Dainty Dose of Delightful Information

[Visalakshi Ramani]

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1121a. கழுதையைக் கட்டி ஓமம் வளர்த்தாற்போல

1121b. To offer unsuitable objects.

I forgot to add that a donkey can smile and also make faces!!!

 

[vgane]

1216a. குங்குமம் சுமந்த கழுதை வாசனை அறியுமா?
1216b. Does an oyster appreciate its pearl?

கழுதைக்கு தெரியுமா கற்பூர வாசனை-This may be apt for the above 1216a

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

The oyster carries the pearl.
The donkey carries the kumkum.
That is why I chose to relate these two proverbs

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#28. பிராணிகள் பற்றிய சொற்றொடர்கள்.

136. காக்கை அமரப் பனம் பழம் விழுந்தது போல

137. காட்டுப்பூனைக்கு சிவ ராத்திரியா?

138. காக்கைக் கூட்டத்தில் குயிலுக்கு என்ன வேலை?

139. காத வழிப் பேர் இல்லான் கழுதை.

140. காரியத்துக்கு கழுதை காலைப் பிடி.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

201. Cat fur and kitty britches
When a lady says that we would get 'cat fur and kitty britches' for dinner, it means that we would get whatever she cooks.


202. Flat out like a lizard drinking
This idiom means that the person 'flat out like a lizard drinking' is extremely busy.

203. Fish or cut bait
This idiom means that it is the right time to take action.

204. Beard the lion in his own den
When we confront a powerful or dangerous enemy in his territory, we are said to beard the lion in his own den.

205. Not give a monkey's
When we don't care about something we don't give a monkey's about it.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#29. பிராணிகள் பற்றிய சொற்றொடர்கள்

141. ஆனைக்கில்லை கானலும் மழையும்

142. ஆனை தழுவிய கையாலே ஆடு தழுவுகிறதோ?

143. ஆனை படுத்தாலும் குதிரை மட்டம்.

144. ஆனையும் அருகம் புல்லில் தடுக்கும்

145.ஆனை கேட்ட வாயால் ஆட்டுக் குட்டி கேட்பதோ?

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

206. Duck to water
We take to something like a duck to water, when we have a natural affinity for it.

207. Kettle of fish
A pretty kettle of fish or a fine kettle of fish is a difficult situation or a tough problem.

208. Spring chicken
Someone is a spring chicken if that person is very young, immature and inexperienced.

209. Cloud cuckoo land
To live on cloud cuckoo land is to have ideas ans plans that are completely unrealistic.

210. Dog days
Dog days are very hot summer days.

 

[nannilam_balasubramanian]

The villagers understand the animals language by studying their eyes and
movements.

Balasubramanian

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

It is really great that the rustic villagers can study even the dull eyes of animals

while the educated city-bred fail to understand words spoken loud and clear!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#30. பிராணிகள் பற்றிய சொற்றொடர்கள்

146. இருந்தால் பூனை; நடந்தால் புலி.

147.இஞ்சி தின்ன குரங்கு.

148. இனம் பிரிந்த மான் போல.

149. உடாப் புடவையை வண்டூதும்.

150. உயரப் பறந்தாலும் ஊர்க் குருவி பருந்தாகுமா?

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

211. Bull session
A bull session is an informal group discussion about something.

212. Queen bee
The queen bee is the woman who holds the most important position in a place.

213. Lion's share
The lion's share of something is the biggest part or the best part of that thing.

214. Till the cows come home / Until the cows come home
This idioms means 'for a very long period of time'.

215. Fishy
Something fishy about someone or something denotes the suspicion that all is not right but we are unable to pinpoint what is wrong.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#31. பிராணிகள் பற்றிய சொற்றொடர்கள்

151. உருத்திராட்சப் பூனை உபதேசம் செய்ததாம்.

152. உருசி கண்ட பூனை உரியை உரியைத் தாவுகிறது.

153. உழுகிறவன் இளப்பம் ஆனால் எருது மச்சினம் கொண்டாடும்.

154. ஊருக்கெல்லாம் சாஸ்திரம் சொல்லும் பல்லி கூழிலே விழுந்ததாம்.

