Western Cliches Meet Eastern Translations Quiz

Answer: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

I had always assumed 'Better to be silent.." was a Chinese proverb (I recall Master Po instructing Caine the Chinese version of "Put a sock in it, Grasshopper" several times in the "Kung Fu" television series), but most websites attribute the saying to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln himself probably 'borrowed' the phrase from The Bible's Proverbs 17:28.

The King James version of the passage states "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."

Answer: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

"Fools rush in.." is a quote from English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744), and is the last line of his 1709 poem "An Essay on Criticism". Subsequent authors and poets who have used the line include Edmund Burke ("Reflections on the Revolution in France", 1790), Thomas Hardy ("The Woodlanders", 1887) and James Joyce ("Ulysses", 1922).

Answer: Just a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

Other 'subtle' American cliches questioning someone's intelligence or mental stability include: "A few sandwiches short of a picnic", "One taco short of a combination plate", "Not the brightest bulb in the box" and "The lights are on but there's nobody home".

Answer: Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.

"Laugh, and the world laughs.." can actually be traced back to a phrase written by the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus (more commonly known as Horace) in his work "Ars Poetica" ("The Art Of Poetry", published c. 18 B.C.). Horace wrote "Ut ridentibus arrident, ita flentibus adsunt humani voltus.", or "Men's faces laugh on those who laugh, and correspondingly weep on those who weep; Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."

Answer: He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day.

I found two versions of the origin of "He who fights.."; the first attributed to the Greek statesman (and soldier) Demosthenes, who allegedly said, "The man who runs away may fight again" after being criticized for deserting the battlefield during the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 B.C.

A more common version is the quote by author/poet Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774), who stated: "For he that fights and runs away, may live to fight another day, but he, who is in battle slain, can never rise and fight again."

Answer: It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.

The origin of "It's not whether you win or lose.." is attributed to American sportswriter Grantland Rice (1880-1954), who wrote "For when the One Great Scorer comes - To write against your name, He marks - not that you won or lost - But how you played the Game." in his poem "Alumnus Football". Rice is also recognized for nicknaming the 1924 Notre Dame college football backfield "The Four Horsemen".

Answer: Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

"Early to bed.." is attributed to American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, quoted in the 1735 edition of "Poor Richard's Almanack" (or "Almanac"), the popular yearly pamphlet Franklin published from 1732 to 1758, under the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders". Containing a variety of interesting and useful tidbits such as puzzles, weather and astrological forecasts, poems and household hints, the publication was an inspiration for Noah Webster's "The Old Farmer's Almanac".

Answer: The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

I had always thought that "The bigger they are.." cliche was based on the Bible's "David and Goliath", but its roots actually can be traced back to the 4th century Latin poet Claudian, who wrote: "Tolluntur in altum Ut lapsu graviore ruant" ("Men are raised on high in order that they may fall more heavily").

The birth of the modern phrase is often attributed to British boxing champion Robert Fitzsimmons (1863-1917), who was quoted before a bout in 1900 as saying, "If I can get close enough, I'll guarantee to stop almost anybody.

The bigger the man, the heavier the fall."

Answer: Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.

I couldn't find any information regarding the origin of "Lead dog", except that it is an American expression. I can only assume the phrase ties in with the dog sled teams that were (are) used in Alaska and Canada (Klondike gold rush, Iditarod event, etc.). The Japanese version of the phrase is "If it is not the lead dog, the view does not change under any condition".

Answer: You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

The only origin information I could find regarding "More flies with honey.." is that the saying can be found in "Common Place of Italian Proverbs" (G. Torriano, 1666), and appeared in the 1744 edition of Benjamin Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanac". However, I did notice quite a lively debate on several sites regarding the validity of the phrase (Can you REALLY catch more flies with honey?).

The controversy is ongoing.