, he whistles it on the way back. turn over in one’s head “to know something but not remember it well”: When I hear it, when I sing it, it still turns over in my head, but I can’t recall it. one’s head no longer works as it should “to no longer be in one’s right mind, to fail to understand, not to remember well”: The old man is almost ninety-five—his head no longer works as it should; his mind has changed. have [a lot of] emptiness in one’s head “to be rather stupid”: The man has a lot of emptiness in his head; he’s quite a fool. spin yarns “to ramble, to talk nonsense”: Why do you keep spinning yarns while sitting at home? You picked a quarrel with someone and keep talking nonsense. have a good head “to be capable”: The old man had a good head. his throat ate it up “to drink away one’s money”: His throat ate it all up—he then covered himself with rags. wet one’s throat “to drink a little”: I was late, and my throat was getting dry, so I had a drink. He came from behind and gave me something to wet my throat with. not touch a living soul “there’s nothing you can do”: When he looked around in every direction, he saw his son and began to groan, but there was nothing he could do. end one’s life “to commit suicide”: She got upset and even thought of taking her own life. fall into the snares of love “to fall in love”: That young man of ours has fallen into the snares of love. scatter to the sides “to scatter, to go to waste”: The farmer went out and looked at the threshing floor, so that the hay would last until Christmas and not scatter away. curl up into a trumpet “to grow luxuriantly and yield a good harvest”: They leave five rye plants uncut and let them curl up, so that next year there will be good rye—the plants will curl up into a trumpet. full up to the tears “feeling like crying”: We’ve all gathered together, and I’m already full up to the tears. long braid “a woman”: Why do you listen to a long braid? Use your own head. to have long hands “to be a thief”: Jos vìru· išvarinēdė — ānas ī·lgas rankās turė. both for the foot (singular dative) and for the guest (singular dative) “a person who fits in anywhere”: Anà ir prìeg pãėdo, ir prìeg svėčo, o ānas cik pì.rmini·ko pašikinīs (a toady). both for the scythe and for the bowl (singular dative) “a person who fits in anywhere; a good worker”: Betgi vìras lìüksmo būdo, ir prìek dalgei, ir prìek bliūdo (d.) and not a hair will fall “nothing bad will happen”: Be mā rūnkoś — ir plāukas nenukrīs. and even shit will come off the tongue “said of a person who talks a lot without saying anything, who chatters”: Kap suaido dzyėju, tai ir šūdas un liežūvio iškėps, plėnija ir plėnija. and even a dog wouldn’t bite “very dirty”: Suskrińdis (filthy) kvartūkas — ir šūva neunkāstu·. and even the devil won’t take “needed by no one”: Manì ir vėlnias nėima, vìsu gi·vėnimu· cik vargīcinas (a poor wretch) žmogus buvau. Manì tōko kańkinì·ko (a martyr) ir vėlnias neimīs. Sėnas — jo ir vėlnias nėimīs. and even the devil won’t comb her hair “no one will fool her (said of a bold, clever person)”: Įtos bóbos ir vėlnias neapšukuōs (won’t fool her), anà ir vėlno skėltinu (a split log) skūru· ištvōs. to go to waste “to come to nothing, be of no use, go for naught”: Vìsu· gi·vėnimu· mā sopulis, kū ažkrūtėjau, išėjo vėjais. 121 to slip (fly) out of one’s head (mind) “to forget”: When that song was playing, it went out of my head; I don’t remember it. It just flew out of my head—I’ll hum that song. It’s already slipping out of my mind; I can’t say it. out of one’s thoughts “all of them, every last one”: Children, all of them—out of one’s thoughts! to go out of one’s head “to forget”: Mother was telling me all sorts of things—now it’s gone out of my head. to hold back from laughing “to restrain oneself from laughing”: I couldn’t hold back my laughter when he was eating those sweets (sour cream, fermented milk). to come from speech “to come to mind while speaking”: When it comes to me while I’m speaking, then I start saying it. to go out of one’s mind “to go mad, to lose one’s mind”: That young man could go out of his mind. to crawl out of one’s skin “to fidget and run about frantically, not knowing where to go”: When they started chasing the squirrel (animal) around the yard, it was simply= (literally) crawling out of its skin. to tear out of one’s heart “to forget”: There, no one managed to tear the songs out of my heart. from the heart 1. “to get along very well, to live in harmony”: I lived from the heart with my husband. 2. “to speak sincerely, openly”: I’ll say it from the heart—I don’t remember (the old-fashioned) songs; perhaps you won’t like them. at one’s own pace “slowly, gradually”: When she walks along at her own pace, you can’t tell that she is limping. (to shout) at the top of one’s lungs “to shout very loudly”: Why are you shouting at the top of your lungs? The reapers (harvesters) are calling each other: they shout at the top of their lungs. if I should find favor in your eyes (said if someone criticizes another’s wife or husband for being unattractive): That’s what we say: if I find favor in your eyes, then you are beautiful. laughter broke out “started laughing”: As laughter broke out, she fell over. to make jokes “to joke”: My husband knew how to make jokes. When they get together, they crack all sorts of jokes. so that bread would not run out in one’s hands “so that the harvest would be good and last a long time (a custom while cutting rye).” The ring-shaped patch of rye is left smaller and smaller, with a little piece left in the middle, so that bread would not run out in our hands. turned-up sleeve “someone who often changes their opinions”: They’re like that—a turned-up sleeve. that I should first spit like a priest (infinitive form) (said when one's lips get splashed while eating soup): Phew! If I had spat first like a priest (=priest). that your little word should go to God's ears (said when one does not believe someone): May your little word go to God's ears. so that the bread would not go from the table “so there would be something to eat”: We eat the harvest's porridge; so that the bread would not leave our table. may your hands dry up! (curse): When it gets very cold (strongly, severely) and what, then he begins: may your hands dry up! may Pierūnas freeze to death for you! (curse): He himself said it: may Pierūnas freeze to death for you! may your hawks! (mild, gentle curse): Oh, may your hawks! Where have you flown off to, you devil, hooting here? may you perish! (curse): May you perish! How you've wearied me. may you go down into the underworld! (curse): May you go down into the underworld, since you wanted to snatch my fire-tongs from me! may the wolf eat your (that is, your) bones! (curse): May the wolf eat his bones—that's how the old woman feeds him. to carry one's bones away “to run away”: I barely got away, when they started beating them. 122 when one day “very quickly”: Well, and then two years passed when one day—just like that. when a fly [literally: shit] gets into the ointment “to interfere, get involved where one has no business, or interrupt a conversation”: Why did you butt in, like a fly in the ointment? That youngster (young people) keeps sticking his nose in, like a fly in the ointment. [troubles] one’s neck (nape) break (twist) “very bad, difficult”: Troubles come one after another, and the third breaks my neck. All my life troubles have broken my neck, but I didn’t complain; I was strong (robust) back then. One trouble isn’t trouble yet, two troubles—and the third twists your neck. One trouble is no trouble, the second is unpleasant, and the third twists your nape. Calvary road “troubles, worries, in pursuing something”: That’s how my Calvary road began. to break someone’s leg, to break someone’s arm “to do a poor job”: He botched this and that—what kind of work is that? That’s how he does things. (beautiful) like a poppy (flower) “very beautiful”: She is beautiful as a poppy. Oh, the girl who just passed by is beautiful—as a flower. (black) like coal “very black”: Three girls came out, and all of them were black as coal (ps.). (sit) like on needles [of what kind] “to sit very restlessly, to be very restless”: I’m sitting here like I’m on needles. (grow) like on yeast “to grow very well”: The little girl grew like yeast and was beautiful. as if in one’s thoughts “very familiar, well remembered”: That saying is just as if it were in my thoughts. Her words and sayings are just as if they were in my thoughts. like hair being rinsed in lye, making it fall out “very sour (about soup)”: As we say: the borscht is so sour, like lye rinsed through one’s hair and made it fall out. like aspen leaves trembling “to be very afraid”: She trembles like aspen leaves. The she-wolf shuddered and leapt over, and I trembled like aspen leaves. like a horse 1. “to get very drunk, to be very drunk”: He sits there drunk as a