155. ஊர்க் குருவி மேலே ராமபாணம் தொடுக்கலாமா?

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

216. Queer fish
A strange person is called as a queer fish.

217. Calf lick
A calf lick is the weird parting in the fringe where the hair grows usually to one side.

218. Like a fish needs a bicycle
To need something like a Fish Needs a Bicycle, means that thing is not needed at all!

219. Throw someone to the wolves
To throw someone to the wolves is to abandon him to face the trouble without any support.

220. Horse of a different color
A horse of a different color is a different matter altogether.

 

[Raji Ram]

......... 154. ஊருக்கெல்லாம் சாஸ்திரம் சொல்லும் பல்லி கூழிலே விழுந்ததாம்.

There is another version with rhyme!

சகுனம் சொன்னதாம் பல்லி; கழுநீரில் விழுந்ததாம் துள்ளி!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

கழுநீரில் விழுந்ததாம் துள்ளி!

Good lizard since it did not dive into the soup or sambar

and take a toll of the general population along with it.

Once while eating breakfast in the hostel of Fatima College,

I felt as if a piece of soft idli was thrown on my shoulder.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that the idli was actually a pair amorous


lizards which had dropped from above my head onto my shoulders.

Thank God they did not jump in anyone's plate or the food kept ready for serving.

Another time a lizard managed to get into the rice tin.

It jumped onto my wrist when I measured out the rice.

It felt like cluster of soap bubbles-so light and fluffy.

I had to plant a ladle with a long handle and wait till it left the tin -

climbing on to and running along the length of the ladle.

The tin was cylindrical biscuit tin with a narrow opening in the top and it was

good enough to defy the lizard's exit but not its entry into the tin!

எந்தப் புத்திலே எந்தப் பாம்பு இருக்குமோ ? (பழமொழி)

எந்த டின்னிலே எந்தப் பல்லி இருக்குமோ? (புதுமொழி)

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#32. பிராணிகள் பற்றிய சொற்றொடர்கள்.

156. எருது இல்லாது இருந்தால் பசு பத்தினி.

157. எறும்பின் கண்ணுக்கு எருமை மூத்திரம் ஏகப் பெரு வெள்ளம்.

158. எச்சிற் கையால் காகம் ஓட்டான்.

159. எழுதி வழங்கான் வாழ்க்கை கழுதை புரண்ட களம்.

160. எலிக்கு பிராணாவஸ்தை; பூனைக்குக் கொண்டாட்டம்.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

221. Fat cat
A fat cat is a person who makes a lot of money and enjoys a privileged position in society.

222. Glory hound
A glory hound is a person seeking popularity, fame and glory.

223. Worm information
To worm information out of somebody is to persuade them to tell us something they wanted to keep from us.

224. Don't stop and kick at every dog that barks at you
If we stop to kick at every dog that barks at us we will never arrive at our destination in life. Petty matters and comments must be ignored.

225. Swansong
"Swan song" is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#33. பிராணிகள் பற்றிய சொற்றொடர்கள்.

161. எலி வேட்டைக்குத் தவிலடியா?

162. எலி தலையில் கோடரி விழுந்தது போல.

163. எந்தப் புற்றில் எந்தப் பாம்போ?

164. எல்லோருக்கும் சனியன் துரும்பு போல

165. எனக்கு சனியன் எருமை போல.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

226. Small dog, tall weeds
This idiom describes a person when we are not sure of his ability to handle a job.

227. Don't catch your chickens before they're hatched
We need to wait to know the result of action rather than assume it beforehand.

228. Cold fish
A cold fish is a person who doesn't exhibit his real feelings.

229. Sick as a dog
A person vomiting violently is said to be sick as dog.

230. Thousand pound gorilla in the room
A thousand pound gorilla in the room is the biggest problem in the relationship between two or more persons or countries.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#34. பிராணிகள் பற்றிய சொற்றொடர்கள்.

166. எலி அம்மணத்தோடு போகிறது என்கிறான்.

167. எலி புற்றெடுக்க பாம்பு குடி புகும்.

168. எண்ணைக் குடத்தை சுற்றும் எறும்பு.

169. எறும்பும் தன் கையால் எண் சாண்.

