A Modern Aphorism
Weakness of character is often mistaken for modesty.
Freudian Slip
A district attorney with a reputation for badgering witnesses gave everyone in court a big laugh when he said to the judge, “The persecution rests.”
Russian Proverb
A kind word is better than a big pie.
From the Armenian Herbalist
The black seeds that Armenians use in Cheoreg and Tel Banir were often referred to by many people as Black Caraway seeds. However, it seems that the term is a misnomer. Using Armenag Bedevian’s Polyglottal Dictionary of Plant Names as a guide, we have listed the official name of the seed in eight different languages, as follows:
Latin: Nigella sativa
Arabic: Hhabbah sawda’, Hhabbet el barakah, Kamun aswad, Shuniz
Armenian: Arjntegh, Sonij, Sev sonij, Shoniz, Sev hndig, Sev kndig
English: Black cumin, Common fennel flower
French: Nigelle, Nielle, Toute epice, Cumin noir, Araignee, Quatre epices
German: Echter schwarzkummel
Italian: Nigella, Gittaione, Cuminella, Erba spezie, Melanzio domestico
Turkish: Coreg otu, Karamuk, Sehniz
A Pungent Expression
“He doesn’t have his head screwed on right!”
From My Persian Dictionary
Arak: spirits (liquor)
Kúchik: little (small)
Jigar: liver
Haml: load
What’s in a Name?
Simsarian: Arabic in derivation, current in Turkish, simsar is defined as broker; middleman; commission agent.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Jan. 21, 2017)