horse, though he is still such a young lad. 2. “to eat a great deal”: You really do eat a lot, like a horse. like behind a wall (be) “to have a good husband, to live well”: I lived as if behind a wall: my husband was good, and we had both bread and bacon. like behind an oven (get settled) “to get a good husband, to live well”: When I married, I settled in like behind an oven, even though my husband was poor and made baskets for a living. like a baron (fool) “dark, poorly educated”: He’s as ignorant as a baron. (craved) like a pregnant woman “to crave something intensely”: Oh, she craved it like a pregnant woman. (alone) kap bugelė (stump, wolf) “completely alone”: I live alone like a stump. I have nothing left now, alone like a tree stump. I’m here alone like a wolf; getting dressed is already difficult for me, my legs ache, my hands hurt. kap cviekučių kopōti “to bite very painfully”: A nettle stings painfully, biting like cviekučiai. (black) kap dunkstis “bare, without grass”: The black meadow is bare like dunkstis—what kind of pasture was there? (to weave) kap diedu· vyžūs “to talk nonsense”: You’re weaving words like Grandfather’s bast shoes. (white) kap drōbė “very pale”: The girl is white as linen. (to be) kap duobėj “to live very badly”: Nowadays we’re living in a pit—we can’t gather brushwood or bring home a little bread. 123 (twisted) kap gyvātės “very crooked, winding”: You know, their roads aren’t straight, but they go to the manor in twists and turns like snakes. kap gaidys (glinda, kubėizdalius, malipūtas) “very small”: What a little fellow he is—like a rooster. What kind of person is he?—like a glinda. What sort of person is that?—like a kubėizdalius (a puffball mushroom). He walks along like a malipūtas. (the horse) kap gaišas “works very poorly”: He works hard—like a horse, yet he goes along like a dead animal. (heart) kap geležīs “very insensitive, merciless”: Her heart is like iron—she didn’t take anyone in for the night; not one person stayed there overnight. Mother spent her days worrying, but her heart is like iron. kap girnom (maltuvei, melnyčiai) malti “to talk a great deal”: That’s quite a chatterbox—she chatters and chatters like a millstone. You chatter and chatter like a mill, and never get tired. She chatters like a mill, as soon as people gather. (mumbled) kap girtas “said it badly, talked nonsense”: He mumbled it like a drunk, and that was that. (snores) kap gyvulys “snores very loudly while sleeping”: Why are you snoring like an animal? (got carried away talking) kap Gražūlo rātai “got carried away, began chatting, launched into a long conversation”: Well, he really got carried away talking, like Gražūlas’s wheels. (sits) kap Gudinīkai an kapū “said of people sitting at a table who neither eat nor drink”: They sit there like the Gudzinīki (name of a village) around a kapū—are they going to eat or not? (silent) kap indīkas pasipūtes “doesn’t say a word”: That fisherman is silent like a puffed-up turkey—he’s terribly touchy. kap iššluota “empty, there is nothing there”: Everyone has left the yard—it is empty as if swept clean. kap iš [v]āndenio virsti “to be very smooth”: If the plowman has furrowed the field, it has to be as smooth as flour from a millstone. (krūta) kap juodas (juodasiai) veršis “to work very hard”: The sun has already set, but he is still working hard in the fields, like a black calf (ox). While they sat in the fields, he worked and worked like a black calf. (išējo) kap kanāpēs “married and left quickly, one after another”: My daughters left one after another, like hemp: the one who stayed behind helped me. kap kapuōsan “very sad, painful, difficult”: When the children left, I felt as if at a funeral. (susniēžē) kap karōstinis arklys “very restless, fractious, angry”: Like a horse in heat, he fidgets, now nudging this child, now that one. (gyvēna) kap kēlmas “very slovenly”: He has only put on his shoes and lives like some stump. kap kepūrē “very large”: Those turnips are as big as hats, and the cows are eating them. kap kerēplā “ugly, hideous”: The old woman is as ugly as a scarecrow. (nuējo) kap klauālē “did not greet”: He left without saying hello. kap kiaūlei rāščinōn [į]sti “to persistently intrude somewhere or on someone”: Why did you keep poking your nose in, like a bone into the sourdough (=bread starter)? kap kopūsto galvā “very poor (memory)”: His memory is like a cabbage head; he cannot remember. kap kuolai “very heavy, stiff”: My legs have gone stiff as poles; I cannot move about quickly (walk). kap kultuvāitēs “flat, large”: The linden leaves lie flat and broad, like beaters. 124 (snorts) like a stallion having smelled a mare (said when a man courts a woman in a public place): Why are you snorting like a stallion that has smelled a mare? like a chimney, smoking “to smoke a great deal”: The old man smokes like a chimney. like a henhouse (chicken coop) “very dirty, untidy”: I went into the room—it was like a henhouse—and neither the children nor the clothes had been washed. That room is like a chicken coop. laughs like a fool at his own finger “laughs for no reason”: He laughs like a fool at his own finger. He laughs like a fool at his own finger. (stuck) like a leaf (tar, pitch) “clung persistently, latched onto someone”: It stuck like a leaf to the water. He stuck to the youngest daughter like tar. (the last-born, the youngest). Why have you stuck to me like pitch? He stuck like a leaf. like lions “very large, fat”: The calves are really= (literally) like lions. (clouded over) like a sack “to be very overcast”: It clouded over, and the sky was like a sack. like wood (brickwork, a wall) “very good”: It will be good: our rye is good, like a forest. And the barley is good—like brickwork. Good rye is like hay—it will make good flour. like a reed “very thin, slender”: My daughter was like a reed; she could hardly stand on her legs. like a fly “fragile, short-lived”: A person is like a fly. (speaks) like at home “to speak openly, boldly, plainly”: I speak plainly, as if at home; nobody will forbid me (will not prohibit me). (grow) as if not for one's own years “to grow very quickly, beyond one's years”: She grew so quickly, as if on yeast, as if beyond her years. (move about) as if not one's own “to work very poorly”: She just hangs around (is out and about, walks) among the old women, and whatever she does, it is as if she were not herself. as if not on one's own legs “speaking of walking—very slowly, with difficulty”: And she walks as if not on her own legs: now she stops, now she walks. as if taken down from the cross “very emaciated, wasted away”: The daughter is as if taken down from the cross. like an awl “very sharp”: The axe is sharp as an awl. (whistles) like a little bird “whistles very beautifully”: Her boy whistles so beautifully, like a little bird. like a harness “very big”: Those townspeople have sewn frightfully huge ones—like harnesses. like a plank on its back “very thin”: I saw one there—a horse, poor thing, as thin as a plank on its back. (throat) like a pot “can drink a great deal”: His throat is like a pot, and he can drink as much as that. like bast shoes (bast shoes, hens) to dress (to thresh, to snow) “to snow very heavily in large, wet flakes”: It snowed all day, in flakes like bast shoes, and they were tumbling down, and it was wet and slushy. It snows in flakes like bast shoes today. It’s been snowing in the fields in flakes like bast shoes. Look, it’s snowing like hens. (stammers) like an unoiled cart “speaks unclearly, stumbling over his words”: He stammers like an unoiled cart. like a wheel “in a flash, very quickly”: It spins like a wheel. (sits) like someone given a ruble “very dejected”: He sits there like someone given a ruble. [The phrase is said to have originated in the custom of giving money to newlyweds at weddings.] covered as if with sour cream “all white and full of blossoms”: The apple tree is covered as if with sour cream. (tall, thin) like a blade of grass “very tall and thin”: He is so tall, thin as a blade of grass; that is why he felled rowan trees for me, and many more. 125 (white) as snow “very white, beautiful”: Runkinītis (diminutive) is as beautiful as white snow. as a table “very smooth”: The road is good, as smooth as a table. as a bullet “very quickly”: Hurry up, hurry up, let’s go, let’s go home: the cows are coming like bullets—they’re so numerous. as you got together, so you got up “the same thing all the time; you can’t change it”: That’s how it is now: just as you got together, so you got up. (beautiful) as cream “very beautiful, plump”: The little girl is beautiful as cream. (dense) as a thicket “very dense”: The tomatoes are only just ripening, but they’re dense as a thicket. (pass) as today “pass very quickly”: Three years have gone by, like one moment, as if it were today. (desire) as to pee “want something very much”: She suddenly wanted to