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Sentirse como sapo de otro pozo

 

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not readily apparent based on the individual words in the expression. This forum is dedicated to discussing idioms and other sayings.


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  #1  
Old July 06, 2011, 06:09 PM
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Sentirse como sapo de otro pozo

"Sentirse" or "estar como sapo de otro pozo". To be in a strange environment, without knowing a single person, strange, foreign, unfamiliar, in the end, uncomfortable. Similar to "like a fish out of the water". Other options? Feeling this way doesn't affect the ability to perform our tasks.

The opposite is "sentirse" or "estar en su elemento". How can I say this in English?
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Old July 06, 2011, 06:25 PM
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Most common: To be like a fish out of water.
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Old July 06, 2011, 08:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aleCcowaN View Post
"Sentirse" or "estar como sapo de otro pozo". To be in a strange environment, without knowing a single person, strange, foreign, unfamiliar, in the end, uncomfortable. Similar to "like a fish out of the water". Other options? Feeling this way doesn't affect the ability to perform our tasks.

The opposite is "sentirse" or "estar en su elemento". How can I say this in English?
To be in one's element. or, vulgarly: to be like a pig in shi..
The only other terms similar to like a fish out of water that I can think of
is to be out of touch/ to be out of one's element.
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Last edited by Rusty; July 06, 2011 at 08:31 PM. Reason: fixed quote
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Old July 07, 2011, 01:52 AM
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To feel like a spring onion in a fruit salad.
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Old July 07, 2011, 06:36 AM
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Thank you, guys. That is a great shade of expressions, with different nuances.

I'd like to explore this subject further (). All those expressions reminded me several related ones:

bemused ---> "sentirse como Adán en el Día de la Madre"
out of place ---> "sentirse como morrón [pimiento rojo] en clericó [sangría]"
without a role to play, without a place to stand on, in the way ---> "estar como perro en cancha 'e bochas" [boccie; boules]

In "como sapo de otro pozo (de otra charca)" a frog is among "identical" frogs, but alien ones, speaking the same language but playing a different tune.
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Old July 07, 2011, 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by aleCcowaN View Post
In "como sapo de otro pozo (de otra charca)" a frog is among...
*cough* sapo is a toad.
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Old July 07, 2011, 12:04 PM
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Dices la verdad Peri. ¿Que hace un sapo en un pozo?--una rana tal vez, si acaso sepa brincar bien pero un sap? Que el pozo sea poco profundo. Quizas se lo encuentra en su juventud en sus días felices de renacuajo.¿Se puede decir rebacuajitud? Lo pregunto porque en inglés es posible decir en forma de juego de palabras tadpolehood. (tadpole/childhood)
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Last edited by poli; July 07, 2011 at 01:10 PM.
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Old July 07, 2011, 01:39 PM
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Renacuajitud vale en un contexto de úsese y tírese, generalmente con un toque humorístico. Tú mismo usaste "días de renacuajo" que es correcto siempre.

"Sapo" es en muchas partes genérico para anuro (Zoología, 2do de secundaria -9no grado-, cuánto tiempo sin usar estas palabras: proboscideos, ungulados, úrsidos, lepidópteros, incluyendo los oikéticos -tanto lío por un bicho canasto-). En otras partes "rana" se usa como genérico. Por supuesto tiene usos específicos. Acá a toad es un escuerzo (un sapo grande que no salta tanto, de patas traseras más cortas y piel rugosa).

Pozo no es un aljibe -aunque como genérico lo incluye- sino una hondonada en el terreno, lo suficiente como para ser más húmeda. Todo este bicherío vive o se refugia allí en tiempos de seca.
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Old July 07, 2011, 06:28 PM
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Gracias para compartir con nosotros esas palabras castellanas pero argentinAs en particular como bicherio(little critters). Escuerzo es una palabra nueva para mi por lo menos tambien.

Pero vamos a volver a tu pregunta:
To be a third wheel (ser algo menos necesario y tal vez un detrimento)

To be out of place

To be a misfit (la palabra misfit implica algo permanente. Ejemplo: una
persona que no cabe y no puede caber.)

TO BE A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE
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