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A río revuelto, ganancia de pescadoresAn 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
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A río revuelto, ganancia de pescadores
I'm looking for its English equivalent -which is not "fishing in troubled waters"-.
Our saying -become an idiom- implies that only outsiders have sure winnings when a civil war or turmoil arise, or any internal conflict in a family, company or group emerge. Unlike the phrase in English, no risk or chance is associated with those "pescadores".
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#2
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I suspect there is no alternative to
The devil loves to fish in troubled waters which is a quotation from John Trapp in his commentary on the bible. His quotations have infiltrated English to such an extent that an alternative is unlikely, though of course I could be wrong. |
#3
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I have heard it as Every cloud has a silver lining but do not necessarily agree, since to me at least, it's a way of expressing how opportunistic people take advantage of others who have fallen on hard times. No corresponding English idiom comes to mind right away, but perhaps a Spanish one would be - correct me if I'm wrong - En tiempo de remolino, sube la basura.
Last edited by Glen; January 14, 2012 at 08:15 PM. |
#4
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The wise take advantage of turmoil.
Troubled waters, fisherman's gain. |
#5
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I find that a really odd interpretation, to be honest. It's generally understood that no matter how bad things are, they will get better.
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#6
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Quote:
Quote:
"Good Lord of mine Can't you see I'm tired Tears are in my eyes Send down that cloud with a silver lining Take me to paradise" Later I learnt it was something similar to "it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good". But, that's the problem with idioms from one language to another: they seem to be standing on a different point of view and having different contexts in mind. Would be that understood as a proverb? I googled it and find it to be a literal translation of the Spanish idiom. Even a page in Greek which title started with "Argentina" or a word derived from it (Αργεντινή).
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#7
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Oh, you are looking for an equivalent proverb.
I don't think it is a proverb or recognized as such. |
#8
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It is true that not all idioms translate, although obviously many do.
A close one in English to the Argentinian idiom is: to the victors go the spoils. The difference it that the victor may have faced danger as well. The term fat cat refers to a person who profits from others' toil and trouble. So you may hear something like: we lost our sons and daughters to the war while that fat cat CEO of (fill in the blank) made millions in profit at our expense.
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Me ayuda si corrige mis errores. Gracias. Last edited by poli; January 16, 2012 at 07:41 AM. Reason: typo |
#9
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Quote:
This is a general Spanish idiom. It's in many books available through Google books, including "Colección de refranes, adagios y locuciones proverbiales" by Antonio Jiménez, 1828, Spain. It's available as a free E-book.
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[gone] Last edited by aleCcowaN; January 17, 2012 at 04:43 AM. |
#10
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In that case the pescadores are clearly the English equivalents of fat cats. The whole phrase may not be commonly used but the circumstance of the pescador certainly is.
Here's a wiki article about the term: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_cat_(term) further illustration http://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/sen.../fat_cats.html
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Me ayuda si corrige mis errores. Gracias. Last edited by poli; January 17, 2012 at 06:37 AM. |
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