laziness

  • The lazy one tries to lift a mountain on his back

    dzouiluh lehruhn eh shalgehr

    This saying is used when a person tries to lift an object that is much too heavy for him to bear. He does this to demonstrate that he cannot do the task a second time. It expresses the irony that a lazy man with little motivation and skills attempts to do an important task that requires hard work and perseverance.

  • Did his arm get tired because he threw a rock?

    kahruh nehdtetz, tehvuh hohnehtzahv?

    This saying is used to indicate that inexperienced (or ignorant) people do not appreciate the value of hard work. The irony of saying, “After throwing a rock, he says his arm hurts.” implies the person is lazy. By doing such a small effort, it seems improbable that his arm hurts. Therefore, the person lacks a good work ethic and does not understand the effort required to perform a task successfully.

  • One finger didn’t touch another finger

    mahduh mahdeen chee zahrgahv

    When someone doesn’t work as he is supposed to, this saying is used to indicate the person did very little or no work at all.

  • He’ll never put his warm hand in a cold place

    tzehrkuh dahkehn baghuh chee khohtehr

    When a person is very lazy, this saying is used to indicate how useless he is.

  • If you are lazy the summer, your cows will die in winter

    ahmahruh vohr bahrgehss hohvehruh, tzuhmehruh guh sahtgehn gohvehruh

    (Literally, if you sleep comfortably wafted by the breezes of summer, the cows will die in winter)

  • Out of laziness, he says to the black donkey “bless me lord

    dzouiloutiounitz sev eshin guhseh “ortnyahl der”

    This proverb is used when there is an extremely lazy person. Such a person is so lazy that they don’t even raise their head to see who is standing before them. Thus they confuse a black donkey with a priest who is usually dressed in black. The lazy man addresses the black donkey as if it is a priest saying, “bless me dear father.

  • Should I count the hairs in my beard or lend a helping hand?

    Morukuss hamburhel, gham tzerk dahl

  • Man without proper engagement becomes a nuisance (An idle mind is a devil’s workshop).

    Mart Unjarag guhlah khaidarug

  • If you are waiting for someone to die to inherit his shoes, you will go bare foot (for a long time)

    Mehrelou goscheek uhspasogh, pobik guh muhnah