Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/12/84; site mit-hermes.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg From: jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: Sayings Message-ID: <2271@mit-hermes.ARPA> Date: Fri, 4-Jan-85 12:00:21 EST Article-I.D.: mit-herm.2271 Posted: Fri Jan 4 12:00:21 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 8-Jan-85 04:41:20 EST References: <1879@burdvax.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: The MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA Lines: 16 > I few years ago I had a girl friend who learned Cantonese and > English as she was growing up; neither language was her first language. > She had two sayings that I never heard before: > > 1) That's the thing. > 2) Close the lights (meaning -- turn off the lights). Was your girlfriend from Hong Kong? Because "That's the thing" is a British expression meaning "That's the right thing (to do, or to have)", though more commonly one might say "The thing is, to maintain our standards" or whatever. The comma represents a slight pause--"The thing is" is a partly freestanding expression. "Close the lights" is a direct translation from French (and other languages?) "Fermez la lampe" means "Turn off the lamp".