go, as badly as to pee. Oh, you wanted a hat so badly—as badly as to pee. as wet wood burns “work or do something very poorly”: You’re working like wet wood burning. as a herring (a dry branch) “very thin, small”: The cow has grown thin as a herring. The bone is like a herring. The poor girl is as thin as a dry branch. as a dog (singular instrumental) to lick “to shave very closely”: She licked and licked it like a dog. Whatever he needed, he did it like a dog, whatever was to be done. wants it like a dog “wants very much (to eat)”: You want to eat like a dog; give me a piece of bread. like a dog (singular instrumental) to denounce (to slander) “to speak ill of, inform on”: You slandered me and informed on me like a dog. Why did you have to inform on me like a dog—what have I done to you? (it went well) as for the Šūtai in church (said when something succeeds unexpectedly): It went well, just like for the Šūtai in church. (will be) as for the Šūtai with the bell ringer (said when one fails to make use of a windfall): It’ll be like that for you too, as for the Šūtai with the bell ringer. as a pipe has been polished (said when good rye waves and ripples beautifully): Oh, what rye, what rye—waving like polished pipes (intertwined). like a beggar’s staff (singular instrumental) to let oneself go “to start being lazy, to be frivolous”: You’ve let yourself go like a beggar’s staff. Why have you let yourself go like a beggar’s staff like that? You do nothing, you don’t go to the collective farm. like a wreath woven “very well done”: Oh, it’s done well—like a wreath woven. to weave (or have woven) a wreath “to work very well, to do something”: He works well—he wove a wreath and did the threshing. Petras did it beautifully—he wove a wreath. as if poured with water (said of a furrow—very straight): The furrow should be straight—as if poured with water. like the devil (stuck to someone) “to pick on someone for no reason”: He stuck to him like the devil. (runs) like the wind “runs very fast”: He [the ox] ran after them and bellowed like the wind. (did the job) like a wolf in Murkonys (said when it is clear that the work will be done badly): Well, now you’ll do it like a wolf in Murkonys. like a single day “very short”: A person’s life is like a single day. like a wolfish fellow “a bad person, a scoundrel”: Oh, he’s like a wolfish fellow. like a wolf escaping among the sheep “to make at least a little profit, earn something”: When people go to work, they always earn something, even if only a little, like a wolf escaping among the sheep. 126 like a twisted rope, she keeps going (“can get everywhere” — about a person who goes everywhere): She keeps going like a twisted rope. (stirred) like Zabláckas (on the millstone) with a mill “earned nothing”: So you’ve stirred like Zabláckas with the mill. He worked, worked, and stirred like Zabláckas at the mill. like green firewood burning “living very poorly”: Such a life—it’s like green firewood burning. (big) as a pole “very tall, big”: A big man stands like a pole; who is he, then? as if the earth were for sale “very sad, downcast”: And the king walks about as if he had sold the earth (ps.). puffed up like a beetle “is proud, conceited”: She puffed herself up like a beetle. (lives) like a pea by the road “lives very poorly”: He lives like a pea by the road, gathering chanterelles, and picks and sells berries. like wet laundry “very wet, soaked through”: He is soaked through, like wet laundry. like little candles “very bright (eyes)”: My eyes are still like little candles, only my mind is gone. like a little beast (pounces) “to scold very fiercely”: She pounced like a little beast because we had made such a fire in the stove. a corner broom “pushed around by everyone, kept nowhere”: When you married your husband, whether he was good or bad, you became a corner broom. A woman can only be a corner broom; a man cannot. a cat’s tear “very little”: How much milk is there? A cat’s tear. to harrow the road (with ruts) “to stagger while walking (of a drunk person)”: Look, he’s already staggering along. He’s going home and staggering along. He’s walking and weaving all over the road; he’s an unsteady man. the road is open “you can choose whatever you want”: The road is open to young people. the hat is burning “is afraid”: That man’s hat is burning too—he put the rye out to steal. to raise one’s hat “to greet someone, taking off one’s hat”: I didn’t know how… to raise my hat in front of the men (d.). to chase pigs (to chase, find) “to stagger and stumble while walking (about a drunk)”: When a drunk is already coming, they say: “He’s chasing pigs.” Don’t be afraid; light the lamp and wait—perhaps a drunk is chasing pigs somewhere and will come back. He’s already found a pig, they say, when someone wakes up drunk. how many dogs (wolves) chased you (said when someone who has been away for a long time arrives): So, how many dogs chased you? So, how many wolves chased you? (suddenly) has a great deal of noise “shouts very loudly”: And if she encounters a she-wolf (wolf), the woman suddenly makes as much noise as she can. the porridge has been thinned (said of tasteless soup): When the beet greens are thin (=watery) and tasteless, they say, “The porridge has been thinned.” the porridge is swimming (said of poor, thin soup): When you thin the porridge with some kind of broth, the porridge is swimming. to chase a hare “to seduce a girl”: He chased a hare for the girl, and that was that. to hit with a rolling pin “to beat up”: Do you want me to hit you with a rolling pin? koc tu an šunio lẽi (Liep. nuos.) “very sour (of soup)”: How sour the cabbage is, koč (=though) tu un šūnio lãi. 127 koc tu jī su ánielu paguldž (liep. nuos.) “very good, serious”: Ot bērnas vōžnas, koč (= nors) tu jī su ánielu paguldž. kōjas atiẽšti (continue) “to walk or come slowly”: Čūt kōjas atāti sau, tōkis klumpinas. Ot pavargau miestī, čūt kōjas tīšu. Žūr, kap ānas āina kōjas tīsdams. kōjas aždūrti (shake) “to die”: They stoked (heated) the bathhousefiercely (hard), then she kicked the bucket. He is no longer here; he was already old, already beginning to give up the ghost. kōjas jūdinti “to work, not sit idle”: Whoever keeps their legs moving also has bread to eat. kōjom žēmēs nesiekti “to be dead”: That old woman can no longer reach the ground with her feet. That little one who cannot reach the ground with her feet. kōrkon žiūrēti “to want a drink”: As soon as they gather a few people, they look toward the tavern. kōšēs prašo (said of shoes that are torn open, with gaping soles): Look, those shoes are begging for a patch. kruopēle [v]jandēnio pasivērti “to take a little drink”: I’m jumping over the stream! — I stopped for a little drink of water. (ps.). koṭ tu atsiguļ (liep. nuos.) an jōs (them) “very fat”: The cow is beautiful, its back broad; she is so fat. They don’t give the pigs chaff(chaff)— they’re all so fat. koṭ tu jām trūbīji (liep. nuos.) ausī “do whatever you want (when someone is fast asleep)”: You can blow a trumpet in her ear; she won’t wake up—she sleeps very (=well, soundly) . koṭ tu priēš jūos kepūrē nusiīm (pakėl) (liep. nuos.) “very good, beautiful”: What beautiful rye, you could take your hat off to it. The men gather and marvel: these are such beautiful crops, you could take your hat off to them. kranklys krankliuo (singular instrumental) (a crow does not peck out another crow’s) eye “the rich support the rich”: That’s what everyone says: a crow won’t peck out another crow’s eye. A crow won’t peck out another crow’s eye. kryžių nēšti “to suffer greatly, to live poorly”: She bears a cross throughout her life: the children are unruly, and her husband drinks so much—he’s a drunkard. kryžių pamēsti “to start living better, to escape hardship”: Things are better now—she has cast off her cross: the children are grown, and they’ve got themselves settled. kruopās suvalgē až jī (said of a dead person): Since he is no longer here, they have eaten up all the groats on his account. They have eaten up all the groats on his account. kūčia (vīlkas) kuodēli apšīko (prišīko) (said if all the yarn has not been spun by Christmas): Before Christmas we spun and spun, but didn’t finish; then they said, “The Christmas Eve wolf has torn the distaff to pieces.” The old women go on and on: “The wolf will tear the distaff to pieces.” where the pole bends “very old”: Grandma Susrińko is as old as the pole bends. where they mow, there are bones “there is misery everywhere; things are very bad”: Christmas, oh, all my troubles—where they mow, there are bones. turning somersaults “to turn oneself inside out”: When they finished mowing the rye and had put it away, and what remained was that the rye would be good only if it turned over, they lay down: they turned somersaults so the rye would rise up from the ground, and shouted, “Faster, whoo-hoo-hoo,” as if the bread had wings and would be eaten quickly. the little belly raised “pregnant”: The old woman was gossiping like this: she is still expecting, but her little belly is already raised. to give a good day “to greet; a greeting during the day”: She gave me a good day and went away. the Lapatinskases will marry “will have to die”: Why didn’t you get married? The Lapatinskases will soon marry you. 128 the Lapatinskases came with a little basket “death is near”: What can I do, the Lapatinskases have already come for me with their little basket (cf. Belarusian nącok). the fox lit its fingers, the fish is baking (said when fog rises): As they say: the fox lit its fingers, the fish is baking. (sit) with one’s tongue laid on one’s beard “to do nothing”: He sits with his tongue on his beard and does nothing. (run about) with one’s tongue laid on one’s beard “to run around everywhere quickly”: She runs about with her tongue on her beard, spreading gossip. to squeeze one’s tongue in 1. “to adapt, to please”: Whatever the teacher says, she slips her tongue in wherever necessary, and gets on well with everyone. 