Finnish For Foreigners: Heittää Lusikka Nurkkaan

in finnish •  6 years ago  (edited)

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Heittää lusikka nurkkaan literally means to "throw a spoon into a corner (of a room)". It means to die. The origin of the expression is probably in the medieval custom of everyone possessing a personal spoon. When someone died, they no longer needed to eat which is when they longer needed their spoon, either. The German expression "den Löffel abgeben" which means "to give up the spoon" refers to the same thing.

I have come up with a Finnish euphemism of my own meaning dying:

Muuttaa (ikkunattomaan) kellariyksiöön seurakunnan tontille

In English:

To move into a (windowless) basement studio apartment on a parish-owned property lot

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Hi Markku. That is an interesting fact. Makes sense I suppose.

It took me a while to realize but yeah that's a pretty good euphemism of dying

Good one and we have a similar expression... give up the ghost!

This antique statue really beautiful.Amazing photography.

Sure. Not mine, though.