katten på råttan, råttan på repet...
English translation: For want of a nail
| 14:15 Feb 20, 2019 |
| Swedish to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Anders Ericsson Sweden Local time: 11:37 | ||||||
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| Summary of answers provided | ||||
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| 4 | For want of a nail |
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| Summary of reference entries provided | |||
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| The Old Woman and the Crooked Sixpence |
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Answers
6 mins confidence: 
For want of a nail Explanation: Well-known English proverb, exists in several variants, one of which is attributed to Benjamin Frankling: For Want of a Nail For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. |
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Reference comments
1 day 1 hr |
| Reference: The Old Woman and the Crooked Sixpence Reference information: Also known as The Old Woman and Her Pig I think this is the closest story in English. There is no idiom as such, but you could say something along the lines of ... like the chain reaction/domino effect in the story/tale of ... Another option could be I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, but that one doesn't have the same satisfactory happy conclusion. I suppose it depends on your precise context. The Old Woman and Her Pig ~ England ~ An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. "What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig." So she bought a little pig; but as she was coming home, she came to a stile, and the piggy would not go over the stile. She went a little further, and she met a dog. So she said to him, "Dog! dog! bite pig; piggy won't go over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the dog wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a stick. So she said, "Stick! stick! beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the stick wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a fire. So she said, "Fire! fire! burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; pig won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the fire wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met some water. So she said, "Water! water! quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; pig won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the water wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met an ox. So she said, "Ox! ox! drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; pig won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the ox wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a butcher. So she said, "Butcher! butcher! kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; pig won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the butcher wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a rope. So she said, "Rope! rope! hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; pig won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the rope wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a rat. So she said, "Rat! rat! gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; pig won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the rat wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a cat. So she said, "Cat! Cat! kill rat; rat won't gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; pig won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home till midnight." But the cat said to her, "if you will go to yonder cow, and fetch me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat." So away went the old woman to the cow. But the cow said to her, "If you will go to yonder haystack: and fetch me a handful of hay, I'll give you the milk." So away went the old woman to the hay-stack; and she brought the hay to the cow. As soon as the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat. As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk, the cat began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the little pig squealed and jumped over the stile; and so the old woman got home before midnight. http://www.stavacademy.co.uk/mimir/oldwomanpig.htm |
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