Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

\'But, it\'s more like a swan gliding across a pond.

Turkish translation:

\"sen bir de ona sor\"

Added to glossary by Hellinas
Jan 21, 2015 19:29
9 yrs ago
English term

'But, it's more like a swan gliding across a pond.

Non-PRO English to Turkish Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings nearly an idiom
The context is this:- It’s so easy to look at other people enviously, judging ourselves for our perceived flaws and assuming that what we see on the outside is all there is. If someone’s life looks perfect, they must then have a perfect life. 'But, it's more like a swan gliding across a pond. We see the glide, but underneath the water, that swan is paddling for dear life to stay afloat!' I wider whether there is a Turkish idiom meaning this. It has almost become a new idiom.

Discussion

Salih YILDIRIM Jan 27, 2015:
"Onu bir de ona sor" diye bir özel deyim yok ama "Sen onu bir de bana sor, veya ha şunu da bileydin" şeklinde bir deyim var: "Tell me about it!"

Proposed translations

11 hrs
Selected

"sen bir de ona sor"

Idioms and sayings in Turkish providing this meaning may be:
- Sen bir de ona sor! (Ask him/her before envying about his/her life/job/etc.)
- Dışı eli yakar içi beni yakar. (Literally means: The outside (of his/her life/job/etc.) burns others, the inside burns him/her. I think this needs no further explanation. :))
- Göründüğü gibi değil. (It's not the way it seems.)
- Kazın ayağı öyle değil. (Literally: That's not how the goose's foot is. This idiom has been derived from a story of the famous Turkish folkloric figure Nasreddin Hodja. You may want to read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasreddin. Also you can find the original story by searching the idiom on the internet.)
- O kadar kolay mı? (Is that so easy? (this question implies it's not.))
There are others already suggested by other linguists here and there are probably more of them. Turkish is rich with its sayings and idioms.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selçuk's answer is the most detailed & has more idioms than anyone else. Zeki's answer also has an excellent idiom. Thanks to all for their contributions."
1 hr

Fakat, daha çok bir göletin üzerinde kayan bir kuğuya benziyor.

I do not know of an idiom meaning the same in Turkish. However, the explanation you give should accompany the above sentence. In other words, the whole thing is meaningful the way you explained. If we do that for Turkish, it should be sufficient.
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2 hrs

Davulun sesi uzaktan hoş gelir

Oysa/aslında hiç de göründüğü gibi değildir
kazın ayağı başkadır
İşin aslı başkadır
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1 day 16 hrs

Görünüşe aldanma

"All glittering things are not gold" şeklindeki ata sözünü çağrıştırıyor.
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