The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1911-01-20
VERBAL PITFALLS.
Traps That Await English Speak
ing Tourists In Portugal.
There ARE NO TOES THERE.

But. Then, One Has Twenty Fingers
to Make Up the Loss, Fingers Of the
Hand ard Fingers Of the Foot-Oddi-
ties Of the Verb ito Walk"
The Englishman or American in
Portugal who thinks in his own lam
guage and tries to speak in the lam
guage Of the country he is visiting is
q great smile producer.
For instance. you never marry any,
body in Portugal unless-strange para
dox-you happen to be a priest. You
marry with your beloved Maria. and
the priest marries you both. In the
same way you never dream about any
body. but always with" them.
When the~landlady at your boarding
house is ladling out your soup you
call out. ARRIVE" You are telling
her to arrive at the stopping point-in
other words. that you don't want more
than she has put out. When you see
a child that you want to fondle the
other side of the room you say to her.
ARRIVE here" And the child prompt
~ arrives"
In England when we speak Of walk
ing we refer to a certain use of the
legs But the Portuguese verb Ito
walk" has many more Specifications.
In Portugal not only do the people
walk. hut also the carts and cars walk.
the trains walk. a balloon walks. and
boat walks. stranger still. the
hands of a clock walk round the face!
A clock. by the way. never goes: it
works"
rude you never say to your fair part
ner at dinner "Wil you have some
bread:' etc You inquire. Twill your
excellency have some hread:' or. will
the lady have some bread:" the lady
meaning not some other lady. but your
fair partner herself.
In spite Of winter you are never cold
in Portugal unless you are a corpse
You are with cold In the same
way you are occasionally with heat.
with headache with" hunger or
with thirst. When you have occa-
sion to discuss the weather you say.
ut makes cold" 1T makes fog"
etc On Your way home from an en-
tertainment YOU tell your companion
that it makes dark.
! If speaking of her husband Il w;fc
| saws he is a tame man She merely
means that he is Il man of peace and
! justice.
F., The word house" means more than
with us. Your buttons share your own
| privilege Of living in a house The
buttOnholeS are called 'hOuSes OF
the buttons" The squares on Il chess
| board are also "hOuSes." You don't
. say. I'm going to shave" You say.
I'm going TO do the beard" Neither
| do you say on the way to the bar
, ber's. I'm going to get my hair cut. !"
but you say. I'm going to cut my
, hair"
, When you are in Portugal you have
twenty fingers. but no toes. II YOU
want TO make distinction you
say fingers Of the hand or
FINGERS Of the foot" Instead of
telling the servant to set the table
you tell her to put" it. When YOU
go to the theater you assist" You
don't mean by that that you ''come
on nor even that you do a little scene
shifting. You mean that YOU are there
Residents in flats who mediate tax
ing a holiday in Portugal will hc re
lieved to hear that no one plays the
piano there They merely 'touch' it
Neither do they ring bells. They
oh bnn sI,t 1cx
stones. meaning that they throw
them. and a ship ut sea plays" Whel
it pitches and losses.
Re careful how YOU tell your land
lady that you intend to dine out oI
she may think. with Il sllruy of the
shoulders. that You intend dining
''outside"-i. G., in the garden. In an
swer to the kind inquiries Of your
friends don't say that you are we'll
say that you are good" Be careful
in your use of words. Some words
similar in form are widely different in
meaning. as an American missionary
once discovered to his cost wher
preaching in Brazil. once a Portuguese
colony. His subject was 1.-THE Prodi
gal Son." and he gravely Informed hi:
hearers that when the young man re
turned home his father killed for hin
the fatted beetle! But he had merel.
made a mistake in one solitary vowel.
4 sleeping" bridge means bridg'
that is immOvable mot q drawbridge,
Stagnant water also sleeps" So IL
trucks or trains that wait anywher
during the night. When they laugh II
Portugal they unite themselves t
laugh and when they cry they "un
make themselves in tears" A persist
emily unfortunate man says, Il am s
unlucky that If l fell on my back
should break my nose."-Lond"n An
. SwerS.
Hopeful Names.
Two bright looking colored boy
about seven wears Of age laughinCl