Beware of the dog!

Beware of the dog!

We are back with our Czech-teaching series focusing on animal idioms in the Czech language. Today's episode is dedicated to man's best friend.

Despite a general dog-loving attitude in contemporary western society, the linguistic heritage passed on by our ancestors suggests that dogs were not always friends - something I sadly must agree with when watching my step carefully on Prague pavements. Anyway, at least in the language, dogs are dirty, flea-ridden and ruthless animals that bite. Otherwise Czechs would not say ¾ivot je pes - life is a dog, life is tough, life is merciless. ¾ivot je pes. If we think our life is no good, that everyone treats us badly, we say it's a dog's life: je to psí ¾ivot. As if dogs have a tough life these days. Nevertheless, a difficult life full of misery is psí ¾ivot.

If we are feeling lousy, either physically or mentally, we say: je mi pod psa. Literally, I'm feeling "under the dog." Je mi pod psa.

I don't know what your experience is, but I would hesitate to rely on the saying that a barking dog never bites: pes, který ¹tìká, nekou¹e. The Czech version goes: a dog that barks does not bite. Pes, který ¹tìká, nekou¹e.

Another phrase shared by both Czech and English is the one about dogs and fleas. Kdo se psy líhá, s blechami vstává - he who lies down with dogs, will get up with fleas. Kdo se psy líhá, s blechami vstává.

It is often the case that animal idioms refer to human nature, human virtues or vices - more than about the animals as such. Such as this one: starého psa novým kouskùm nenauèí¹, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Old people, just like old dogs, find it difficult to learn new things. That's why they say: starého psa novým kouskùm nenauèí¹.

And one last dog idiom to end the show with. If Czechs look for the heart of a problem, a hidden cause behind something, they say they want to find where the dog is buried: kde je zakopán pes. The buried dog is something like the proverbial skeleton in the cupboard, something hidden in order not to be found, but still causing trouble. So, once again, the phrase goes: kde je zakopán pes.

And that's all for today's canine episode, but there will be a new Czech lesson in a week's time. Until then na shledanou.