The English Gipsies and Their Language Part 10

_Fino ranyas kair fino trushnees_.

Nice reeds make nice baskets.

_He can't tool his kokerus togetherus_ (_kettenus_).

He can't hold himself together. Spoken of an infirm old man.

_Too boot of a mush for his kokero_.

Too much of a man for himself; _i.e_., he thinks too much of himself.

_He_'s _too boot of a mush to rakker a pauveri chavo_.

He's too proud too speak to a poor man. This was used, not in depreciation of a certain n.o.bleman, whom the Gipsy who gave it to me had often seen, but admiringly, as if such _hauteur_ were a commendable quality.

_More_ (_koomi_) _covvas the well_.

There are more things to come. Spoken of food on a table, and equivalent to "Don't go yet." _The_ appears to be used in this as in many other instances, instead of _to_ for the sake of euphony.

_The jivaben has jawed avree out of his gad_.

The life has gone out of his s.h.i.+rt, _i.e_., body. This intimates a long and close connection between the body and the under garment. "Avree out of," a phrase in which the Gipsy word is immediately followed by its English equivalent, is a common form of expression for the sake of clearness.

_I toves my own gad_.

I wash my own s.h.i.+rt.

A saying indicating celibacy or independence.

_Mo rakkerfor a pennis when tute can't lel it_.

Don't ask for a thing when you can't get it.

_The wongurs kairs the grasni jal_.

Money makes the mare go.

_It's allers the boro matcho that pet-a-lay 'dree the panni_.

It is always the largest fish that falls back into the water.

_Bengis your see_! _Beng in tutes bukko_!

The devil in your heart. The devil in your body, or bowels.

This is a common form of imprecation among Gipsies all over the world.

_Jawin sar a mush mullerin adree the boro naflo-ker_.

Going like a man dying in the hospital.

_Rikker it adree tute's kokero see an' kek'll jin_.

Keep it a secret in your own heart, and n.o.body will know it.

_Del sar mush a sigaben to hair his jivaben_. Give every man a chance to make his living.

_It's sim to a choomer, kushti for kek till it's pordered atween dui_.

It's like a kiss, good for nothing until it is divided between two.

_A cloudy sala often purabens to a fino divvus_.

A cloudy morning often changes to a fine day.

_Iuzhiou panni never jalled avree from a chickli tan_.

Clean water never came out from a dirty place.

_Sar mush must jal to the cangry, yeck divvus or the waver_.

Every man must go to the church (_i.e_., be buried) some day or other.

_Kek mush ever lelled adusta mongur_.

No man ever got money enough.

_Pale the wafri bak jals the kushti bak_.

Behind bad luck comes good luck.

_Saw mus.h.i.+s ain't got the sim kammoben as wavers_.

All men have not the same tastes.

_Lel the tacho pirro, an' it's pash kaired_.

Well begun is half done.

_Whilst tute's rakkerin the cheiruses jal_.

While you are talking the _times_ (hours) fly.

_Wafri bak in a boro ker_, _sim's adree a bitti her_.

There may be adversity in a large house as well as in a small one.

_The kushtiest covvas allers jal avree siggest_.