2. “to say something, to put in a word”: We put our tongues in too, whenever necessary and whenever it is not. to squeeze one’s tongue in like Tuvėlis’s backside “to get out of something”: He squeezed his tongue in like Tuvėlis’s backside. (go) with one’s tongue stuck out “to gossip”: He does no work, just goes around the yards with his tongue stuck out. to grind (mill) with one’s tongue “to talk a lot”: She just grinds away with her tongue. She talks and talks; she could have prepared the whole house in that time (put it in order). to swing one’s tongue like a dog’s tail “to talk idly, to talk nonsense”: Why are you wagging your tongue like a dog’s tail? to scatter one’s tongues “to gossip”: I can’t stand that woman; she just spreads gossip. to work with one’s tongue “to talk someone round, adapt”: Now everyone lives here, working with their tongues. wet up to the loins “soaked through”: He came back soaked to the loins. to one’s fill 1. “enough, to one’s satisfaction”: We ate our fill; there is everything. 2. “a great deal”: The trees are growing to one’s fill, as many as you want. to sit in a little bowl “to be surrounded by someone on all sides”: We are sitting in a little bowl. (of sleep) stuffed with a little sleepyhead “to sleep very long and soundly”: Where the devil have you been sleeping, stuffed with sleepiness? (goes) without having eaten or drunk “to walk very slowly”: How she goes, without having eaten or drunk. in a little mouse’s eye “very small”: A little lamp, small as a mouse’s eye. (howls) like a horned billy goat “to yell and shout very loudly”: Why are you howling like a horned billy goat? The ravens have taken the foal away (in the barn). (goes) having not slept for three nights “to walk very slowly, barely able to walk”: He goes as if he had not slept for three nights. (understands one another) like a goose with a bone “to communicate poorly”: The woman wants to chat, but we understand one another like a goose with a bone. the shovel is needed “death is near (said of an old person)”: The shovel is needed now, yet you are chatting with the children. the end will be through the clouds (the grave) “will soon have to die”: Now the end will be through the clouds. When someone has begun to say that they will die, one adds: the end will be through the clouds, into the grave. beaten with [flour] sacks “half-witted”: If someone is a little foolish, they say, “beaten with sacks.” They also say: “that man is beaten with flour sacks.” born in a sack, raised behind the stove “ignorant, knowing nothing”: Since I know nothing, I was born in a sack and raised behind the stove. Maušas is crawling into one’s eyes (said when one is getting sleepy): Maušas is already crawling into my eyes. to whittle Maušas’s beard “to doze”: Look, he is already whittling Maušas’s beard. little days “childhood”: From the little days—songs and tales. 9. Leksikos tyrinėjimai 129 born in a tree, grown in a tree “dark, knowing nothing”: He was born in a tree and grew in a tree. to throw bread (back) “not to take revenge, to repay evil with good”: If he throws a stone at you, throw bread back. Well then, better throw bread at him. to grow in a tree “to be ignorant, to know nothing”: Have you been growing in a tree all this time, that you know nothing? the bear boiled a pot over the fence (barnyard fence) “Shrovetide Wednesday (usually, children must get up early that morning; if they get up late, they will not receive the gift supposedly left by the bear while boiling)”: At mid-Lent, parents tell the children: “On Wednesday the bear boiled a pot over the fence; you shouldn’t have overslept.” The bear boiled a pot over the barnyard fence. sleep creeps into one’s eyes “to feel sleepy”: I’m already getting sleepy. a soft heart “compassionate, sensitive”: That person is kind, soft-hearted—a poor thing, they won’t even give us our own. not to throw away one’s memory “not to lose one’s memory”: I don’t lose my memory, even though I’m ill. a woman can reach it with a poker (said when the sun is already low and evening is near): The sun is already low—it’s at the point where a woman can reach it with a poker. The sun is at the point where a woman can reach it with a poker. the mother’s milk has not dried from the lips “young, immature”: You poor thing, your mother’s milk has not yet dried from your lips, and you’re already thinking of marriage. one could even reach out a hand “very close”: The river is close—you could even reach out your hand. one could even ferment cabbage “very sour”: The beet greens are sour—you could even ferment cabbage with them. one could ride all the way to town on it “very blunt, dull”: The scythe is so blunt you could ride it all the way to town. one could even hang an axe “very stuffy (said of the air in a house)”: The air in the room is awful—you could even hang an axe in it. fights are going on “they fight, they quarrel”: They’re always fighting over them. to stick one’s claws in “to touch, to take”: Why are you sticking your claws in where you shouldn’t? namai blīnais dēngta (said when someone who has arrived is hurrying to leave): Musēt namai blīnais dēngta, kad tep skubi. nasrūs šiepdīti “to jeer, to laugh for no reason”: Ko tu vis nasrūs šiepdaī. Ānas šiepdo nasrūs ir šiepdo. naujo botāgo ašigeisti “for an old man to marry a young woman”: Ragi, ānas naujo botāgo asigeide. naujas kōjas pasistatyti “to marry a young woman”: Ānas sēnas, ali, kap paci pamirē, ašigeidē naujas kōjas pastacīc. neduoti smertēs (gen. sg.) “not to let die, not to send to death”: Sēnas, nesūgali jau, nedūoda dzīevās ir smertēs. neduoti praeiti (to someone) “to defend, argue, stand up for (someone)”: Āzgīrs kū an dziedō, tai neduōs praeic. nei gyvas, nei damiręs “neither one thing nor the other (about a good-for-nothing person)”: Ānas nei gyvas, nei damiris. nei kōjų neapšilti “to stay for a very short time”: Suvāicis dār nei kōju neapšilo. (to prattle, to gab) nei šeī, nei teī (neither this nor that) “to speak poorly, to talk nonsense”: Ānas plencija nei šeī, nei teī. Kat tu klegį nei šo, nei to. nei šis, nei tās “something incomprehensible, nonsense”: Kap neišdēsū gerai, bus nei šis, nei tās. (to muddle, to gab) nei žiemą, nei vāsarą “to speak poorly, talk oneself into a hole, muddle everything”: Nē paci's nerazrinksit, plēncija nei žiemū, nei vāsarū. Supinē nei žiemū, nei vāsarū. 130 you won’t change a bad spouse “you can’t change it (said of someone with a bad husband or wife)”: Kū padarīc, vīras ne rankové, neišverši. were you chased here by dogs?! (said when someone arrives but does not sit down and is in a hurry to leave): Ne šūnes jau tavī ažvijo?! not what’s on my mind “I’m not thinking about that; that’s not what matters”: Ne tas galvōj, tai ir nėmenu. you won’t get far “to get nothing, gain nothing”: Kap niėko negaūš iš tavī, netolī tevazīvosi. Neteptais rūtaiš toli nenuvazīvosi, skri pūōs-patepsi, tadū važūosi, ē kap gi. (it went) even to the third year “has severe diarrhea”: Palēido vidurūs — nēt un trēčo vainīko. (eats) even the ears of a fox “eats very greedily, heartily”: Tai ānas vālgo, nēt aūsi's lāpsi. (walks) even with her heels on her back “goes very fast, energetically”: Mergokāitē āina, nēt pinčai šikinen lūpa. (has eaten) so much that the belly rattles “has eaten a great deal, to the point of bursting”: Ot dabarkōs pavālgau, nēt pīlvas trāška. even the branches are breaking “a great many”: Mā sodēli obuolū, net šākas lāuža. don’t go looking in God’s bramble patch (woods) (said when someone gets conceited and is dissatisfied with what they have): Nevīk diēvo karklynan, vālgīk kū turi. Nevīk diēvo mēdzin su runčū, ba nesuprašiši ir su pi-ragū. Nevīk diēvo mēdzin. they took him to the Jewish cemetery (said when someone sleeps for a very long time): Musēt ne žīdū kapuōsan nuvēžė, kad tep ilgai