A friend was giving me a ride the other day and she suggested I put my violin in the boot.
Ah-ha! I knew now what this meant (see a previous blog post), so I put the instrument in the trunk of her car.
I remarked on the translation that took place in my head and ask her what the name of the front of the car is (what we in the States would call the "hood"). Do you know what it is?
The bonnet.
Hahaha, I couldn't help but chuckle. Suddenly an aspect of a car that is often associated with masculine activity--working on the engine, etc. "under the hood"--now brings to my mind the image of...well, girls, elderly ladies, or nursery rhymes.
My friend then mentioned needing a new "jumper" and "trousers." I translated these to mean "sweater" and "pants." She responded that I am correct on the first item, but not on the second.
Pants to them mean "knickers." What are knickers? Underwear.
Okay, so a the trunk of a car is a boot, trousers are not pants, pants are knickers, knickers are underwear, and a bonnet is the hood of a car.
There's the Irish for you.
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6 comments:
I think you need to check carefully or you could yourself into trouble.
In the UK, and apparently in Ireland, pants does indeed mean underwear. However knickers also means underwear, specifically women's underwear.
Surprisingly Wikipedia says:
"In Australia, and Republic of Ireland the terms pants and trousers are synonymous."
Is your friend English?
There is a wikipedia page for knickers. It even gives a picture in case you are not sure what women's undergarments look like:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickers
Pants in the UK may be referred to as "trousers" or "slacks".
Of course depending on how you read Deuteronomy you should not wear trousers (but please always wear pants)
"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God"
Guess I will have to give up wearing a bra ;)
Yes, I should do more research before I start using these words...fortunately I'm not likely to ever say knickers.
Yes, my friend was born and raised in Dublin.
I enjoy having your insights from NZ and the UK! (As well as your research from Wiki and Biblical texts...)
"Pants" is one of those words that gets New Zealanders in the UK. Like "rubber" in the US.
Is "Don't get your knickers in a knot" a phrase in the US?
Funny, I've never heard "Don't get your knickers in a knot" in the US, but rather "Don't get your [panties or britches] in a knot."
"knickers in a knot" is alliterative so I expect it was the original. My mother used it say it.
Okay, I realized I remembered and conveyed this conversation wrong. I have now corrected my blog posting in a whay that I think better reflects the conversation (though often I leave conversations confused...).
Yes, the alliteration lends support to "knickers in a knot" being the original version. I also realize sometimes rather than "knot" I have heard "wad"--"don't get your panties in a wad."
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