170. கறக்கிற பாலுக்கு உதைக்கிறது பல்லுப் போக.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

231. Monkey business / 'monkeying around'.
To get up to monkey business / 'monkeying around' is behaving naughtily or irresponsibly or mischievously.

232. One swallow does not make a summer
A single good event does not mean that everything is all right.

233. It's not the size of the dog in fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog
Ferocity is not necessarily a matter of the physical size, but is rather a mental make up or a psychological attitude.

234. In the catbird seat
To be in the catbird seat, is to be in an advantageous or a superior position.

235. Like a bull at a gate
When we tackle a job without really thinking about what we are doing, we are going at it like a bull at a gate.

 

[Naina_Marbus]

Since this thread abounds in animal-related postings, I thought I will add some interesting facts about some new species of animals.

The world just celebrated Christmas holidays, celebrating Jesus’s birth to Virgin Mary. Virgin birth occurs by parthenogenesis, which involves non-sexual reproduction and development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell. The development of an embryo in sexual reproduction usually requires genetic material from sperm (male) and egg (female), as well as a series of chemical changes sparked by fertilization.
The word parthenogenesis comes from the Greek parthenos, meaning "virgin", and genesis, meaning "birth". In species using XY sex-determination system , parthenogenetic (virgin birth) offspring will have two X chromosomes and are therefore necessarily female. In the animal kingdom, virgin birth is quite common. A number of species that reproduce without assistance from the opposite sex has been discovered.



New Mexico whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicana) - Living in the deserts of the U.S. Southwestand parts of northern Mexico, the New Mexico whiptail is an all-female speciesof lizard. The creatures first arose as hybrids between two closely relatedspecies of sexually reproducing lizards: the little striped whiptail (A.inornata) and the tiger whiptail (A. tigris). Male hybrids are not viable,making this one of the few all-female species. Adult female New Mexicowhiptails reproduce solely through parthenogenesis, laying unfertilized eggsthat develop into other female whiptails.

 

[Naina_Marbus]

Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) - In 2006, staff members at two zoos in the
United Kingdom identified two female Komodo dragons that each laid an unusual
clutch of eggs. The eggs developed into healthy offspring, even though neither
female had been in recent contact with a male of that species. Genetic testing
confirmed parthenogenesis. Although most Komodo dragons in the wild continue to
reproduce sexually, this giant lizard is one of a growing number of vertebrates
that reproduce parthenogenetically in captivity. Scientists still aren’t sure
what triggers the switch.

Information about some recently discovered parthenogenetic species can be found here.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

I have always wondered how the famous Amazon women warriors bore children!!!

So I just looked up and found this!

The myth

In some versions of the myth, no men were permitted to have sexual encounters or reside in Amazon country; but once a year, in order to prevent their race from dying out, they visited the Gargareans, a neighbouring tribe.

The male children who were the result of these visits were either killed, sent back to their fathers or exposed in the wilderness to fend for themselves; the girls were kept and brought up by their mothers, and trained in agricultural pursuits, hunting, and the art of war.

In other versions when the Amazons went to war they would not kill all the men. Some they would take as slaves, and once or twice a year they would have sex with their slaves.

The intermarriage of Amazons and men from other tribes was also used to explain the origin of various people. For example, the story of the Amazons settling with the Scythians (Herodotus Histories 4.110.1-117.1).

Courtesy Wikipedia.

If women learn the secret of asexual reproduction, they can look squarely into the eyes of men and declare, "We need you as a fish needs a bicycle!"

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

View attachment 2439
Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) - In 2006, staff members at two zoos in the
United Kingdom identified two female Komodo dragons that each laid an unusual
clutch of eggs. The eggs developed into healthy offspring, even though neither
female had been in recent contact with a male of that species. Genetic testing
confirmed parthenogenesis. Although most Komodo dragons in the wild continue to
reproduce sexually, this giant lizard is one of a growing number of vertebrates
that reproduce parthenogenetically in captivity. Scientists still aren’t sure
what triggers the switch.

Information about some recently discovered parthenogenetic species can be found here.

Nature's lesson/message to all of us...

"Make the most of what you have!"