Redefined Non-English Phrases

[Old R.O.]

These are from the New York magazine competition where they asked competitors to change one letter in a familiar non-English phrase and redefine it.

Harlez-vous francais?(Can you drive a French motorcycle?)
Ex post fucto (Lost in the mail)
Idios amigos (We're wild and crazy guys!)
Cogito Eggo sum (I think; therefore, I am a waffle)
Rigor Morris (The cat is dead)
Respondez s'il vous plaid (Honk if you're Scots)
Que sera, serf (Life is feudal)
Posh mortem (Death styles of the rich and famous)
Pro Bozo publico (Support your local clown)
Monage a trois (I am three years old)
Felix navidad (Our cat has a boat)
Haste cuisine (Fast French food)
Veni, vidi, vice (I came, I saw, I partied)
Quip pro quo (A fast retort)
Mazel ton! (Lots ofluck)
Apres Moe,le deluge (Larry and Curly get wet)
Ich liebe rich (I’m really crazy about having money)
Merci rien (Thanks for nothin')
L'etat, c'est moo (I’m bossy around here)
L'etat, c'est Moe (All the world's a stooge)

 

[m0tbaillie]

Hasta la vista (I'll be back) -> Pasta la vista (I'll be pasta) ..wait, did I do it right?!

 

[jt71582]

Hasta la vista means see you later.

 

[m0tbaillie]

Hasta la vista means see you later.

Pasta you later, then!

 

[OUSOONER]

Hasta la vista (I'll be back) -> Pasta la vista (I'll be pasta) ..wait, did I do it right?!

I'm guessing your Spanish teacher was erm....uh.. Austrian?

 

[Tyler]

"laisbez les bon ton temps rouler" - For a good time, roll with the lesbians.

...yeah, i don't know.

 

[raptor10]

Ich Bin Ein Be Lenin - I am Be a Lenin!

 

[skim]

coon tang- (raccoon vagina)

Whats the point of this thread???

 

[BACONATOR]

Ich Bin Ein Be Lenin - I am Be a Lenin!

/Threadjack

I always liked the urban legend that Eddie Izzard touched upon which states that JFK's famous quote translates into "I am a Jelly donut" since "Berliner" was a popular jellly donut of the time. While his quote is grammatically correct, I still like the latter interpretation better.



I AM A JELLY DONUT!!




EDIT: Just to be a grammar Nazi, technically your quote above translates to "I am a Be Lenin"

 

[cisforsmasher]

You can still get a "berliner" in most parts of Germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_(pastry)

 

[VIZKRIEG]

/Threadjack

I always liked the urban legend that Eddie Izzard touched upon which states that JFK's famous quote translates into "I am a Jelly donut" since "Berliner" was a popular jellly donut of the time. While his quote is grammatically correct, I still like the latter interpretation better.


I AM A JELLY DONUT!!

The quote actually isn't correct. According to proper German, he should have said "Ich bin Berliner," because the "ein" makes him a donut by changing the sentence structure. And Berliners were still real popular in the mid-90's. They are pretty delicious.

 

[BACONATOR]

The quote actually isn't correct. According to proper German, he should have said "Ich bin Berliner," because the "ein" makes him a donut by changing the sentence structure. And Berliners were still real popular in the mid-90's. They are pretty delicious.

Um, no. He had a translator give him the line beforehand. He said "I am a berliner". If he had said "Ich Bin Berliner" it would translate to something like "I am from berlin" or give the connotation that he is a Berlin Native, as opposed to what he said which, while it is the name of a popular jelly donut, it really distances himself as not a native, but that he feels like he is a Berliner.

"Idiomatically correct" as Wiki put it.

 

[raptor10]

The quote actually isn't correct. According to proper German, he should have said "Ich bin Berliner," because the "ein" makes him a donut by changing the sentence structure. And Berliners were still real popular in the mid-90's. They are pretty delicious.

FAIL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner

at bogey: Yes that is a hilarious urban legend...

 

[VIZKRIEG]

FAIL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner

at bogey: Yes that is a hilarious urban legend...

Negative.

Wikipedia is an excellent source of information, but in this case (and others, I'm sure) it is wrong. I don't know who wrote that, and it is indeed well-written, but while my German isn't what it used to be, that was a specific example of grammar when I was in a German school while living there. So wikipedia or not, I'm going to defer to my teacher on that one.