Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
wos der bauer nit kennt, frisst er nit
English translation:
what the farmer doesn't know, he doesn't eat i.e. a rejection of newfangled affairs little understood.
German term
wos der bauer nit kennt, frisst er nit
Sep 7, 2005 09:54: Ian M-H (X) changed "Field" from "Social Sciences" to "Other" , "Field (specific)" from "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"
Proposed translations
Not to get involved in affairs little understood.
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Note added at 56 mins (2005-09-07 07:21:16 GMT)
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More like "You can´t teach an old dog new tricks."
Old habits die hard.
agree |
Steffen Walter
21 mins
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neutral |
Alex Crichton
: Sorry guys, but I beg to differ: I think the phrase refers to strarting a new habit rather than kicking an old one.
34 mins
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That's what I felt, Alex - but "Old habits die hard" is the only saying I found suggested as an equivalent, while everything else is just explanations.
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neutral |
Trans-Marie
: agree with Alex
50 mins
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Thank you, Manuela - please see my comment to Alex.
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agree |
BrigitteHilgner
: Pons/Collins suggests: You can't change the habits of a lifetime. So we are at least moving into the right direction. :-)
51 mins
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agree |
moser.ilja
1 hr
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agree |
Mario Marcolin
1 day 13 hrs
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he sticks to what he knows (best)
Jon knows how to tear the club up and he sticks to what he knows best
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Note added at 3 hrs 54 mins (2005-09-07 10:19:15 GMT)
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writing his own book, he opted to stick to what he knows best—fantasy. ...
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Note added at 3 hrs 55 mins (2005-09-07 10:20:01 GMT)
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you can also say: "he sticks WITH what he knows (best)"
Can't teach an old dog new tricks
It literally means
They are very conservative about trying new things, and especially conservative about trying new-fangled foods that they do not already know.
As far as I know, there is no equivalent saying in English.
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Note added at 13 hrs 23 mins (2005-09-07 19:48:34 GMT)
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Exactly - like the children of farmers who always refuse food if it is offered to them - it takes a while for them to warm up and accept new things.
agree |
Anne Spitzmueller
: Exactly, in a wider context it means that somebody is extremely conservative about everything, not open to anything new, preferring to stick to the old and known.
19 mins
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agree |
Ulrike Kraemer
29 mins
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agree |
franglish
: used by my mother when refused something offhand
1 hr
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agree |
Bjørn Anthun
: with Anne
6 hrs
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