miēgi. neither fit to hear nor to flee (said of ugly, indecent speech): A jau tū plēpi, nē klausic, nē bēgc, i kū panaši ta gavendā. not a crumb “there is none at all”: Ē tos drūškos nē grūčo nēr. neither here nor there “very poor, badly done”: Anō dārbas netikis — nē šīn, nē tīn. not fit for oneself to look at or to show to people “very poor, shoddy”: Ot, isiriṅko pāču: nē sāu pažūrēc, nē žmonēm parōdi-c. there is nothing to blow on or to make noise with “there is nothing at all”: Ca par marču nēr nē pūscie, nē āūsinċie. to go to ruin “to become unruly, spoiled, dissolute”: The whole world has become so debauched—it has gone completely to ruin. to turn into nothing “to reduce to nothing, to make worthless”: Well, how can everyone be gathered together? They’ll turn it all into nothing. to hang one’s nose low (to hang) “to become despondent”: That boy sits with his nose (face) hanging low. Why are you sitting there, hanging your nose like that? There’s work at every turn. to announce from the pulpit “to publish the banns in church”: Our young couple have already had their banns announced from the pulpit. not to be among the living “to kill”: Then he says: “As if they hadn’t killed them.” from darkness until dark “all day long, from early morning until evening”: From dawn until dark I work with flax [I work with flax]. to be worn down in health “to lose one’s health, to become weak”: My husband has become so worn down in health that he has lost his property too; we were left poor. even if [you] beat yourself to death “do whatever you want”: Look, there she is—do whatever you like, she won’t listen and that’s that. You can beat yourself to death; I can’t remember how it goes. even run away from home “very bad”: Misfortunes keep coming down on us—things are so bad we might as well run away from home. to stick one’s nose in “to come”: He’s such a troublemaker—yesterday he came poking his nose in again. 9* 131 to stick one’s nose in “to meddle, to intrude”: If you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, you’ll see what it’s like to be shoved aside. (to go) with one’s nose down “to be dejected”: He goes about with his nose down. to plow the earth with one’s nose “to be drunk, to stagger”: That fellow was never at home; he’s going about with his nose plowing the earth. When we come to the tavern, we spend the whole evening plowing the earth with our noses. to go haymaking for the dogs “to come to nothing”: That child is bad and won’t listen, so they say, “He went haymaking for the dogs.” He went haymaking for the dogs. He doesn’t listen to his father and mother, so he’ll go haymaking for the dogs. went for a bit and vanished (said when someone goes out briefly but does not return for a long time): He went for a bit and vanished. oh, may you all burst! “oh, may the devil take you”: Oh, may you all burst! Where is the little pot? oh, may you be weighed down! “may the devil take you” (a curse). The Devil has arrived 1. “was embarrassed”: When someone gets embarrassed, they say, “The Devil has arrived.” 2. “lied”: So the Devil has arrived for you again? — the father asks his daughter, or someone else [when he catches her lying]. well, there you are, old woman, with your ninth! (said when something goes wrong): Well, there you are, old woman, with your ninth! And you still can’t do it. to tear up one’s guts (rip, tear) “to vomit”: When the old woman sees someone come to the fence and collapse, she says, “Look, he’s tearing up his guts already.” He’s fine, fine, then later he starts throwing up and tearing up his guts. Some say “he’s ripping his guts out,” others “he’s tearing his guts,” he’s completely exhausted. When he drinks a lot, he throws up and tears up his guts. You’ve stuffed yourself like a calf, and now you’re throwing up and tearing up your guts. the little pillow has been laid down (said when the banns are announced in church): We’ve laid down the little pillows; they’ve already come together. he beats his heels on the floorboards “walks very quickly”: He walks as if beating his heels on the floorboards. to put one’s teeth on the boards “to have no better food left”: They’ve already put their teeth on the boards; the daughters ate everything. There’s no fried pork left—put your teeth on the boards. to raise a cry “to call for help”: The hare awoke, raised a cry; the beast raised a cry (ps.). let a flea loose and you’ll find it (said of a poor, bare pasture or meadow): What kind of pasture do you graze in? Let a flea loose and you’ll find it. A poor meadow—let a louse loose and you’ll find it. The grass is poor: let a flea loose and you’ll come upon one. born by the stove, raised by the stove “ignorant, knowing nothing, obtuse”: He was born by the stove and raised by the stove. to leave a mark “to leave a trace”: Wherever a person goes, whatever they do, they leave a mark everywhere. Wherever you roam, you leave a mark there: say, well, whether I’m holding a wedding there or doing something else—there are expenses. to put the harness on someone’s neck “for the younger woman to marry before the older one”: Well, would you look at that! The younger one put the harness on ahead of the older one. to wear the harness “to endure a hard life, to do poor, difficult work”: Both I and my sisters spent our whole lives wearing the harness. You were born to the plow, so you have to wear the harness too—what else can you do? to scorch someone across the eyes (lips) “to shame”: I shamed him, and then he quieted down. He didn’t obey his mother; when I scorched him across the lips, perhaps he’ll obey now. to look for bread in bread “to be dissatisfied with what one has; to have enough, yet want even more”: They’re looking for bread in bread. It’s no good for a person to look for bread in bread. by a rooster’s step (to grow longer) “to lengthen a little (said of the day)”: After Christmas, the day grew longer by a rooster’s step. 132 to put through the throat “to drink away; to impoverish oneself through drinking”: He squandered both the horses and the plows down his throat. She gets angry and says: that wastrel drank away the plows and the harrows down his throat. to make someone dance through the cat’s legs “to burden someone with worries; to take someone to task”: [They] have no one making them dance through the cat’s legs [when she lives alone and has no children]. rye like mint “very poor, sparse”: He sowed it, but it withered—the rye is like mint. to get (give) a beating “to beat”: You’ll get a beating if you don’t give the horse its feed. You just gave him a beating when you led us astray. within a sprinat’s length (said of distance—near, very close): It was only a sprinat’s length from her, but it didn’t hit. to push through the fence “to get married”: They pushed through the fence. to get underfoot “to be nearby, to get in someone’s way”: Kill it so it won’t get underfoot (ps.). to slurp sour milk “to snore”: As soon as he lay down, he was already snoring. put the harness on the first suitor (said when a second set of matchmakers arrives after the first, and an agreement is reached with them): When one set of matchmakers arrived, another arrived too, and she chose them; so, they say, she put the harness on the first one. farted and was gone (said when someone dies quickly and unexpectedly): And he died already—farted and was gone. to poke one’s eye with a finger “it is very dark”: Oh dear, nothing can be seen—it’s so dark you could poke your eye with a finger, and nobody came to my aid. not a hair will fall from one’s head “nothing bad will happen”: Without God’s will, not a hair will fall from one’s head. one’s hair stands on end “to be very frightened; one’s hair stood on end”: — He says: how frightening it was—their hair stood on end. to tear one’s hair out “to grieve deeply, torment oneself, regret”: Mother tears her hair out over having beaten the children. to gossip “to wag one’s tongue”: The man gossips so much; I’ve put everything in order (tidied up). it falls in flakes (like stars) (of snow; it pours) “it snows in very large, wet flakes”: All day long today, it’s falling in big flakes. Look, the snow is falling like stars; you can’t see the road. Look, it’s pouring in flakes beyond the window, so there’ll be snow. water does not flow under a lying stone “one who does not work accomplishes nothing and has nothing”: When someone is lazy, that’s what we tell them: water does not flow under a lying stone. Water doesn’t seep out from under a stone, and the lazy person gets no work done. to put an old whip under young legs (said when an old man marries a young woman): Why put an old whip under young legs? to go under the pine “to die”: Death is already coming for me, they say: I’ll go under the pine. to be under an old beard “to marry an old man”: I was more afraid of a young man than of the devil; better to be under an old beard. to lie under the sod “to be