This is an activitiy i had in my English about double-speak. See if you can these words into common idioms. Like 7 is "Pen is mightier than sword"

1 - Pulchritude possess solely cutaneous profundity. - 2 - Scintillate, scintillate asteroid minific - 3 - Members of an avian species of identical plumage congregate - 4 - Surveillance should precede saltitation - 5 - It is fruitless to become lachrymose over precipitately departed lacteal fluid - 6 - Freedom from incrustration of grime is contiguous to divinity - 7 - The stylus is more potent than the claymore - 8 - It is fruitless to indoctrinate a super-annuated canine with innovative maneuvers - 9 - Eschew the implement of corrections and vitiate the scion - 10 - The temperature of the aqueous content of am unremittingly ogled cooking container does not read 212 degrees F. - 11 - Neophyte's serendipity - 12 - Male cadavers are incapable of yielding testimony - 13 - Individuals who make their abode in vitreous edifices would be advised to refrain from catapulting petrous projectiles - 14 - All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous - 15 - Where there are visible vapors having their province in ignited carbonaceous material, there is conflagration - 16 - Sorting on the part of mendicants must be interdicted - 17 - A plethora of individuals with expertise in culinary techniques vitiates the potable connection produced by steeping comestibles - 18 - Exclusive dedication to necessary chores without interludes of hedonistic diversion renders John a heptudinous fellow - 19 - A revolving lathic conglomerate accumulates no diminutive claucous bryphitic plants - 20 - The person presenting the ultimate cachinnation possesses, thereby, the optimal cachinnation. - 21 - Missiles of ligneous or porous consistency have the potential of fracturing my osseous structure, but appellations will eternally be benign.

Is number eight you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Addon - 18: All work and no play makes john a dull boy

and 6: Cleanliness is next to Godliness. IIRC

Uh ?? ahm ???

It might be easier, if there was a list of the idioms.

Pulchritude possess solely cutaneous profundityBeauty is only on the surface.

Scintillate, scintillate asteroid minific Twinkle, twinke, little star

3 - Members of an avian species of identical plumage congregate A hen stable ?

Surveillance should precede saltitation You better look at someone you want something from.

5 - It is fruitless to become lachrymose over precipitately departed lacteal fluid Don't cry for spilled milk

6 - Freedom from incrustration of grime is contiguous to divinity Gods don't have to make their hands dirty ?

It is fruitless to indoctrinate a super-annuated canine with innovative maneuvers Old dogs don't learn new dances ?

Eschew the implement of corrections and vitiate the scion If you forget to punish, you spoil the kids ?

11 - Neophyte's serendipity Luck of the beginner.

12 - Male cadavers are incapable of yielding testimony Dead men don't tell no stories.

13 - Individuals who make their abode in vitreous edifices would be advised to refrain from catapulting petrous projectiles
Don't throw with stones, when you sit in the house of glass.

21 - Missiles of ligneous or porous consistency have the potential of fracturing my osseous structure, but appellations will eternally be benign Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me ...

Stock und Stein brechen mir's Gebein, doch Worte tun mir nicht weh...

Off the top of my head...

1. Beauty is only skin deep
3. Birds of a feather flock together
4. Look before you leap
5. See Yago
6. See 8people
7. given
8. See 8 people
9. Spare the rod and spoil the child
10. A watched pot never boils
11. Ignorance is bliss.
12. Dead men tell no tales
13. See Yago
14. All that glitters is not gold
15. Where there's smoke, there's fire
16. ??!
17. Too many cooks spoil the broth
18. See 8people
19. A rolling stone gathers no moss
20. ??!
21. Yago's close - People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

1 Beauty is only skin deep. (As Yago Said)
2 Twinkle, Twinkle Little star. (As Yago said)
3 Birds of a feather flock together.
4 What is saltitation?
5 Don't cry over spilt milk. (As Yago said)
6 Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
7 The pen is mightier than sword (Example)
8 You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
9 Lack of discipline Breaks the Child
10 A watched kettle never boils.

add-on - (trying to get the ones' Rallymama hasn't got!)
16: Beggars can't be chosers?
20: He who laughs last laughs loudest

20 - The person presenting the ultimate cachinnation possesses, thereby, the optimal cachinnation The one who laughs the last, laughs the best.

Perhaps we should make funny ones up - like the Carpe thingy. Because we've nearly got them all :rolling:

Try this one...

The one with olfactoral precidence had in fact bequeathed the assemblage of the malodorous atmosperic mixture.

16 - Beggars can't be choosers?

He who smelt it dealt it.

Wow, you guys are fast (and furious).

Ok, correct answers are
1 - beauty is only skin deep
2 - twinkle twinkle little star
3 - Brids of a feather flock together
4 - look before you leap
5 - no use crying over split milk
6 - cleanliness is next to godliness
7 - pen sword thingy
8 - you can't teach old dog new tricks
9 - spare the rod and spoil the child
10 - a watched pot never boils
11 - beginner's luck
12 - dead man don't talk
13 - people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
14 - all that glitters is not gold
15 - where there's smoke, there's fire
16 - beggers can't be choosers
17 - too many cooks spoil the broth
18 - all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
19 - a rolling stone gather no moss
20 - he laughs last, laughs best
21 - sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me


saltitation - the correct one should be saltation (i think i need to infrom my lecturer that he made a mistake)

[ June 29, 2003, 20:21: Message edited by: teekc ]

11 - beginner's lick :eek: well, none of use got that one :lol:

How can people get these?
I grew up speaking english and I have no idea what half of these mean. :confused:

well, none of use got that one 11 - Neophyte's serendipity


Luck of the beginner.beginner's luck.

Hey, hey, I have to translate them from English into German. Into the German version. And then the German version into the English version.

Read the post again, Yago, I was being silly about the typo :p

Daaam, you are overstretching my capabilites of understanding. :D

Anyway, I should go and make one of those Oxford-English courses. Then I'd be able to construct the most engmatic and confusing phrases and use the most exotic words in the most unthinkable connections and most surprising context. T

I was being silly about the typo What typo? What are you talking about? (firmly hold a pencil)i did not have sex with that women.


I grew up speaking english and I have no idea what half of these mean. It's not just you, a 20 students class plus an English lecturer only managed to encode 8 of them in a half an hour. i was surprised that Rallymama answered half of them "off the top of her head".

i was surprised that Rallymama answered half of them "off the top of her head". News flash - I'm a serious geek! :lol:

I was not that surprised. Only 16 and 20 stopped me on my first read-through. I think that native English speakers growing up in the US have an advantage with these. I'm not sure how many of them translate to other languages/cultures.

Go Rallymama! :)

I think that native English speakers growing up in the US have an advantage with these. That English class i am taking now is English 104 in Iowa State University. We still have problem encoding these.