My hovercraft is full of eels
In 1970, the British Empire lay in ruins, and foreign nationalists frequented the streets - many of them Hungarians (not the streets - the foreign nationals). Anyway, many of these Hungarians went into tobacconist's shops to buy cigarettes.... A Hungarian tourist approaches the clerk. The tourist is reading haltingly from a phrase book.
Hungarian: I will not buy this record, it is scratched.
Clerk: Sorry?
Hungarian: I will not buy this record, it is scratched.
Clerk: Uh, no, no, no. This is a tobacconist's.
Hungarian: Ah! I will not buy this tobacconist's, it is scratched.
Clerk: No, no, no, no. Tobacco...um...cigarettes (holds up a pack).
Hungarian: Ya! See-gar-ets! Ya! Uh...My hovercraft is full of eels.
Clerk: Sorry?
Hungarian: My hovercraft (pantomimes puffing a cigarette)...is full of eels
… or in Afrikaans: My skeertuig is vol palings
Hebrew: Harahefet sh'eli mele'ah betzlofahim
Latin: Mea navis aëricumbens anguillis abund
Or Turkish: Hoverkraftimin ici yılan balıǧı dolu
Many more here (with the inevitable apologies to Monty Python)
Comments
I'm sorry, we are out of badgers. Would you like a wolverine?
Us Yanks can play that game...
Posted by: tom | August 29, 2007 10:06 AM
My word! I never would have thought Mr Fm would be teaching me a new phrase in Afrikaans. Rest assured I shall try and use it whenever the opportunity arises.
In the meantime here is a German phrase that you will doubtless find useful at some point.
Mein beutelmaus hat verstopfung
Posted by: The Remittance Man | August 29, 2007 3:02 PM