buried”: If it weren’t for the medicines, I’d be lying under the sod. under a cart “pregnant”: He struck her with a stick, and she is pregnant—poor thing. a little one has appeared “a child was born”: She has had a little one, so she no longer goes to the collective farm. beside an old stump (singular use) to kindle a fire “to marry an old man”: She has changed for the worse (changed, become unwell), it would be better to kindle a fire beside an old stump. to blow against the wind “to resist, disobey”: And we’re already blowing against the wind. 133 you can’t blow against the wind “you cannot stand up to someone stronger”: You can’t blow against the wind; you’ll be left completely alone. fill the granary—it’s all the same; fill the barrel—it’s all the same (said of someone who lives wastefully): He doesn’t know how to live: fill the granary—it’s all the same; fill the barrel—it’s all the same. pass through the gullet “to drink away”: He drank everything away. born in the dark (raised) “dark”: He was born in some dark corner; in Lithuanian, [he is called] a dead man. He was raised in darkness and knows nothing. blow at the ends “nonsense, an empty thing”: It seems to us that what he is saying is nonsense. see the coffin “death is near”: The coffin is in sight, but she is still waiting for the children (= speech). The latecomer has already set off toward us; the coffin is already in sight, and I haven’t even had time to chat much. the coffin will be coming along behind “death is near”: Well, what now? I’m going, and the coffin will be coming along behind me. you can’t take it with you to the grave “you can’t take it with you when you die”: Well, what good is money to me? You can’t take it with you to the grave; the young ones are here, so let it be for them. reach with one’s hand “near”: He looked around—the hand could reach it. hand washes hand “they help and protect one another”: I didn’t get to shoot; you know, hand washes hand—well, what can I do? poke with one’s hands “to work briefly and without much purpose”: The man just pokes at things with his hands, pokes and pokes—what kind of work is that? He just keeps fiddling around. the hands won’t rise (won’t get moving) “one doesn’t feel like it; one isn’t drawn to it”: My throat is blocked (I’ve caught hoarseness); I can’t manage it—the hands won’t get moving. I don’t feel like doing any work with my hands. When my husband died, my hands wouldn’t rise to get moving. to keep one’s earnings in one’s own hands “to seek one’s own benefit, profit”: Even the holy people kept their earnings for themselves. All the saints kept their earnings for themselves. The chairman, too, kept his earnings for himself. hands [legs] are stiff “to become very tired”: He worked so hard (quickly) that his hands stiffened; he was rushing around like thunder. I worked myself hard, and my hands and legs stiffened. to wring one’s hands “to be very distressed, grieve, fret, suffer”: Mother wrung her hands—oh, the child is gone. to push with one’s hands “to refuse, resist”: She resisted with her hands; she won’t go. to have one’s hands [at work] rotting (rotted) “to work poorly, slowly”: They left the husband at home alone — his hands’ work is rotting. He is so clever that his hands’ work has rotted. If he gets going now, his hands’ work will rot. Don’t be afraid, good worker — your hands’ work won’t rot. greased wheels “to bribe”: First grease the wheels, then you’ll get somewhere. to be in eternal rest “to die”: I’ll soon be in eternal rest (cf. Latin requiem aeternam). to give the rods “to beat”: The master will give the singer the rods again for mentioning the hen. not to take a ruble [out of the house] “not to drink away one’s money”: The husband will not take a ruble out of the house. to see sweetness and goodness “to live well”: I have seen little sweetness and goodness; I have tasted much hardship. to cause shame “to embarrass”: I embarrassed that lad when we went to the barn. from one’s own head “from memory”: Not from written notes; I remember everything from my own head. to keep one’s own head “to be intelligent, to have an opinion of one’s own”: If you have a head of your own, you don’t need to be taught. 134 to lead with one’s (own) head “to manage and lead by oneself”: My grandfather lived for eighty-six years and managed everything by himself. old tail “an old person”: Such an old tail, yet she still looks at the young ones—the girls are the ones who matter. the thrifty man brings in (carries, brings) (said when someone is doing well and living prosperously): Perhaps the thrifty man is bringing in plenty—his horse is so handsome. When someone lives well, they say: he is bringing in plenty. The wealthy bring in bacon, too. Those who are stingy bring in no bacon. the chips are flying “there are losses, expenses”: However you try to make a living, the chips are flying all the same. If you chop wood, the chips will fly too. to have much stupidity in one’s head “to be rather foolish, dim-witted”: He has a lot of stupidity in his head. The man had stupidity in his head; he was really quite foolish. not to have grievances “not to complain”: I still have no grievances because of the children. death is behind the shoulders “death is near (said of an old person)”: Death is just behind his shoulders, yet he still has things to do. death has come “is dozing”: Look, Father has already dozed off. to send good wishes to the dead (said when someone has gone out briefly but does not return for a long time): He’s sending good wishes to the dead: if he’s gone off to send wishes to the dead, then it would be good if he lived a little longer. sleepiness came over (is coming over) “to feel sleepy, want to sleep”: Such sleepiness is coming over him, and he has started nodding off. Whatever was done to me here—the sleepiness is taking hold; I can’t sit still. the cracklings hang high “to have run out of meat and bacon”: Their cracklings hang high (are dangling). to walk thick “to be pregnant”: When she became pregnant, she was already walking thick by the end of the year. fear took hold “became frightening”: He had just lit a cigarette when lightning struck; he jumped into the pine forest—such a fright took hold of him. to turn one’s head “to weigh things up, think”: I had no horse, so I sold my watch and began to turn things over in my head, wondering how to keep the farm going. you won’t draw a word out of him with a hook “you won’t get him talking”: One man is a chatterbox, another talks as much as a sieve lets through, but that one—you won’t draw a word out of him with a hook. When he doesn’t speak, you can’t get a word out of him with a hook. to be in a difficult condition “to be pregnant”: I was pregnant then, and that evening I saw how little fires were wandering about in the fields. to part with this world “to die”: He is already parting with this world. to remain with one cloth “to be untidy”: I was unmarried, but after I got married I still remained with one cloth — a poor woman. with one tooth and that same wobbly one “very old”: I am already old — with one tooth, and that same one wobbling. (to sit) with a frown, like crumpled linen (said of someone who is displeased): Why are you sitting there with a frown, like crumpled linen? holy tongues “gossip, chatter”: Holy tongues separated many people. the magpie (crow) has carried off (said of someone who takes a long time washing): You’ve washed yourself, and your nose is carried off by the magpie. Your crow has already carried it off. the spoon is no longer needed after dinner (said when something is done too late): You won’t get there in time — the spoon is no longer needed after dinner. 