Note the two words that rhyme: ‘ flus’, (Eng. This proverb warns any person with ambitious plans but boasts of no financial means. ‘Without money one can neither hug nor kiss (the bride)’. Note the word faraġ that rhymes with taraġ. For the poor to be rid of tears, the tortoise needs to crawl all stairs without fear. Biex il-fqir jara xi faraġ, il-fekruna trid titla’ t-taraġ.Here are some proverbs that warn about the economics of life: Mil-lumi tieħu l-luminata u miċ-ċuċ tieħu ċuċataįrom lemons you get lemonade, from a dumbo you get a lamebrain,.If husband plays hen and wife plays cock, then ‘bye bye shalom’ Ir-raġel tiġieġa, il-mara serduq, id-dar tinqaleb ta’ taħt fuq.Look at my teeth, and let me be served first.Īn old person demands that he jumps the queue due to his old age and be served immediately. The word basal (onions), rhymes with tasal (to arrive). We are advised to opt for the easy life and avoid all stress. Note the words ħorrox borrox and kollox.Įat bread and onions and relieve your bunions

This job belies a quick fix, yet the paint and putty will cover all nicks.

Dana xogħol ta’ ħorrox borrox, imma ż-żebgħa u l-istokk jgħattu kollox.

Note the rhyming of the words jaqq and żaqq.

Aħrab l-iff, il-puff u l-jaqq għax iġibu wġiegħ ta’ żaqqĪvoid all nah!, bah! and ughs! as these cause stomach aches.

Whenever the translations are not lucid enough, then a brief clarification follows. Some of the English verses have not been rendered a literal translation, but still adhere to the gist of the tenets being delivered. The English translations of the Maltese sayings are my own. Most of these examples, have been picked up from the publication mentioned above. Here follows a number of proverbs that bear such traits. We laugh at some of these proverbs, not least because some tend to be aired in a vulgar tone. This twist triggers a reaction, such as, ‘ k os hux !’ or ‘ mur obsor ħej !’ which in English would be equivalent to, ‘Who would have thought of that!’. For the proverb to stick it must contain a funny twist at the end of the verse. It is these rhyming quips that help us recall and heed these emphatic warnings. One underlying factor that these humorous sayings are veneered with, is the rhyming of verses, usually in couplets. Whether the humour succeeds to make us smile or laugh is of course a matter of personal reaction, according to each recipient of such advice.

‘The Proverb Says’), one comes across at least fifty sayings that contain a humorous undertone. Amongst some 4,000 Maltese proverbs that are collated in, Il-Qawl Iqul – PEG Malta, 1989, (Eng. Some proverbs actually tend to hold an unusual humorous tone. One should not dismiss all proverbs as merely warnings that are all dull, sober and negative. The Maltese have a rich array of proverbs to choose from. ‘ Kliem ix -xi ħ żomm fih’, – always take heed of the old man’s advice, goes the Maltese proverb that heads all proverbs. Sages have mused about particular situations, taken, not least from their own bitter experiences and expressed them in such a way to establish them as unwritten guidelines, yardsticks if you will, that are absorbed into our psyche like a looped cliché. These are proverbs that have been passed down to us from one generation to the next, some, since going back hundreds of years ago. There exists a multitude of sayings that are referred to whenever sound advice is required.

Funny maltese phrases