Here is a real head scratcher:
"...whenever you hear fireworks, you are out there fetching the stick..."
Example usage:
Teenager to Parent: "I am going out to a party across town."
Parent: "There you go again. Whenever you hear fireworks, you are out there fetching the stick."
Believe it or not, this one actually has some sense to it, but before we unravel that mystery, here is the original Spanish version of the saying, as illustrated in the example usage:
"No pueden reventar un cohete que ya vas a buscar la vara."
In many outdoor celebrations that take place in El Salvador, it is customary for folks to set off fireworks. For reasons unknown to me, the firework of choice is a large bottle rocket, with a rod about 3 feet in length attached to it -- like the one demonstrated in the picture above. After the rocket explodes, gravity takes over and the rod ends up landing at some random nearby spot.
Side note: At these outdoor gatherings you will often hear folks yell "la vara! la vara!" shortly after the explosion, to warn folks that they should be on the lookout for the falling rod or risk getting hit.
This is the rod the idiom references and the idiom is basically a way of admonishing people. The point to be made is that the person on the receiving end goes out too much as they are compelled to go out anytime there is some sort of celebration within earshot to go look for the proverbial rod.
"...whenever you hear fireworks, you are out there fetching the stick..."
Example usage:
Teenager to Parent: "I am going out to a party across town."
Parent: "There you go again. Whenever you hear fireworks, you are out there fetching the stick."
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| hoyestado.com |
"No pueden reventar un cohete que ya vas a buscar la vara."
In many outdoor celebrations that take place in El Salvador, it is customary for folks to set off fireworks. For reasons unknown to me, the firework of choice is a large bottle rocket, with a rod about 3 feet in length attached to it -- like the one demonstrated in the picture above. After the rocket explodes, gravity takes over and the rod ends up landing at some random nearby spot.
Side note: At these outdoor gatherings you will often hear folks yell "la vara! la vara!" shortly after the explosion, to warn folks that they should be on the lookout for the falling rod or risk getting hit.
This is the rod the idiom references and the idiom is basically a way of admonishing people. The point to be made is that the person on the receiving end goes out too much as they are compelled to go out anytime there is some sort of celebration within earshot to go look for the proverbial rod.
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