135 the tail of a little pike breaks through the ice “the cold is no longer severe (said of the approaching spring”: Around St Joseph’s Day, the little pike’s tail breaks through the ice. The little pike’s tail breaks through the ice, so spring is already coming. to have warm groats (said when someone senses that a person’s funeral is near): Soon there’ll be warm groats. And you, take care, take care and don’t die — there’ll be warm groats. warmth does not break (or crush) bones (said when someone complains that it is warm): Don’t worry, warmth doesn’t break bones. Warmth won’t crush bones. the heart does not let go “it is painful, unpleasant, very regrettable”: My heart aches when that young tree has broken, and he has broken off the others too. to eat someone’s heart “to hurt”: I am left all alone; I sit and cry — he has eaten my heart like that. to gnaw at someone’s heart “to get on someone’s nerves, to become a nuisance”: You’ve really worn me out; you’ve gnawed at my heart so much that I don’t want to ask you anymore. to make someone’s heart sink “to become sad and anxious”: I call and call, no one answers, and I can’t find anyone — that makes my heart sink. for one’s heart to ache “to feel pain, to be sad”: Perhaps his heart aches because he was left with the children. to have a devil in one’s heart “to be cunning”: I have gone off; he’ll still beat me up — he has a devil in his heart. to beat the son “to beat up”: The neighbor came home and, in a fit of anger, beat up his son, scolded him, and drove him out. He doesn’t beat my son like that every time. to play tricks (to lead someone on) “to joke around”: I wanted to play tricks too, but they came running over. The man is sitting at the front and is leading someone on. a dog won’t lick up blood (said when there is discord in a family): They’re already fighting there, they don’t get along, people say, what kind of life is that— even a dog won’t lick up blood. sour (singular instrumental) dripping with a dog’s saliva “very sour (said of bad soup)”: Now that’s sour cabbage soup—it’s dripping with a dog’s saliva. to put into a dog’s tail (singular instrumental) “to come to nothing, to be of no use”: All that work went into the dog’s tail; he squandered everything. He studied and studied, but it all went into the dog’s tail, and he ended up with no education. to herd dogs “to toil, to live poorly”: When the child doesn’t listen, the parents say, if you don’t obey, you’ll end up herding dogs. to sniff tobacco “to snore while sleeping”: Why are you, they say, sniffing tobacco like that? You sniff and sniff through your nose while sleeping. not to take it to the other world “you won’t take it with you when you die”: That’s how people comfort someone who is dying: whatever you have, that’s enough—you won’t take it to the other world. to go to the other world “to die”: That man was already old, and now he has grown weaker; he has already gone to the other world. let there be a fair at your navel “you have it your way (said when one does not wish to argue for long)”: Let there be a fair at your navel, do as you like. is both above and below (said of a shrewd person): A clever woman: she is both above and below. to come out only on a dog “very bad (said of tasteless soup)”: It’s impossible to eat; it comes out only on a dog. What kind of food is this—it comes out only on a dog. only in tears “very little”: Those beets—only in tears. only a little bottle stuffed in and corks jammed in (said of a drunkard): There’s nowhere to put that drunken fellow; he’s got only a little bottle stuffed in and corks jammed in. 136 only a rooster’s (singular instrumental) on the heels “very little”: I spun only a rooster’s worth of yarn on the spindle, enough to reach the heels. only a crumb “very little”: There is only a tiny bit of meadow; the cow wanders about and has nothing to eat. only to beat the children “to beat gently”: When Mother beats them, she only gives the child a light beating. Mother only gives the child a light beating. only for mice to live in “very dirty”: What a dirty mess we have here—it is fit only for mice to live in. only fit for puppies’ nests “very untidy”: The bed is badly made—it looks like a puppies’ nest. to make smaravilda of someone “useless (said of someone old and infirm)”: I’m old, so I’ve become nothing but a smaravilda. to mow hay for the dogs “useless”: Nothing will come of him; he’s fit only for mowing hay for the dogs. (to scrape by) to sniff only at tobacco “to earn very little”: I scraped by, earning only enough to sniff at tobacco—what can you scrape by on? only the father and mother are missing “very untidy”: There’s everything here now except the father and mother [said of a messy table], just a jumble. only to graze little lambs “very poor, without grass”: What kind of meadow is this? It’s fit only for grazing little lambs. only a wreath [and] to weave (said when someone does something very well or beautifully): He weaves it like a wreath, how beautifully he does it. to make quiet “to fall silent”: Everyone falls silent and listens as the little bell rings. on the upper side of three months (singular instrumental) the horns are brought down (said of the severe cold that may come in March): March’s cold, at the turn of three months, brings down the ox’s horns. to shed three skins (someone) “to exploit someone very thoroughly”: He wants to strip three skins off me. to grow like a pipe (to sprout) “to grow very well”: What a harvest! Everything is growing like a pipe. Everything has grown well, sprouting vigorously. to have ears listen (hear) “everyone must obey”: The commander said that if I give the word, everyone must listen. Everyone must hear what I say. a blank for him “that’s enough, nothing much”: That’s all there is, let it be as he said. born and raised in a barn “dark, knowing nothing”: My husband was born in a barn and raised in a barn. a twig fence “good for nothing”: He’s such a twig fence, such a lazybones (= lazy person). to stick into the fire “to harm, to do something bad”: Why do you want to stick me in the fire? I’ve only been here a month. a crow won’t peck at its own beak “very good, dense; said of crops”: Look at the rye—it’s dense as a crow’s beak. to serve a rolling pin as a snack “to beat”: The master gives him a rolling pin for a snack. to stand behind someone’s shoulders “to be near”: What can you do? Another trouble is already right behind you. to provide for the child “to collect money and gifts for the child at the christening”: They say— the child is being provided for—the godfather gives money, the godmother little gloves, and so on. evening has come “death is approaching”: When I was young, [at Shrovetide] we swung (on swings) up as high as we could, the higher we swung, the longer the flax would grow; but now evening has come, and I can do nothing anymore. to eat bread with salt “to live in poverty”: You didn’t listen to your mother; you eat bread with salt. You chose hardship, so endure it—you eat bread with salt. the harmonium has gone bad “can no longer sing”: Because the harmonium has gone bad. a crow won’t peck out another crow’s eyes (singular dative?) “birds of a feather support one another”: He was to blame; he overdid it, and everything burned down, but a crow won’t peck out another crow’s eyes. 137 várna kavójas (said of grain—somewhat grown, quite large): Jau didelìl rugai — várna kavójasi. Un Jū.rgo várna rugúosa kavójas—geri rugai. Jū.rgo dzìenu átmenu tókūs metūs, ka rugúosa várna kavójos. várna matytis (said of grain—poor, small): Plaukà rugai, è várna matìcis. várnas šáudyti “to look around”: Raìka ne várnas šáudži.c, è karavalatàiti· súkcie, tep sakinè momà, kap ažpìksta. vèlnas [šìkti] nujójo “came to nothing, was of no use”: Surinkdė, surinkdė túrtu, ir nèr — vèlnias nùjo. Kad ir jù· túrtu· vèlnias šìkè nujojo, è rìnkėdė, rìnkėdė. vèlnas šáudo iš dubeltkòs (said when it is raining): Kap lietùs lìja, tai vèlnas šáudo iš dubeltkos (cf. Polish dubeltówka, Belarusian дубальтоўка). vèlnio nèštas ir pãmestas “good for nothing”: Kap vìras negėras, tadù klėga: tà vìras vèlnio nèštas ir pãmestas. vèlnio sèklos “bad deeds, bad people”: Vèlno sèklos neraìka sėc, acidziksta: jū naikini, è viscièk áuga. vèlnio veseilìà “quarrels”: Kadù vìras ir paci nesùtara, tai, sãko, par jùos vèlnio veseilà. vèlniai nemàtė “never mind”: Vèlnai nemàtė, nèmėnu. vèlniai pirtìn eina (said when a strong wind is blowing): Kap pùca didelis vėjas, tadù sãko — vèlnai pircìn àina. vèlniai veseilìą kèlìa (said when a strong wind is blowing): Nu, šùndzien vèlnai veseilù kèla. vèlnus žènyti “to argue, to swear”: Kad cik kàs — vèlnus žènija. veršio laidymai (said when the sun is no longer high, at a height of a calf): Per veršo laidzìmus gùsim namòna. Jau veršo laidzi·mai. vèžimais neišvėžti “a great many”: Knìgu tù jù — vèžimais neišvėži. vėjas išèiti “to come to nothing, to be of no use”: Visù grìvànumu mà sopulìs: kù ažkrutèu, vėjas išè. vienas kitàm rankàs pláuti “to defend one another, to help one another”: Áni·s vienas kitàm rankàs pláuna. to choke on a single bite (said when one no longer wants to marry a second time): Ah, I’ve had enough now—I choked on a single bite. in one breath “without pausing for breath, in one go”: He can say it all in one breath. to smoke and spit out one cigarette “very little”: How much have I dug up? He smoked and spat out just one cigarette. one after another “in great haste”: When St George’s Day comes, [people] get up and everyone hurries one after another to be the first to go and look after themselves. all alone “completely alone”: The boy died; he had been all alone, without parents. to live in harmony “to get along, live together”: They live together in harmony. to blow into the same pipe “to get along, live together”: They blow into the same pipe. one eye weeps, the other laughs “the same person experiences everything”: That’s how it is: one eye weeps, the other laughs. to grow into a wolf’s hide “to be disobedient”: He has grown into a wolf’s hide. hens will scratch it out of the manure heap [even after ten years] “I’ll get it even after ten years”: Ah, even such a suitor of mine—the hens will scratch him out of the manure heap after ten years. 138 to wear bast shoes “to get by”: Simplas (= weak) father, can no longer manage to wear bast shoes properly. to put on bast shoes “to become impoverished”: During the wars, he and the others wore bast shoes. the guts bark at each other “very hungry, famished”: I want to eat—the guts are barking at each other. the guts roar a march “very hungry, famished”: When someone is hungry, they complain: “Oh, I want to eat—the guts are roaring a march.” to lay in the ground “to bury”: They had [the daughter] and then laid her in the ground. a Jew is carving away at your nose “to doze”: Look, the Jew is already carving away at your nose. the Jews are crawling out (said when someone’s nose is dirty and runny): The Jews are crawling out; wipe your nose, little one. the Jews have driven past (said when someone is dozing): The Jews have already driven past you. the Jews have a headache (said when it rains while the sun is shining): It’s raining with sunshine—the Jew has a headache. to look after one’s own nose “to mind one’s own business”: Oh, it’s none of your business; just look after your own nose and don’t look at someone else’s. to shout across the whole field “to shout loudly, yell, speak”: Why are you shouting across the whole field? the words fall like cards “to weep very well, beautifully”: The words fall like cards. not to look for words in a rubbish heap “to be eloquent”: He doesn’t look for words in a rubbish heap. to hit upon the word “to avoid ugly words”: When I’m with guests, I try to choose my words carefully. the fish gave (said when a child is born into a family): The old woman still says the midwife brought the baby, but in the past the fish gave them more little boys or girls. stars appear in the eyes (flash) “very weak”: When I bend my head, stars appear in my eyes. I’m still going, but I feel dizzy; my ears ring and stars flash in my eyes. horse sorrels “sorrel, a herbaceous plant”: The horse sorrels came out in thin leaves; when they shoot up, the seeds are red. herding sheep “a children’s game”: As the children play the game—herding sheep. grandmother’s bones (ashes) (said when snow glitters in the moonlight): Even now, when it is winter and there is snow, these are grandmother’s bones (ps.). And when it is frosty, her little ashes flit over the snow, that grandmother’s (ps.). little father’s tears “vodka”: He wanted his little father’s tears. clean Thursday “the Thursday before Easter, when people used to wash and clean themselves”: Clean Thursday, before the sun sets, you should already have washed; the Thursday before Easter is the clean Thursday. dērļaus egg “an egg baked into a bun, with which the fields are circled on St George’s Day”: Until the mistress comes back, no one eats the little buns; when she returns, she cuts the bun—the mistress herself has the dērļaus egg to eat. God’s little cow “ladybird”: Catch a ladybird, put it on your palm and say: if it’s going to rain, then stay there; if it isn’t going to rain, then fly away. God’s dew “a weak, meagre meal”: What will you eat here, that milk—God’s dew: you’ll sip the milk, you won’t get full. to bring back a drūka “a children’s game; to knock one’s forehead against a door”. to gather a little fir tree “a children’s game”: What will you use to gather (decorate) the little fir tree—with sweets. And afterwards everyone gives something: some sweets, some something else, and some all sorts of ugly things. Gervėčiai crow (said of someone foolish, obtuse, or useless): As soon as they see him, they say: “Look, a Gervėčiai crow is coming.” 139 Jóno rasa “dew on the morning of St John’s Day”: On St John’s Day, the livestock must not be let out in the morning so that St John does not go out into the dew; because if St John goes out into the dew, he will dry up the milk, and then there will be no milk. Juozapōtas melāgis (about the unsettled weather after St Joseph’s Day [March 19]): Juozapōtas melāgis: he lies—it’s winter; he lies—it’s spring. Júrgio rasa “the first dew in spring; dew on the morning of St George’s Day”: The cattle can already be driven out into the field on St George’s dew. The cows will stand in the meadow until St George’s dew. kiškio bulbōs “large stonecrop (Sedum maximum)”: Hare’s bulbs are thick leaves; they grow in the fields. kiškio ruškinai “wood sorrel (Oxalis).” kiškio pūpos “a kind of forest plant”: Hare’s beans are like beans in the forest, short, like little bean leaves. krēsliniai dantys “molars”: The child, well, already has aching molars. krikštytinė duktė “the girl carried to be baptized; goddaughter”: She is my goddaughter. kruglūtēs mētōs “a kind of mint (Mentha)”: Kruglūtēs mētōs is a medicinal herb. kurčios nōtrēs “dead-nettles”: Dead-nettles are harmless; they do not sting when touched. laukinēs pelýnos “mugworts”: Wild mugworts grow large; they are medicinal plants. margūtis kasočius “a garden plant resembling a sedge, with white stripes running lengthwise along its leaves.” meškōs šōnai “a kind of forest plant”: Bear’s ribs grow in the forest, they are just like peas as they grow. We’ll go into the forest and gather bear’s ribs; the cows eat them well. medinis bučýs “cockchafer, May bug (Melolontha melolontha)”: The wooden beetle came crawling out yesterday evening. medinōji oškā “roe deer”: The wooden doe lives in the forest, so beautiful: it runs and runs across the meadow. pauʹkščių tākas “a bright band stretching across the sky”: Where there are many stars, that is called the birds’ path. And all the birds fly along that path toward the warm lands. broad mints “a kind of mint (Mentha)”: Broad mints smell very fragrant; the leaves are wide. rye witch “a bogeywoman, witch living in the rye”: A rye witch, once the rye begins to blossom, prowls about and looks for a chance to snatch a child somewhere [this is how children are frightened]. cold (peppermint) mints “peppermint (Mentha)”: These mints are cold—what you eat when you have a cold. Peppermint mints—when you chew them, your mouth feels cold, cold. magpie’s (crow’s) love “toadflax”: Magpie’s love—that’s a kind of herb. Crow’s love, which can be found growing in beets. the most holy ladies’ flax “a kind of meadow flower”: Flax, well, the most holy ladies’ flax, blossoms in clusters as if it were thread. St John’s flax “a kind of wild plant”: St John’s flax blooms yellow in July—in the latter part of June, in the fields. to build a bridge “a kind of game”: — I’m standing, I’m standing—building a bridge. — What do you need? — Beams... devil’s beard “the black roots of small ferns, boiled to treat fright”: Devil’s beard, when one has been frightened. sparrow’s stalks “a kind of wild plant”: Sparrow’s stalks—that is a wild plant, larger, thin ones grow in the stubble fields, thin, thin, many. 140 PHRASEOLOGISMS OF THE GERVĖČIAI DIALECT И. ЛИПСКЕНЕ Abstract The first part of the article gives a brief overview of phraseologisms in the Gervėčiai Lithuanian dialect. It is noted that, in their lexical structure, most phraseologisms in the dialect are related to phraseologisms in other Lithuanian dialects and even in other languages, since they contain words with the same lexical meaning, e.g., eyes, ears, teeth, head, tongue, nose, hand, heart. A phraseologism sometimes includes words more characteristic of the Gervėčiai dialect itself, e.g., akis apstумti (in the literary language apdumti) ‘to deceive’, rakštis (in the literary language karštas) regėti ‘to be near death’. In addition, the dialect contains phraseologisms with newer words as well, most likely borrowed from the Lithuanian literary language. It is noted that the dialect’s phraseologisms did not all arise at the same time. It is assumed that the most archaic are those containing names of parts of the human body, e.g., akis plėšyti ‘to contradict’, burna praverti ‘to begin speaking’. Phraseologisms connected with the dialect’s old customs should also be regarded as older. Newer, perhaps, are those phraseologisms that arose from shortened proverbs and sayings, e.g., nevyk dievo medin (cf. the proverb nevyk dievo medin su rančiu (ramčiu), ba nesupraśysi ir su pyragu), as well as exclusively local phraseologisms known only in the Gervėčiai dialect. It is noted that some phraseologisms in the dialect gradually change or are forgotten altogether. It is assumed that, above all, phraseologisms closely connected with old customs will disappear over time, since the customs themselves are also gradually disappearing. It is noted that some phraseologisms in the dialect are used as synonyms, e.g., kar plostais (vištom, vyžais) drebia (verčia, sniega) ‘snow falls in very large flakes’. Some stylistic features of the dialect’s phraseologisms are also mentioned briefly. The second part of the article presents specific phraseologisms from the Gervėčiai dialect. 141