Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread!
Greek translation:
Ο ανδρειος αψηφα και αποφευγει εκεινα τα πραγματα που επιτασσει η λογικη.Ειδαλλως αν δεν φοβαται στα
Added to glossary by
Constantinos Faridis (X)
May 12, 2011 11:50
13 yrs ago
English term
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread!
English to Greek
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
The rash or inexperienced will attempt things that wiser people are more cautious of, as in: - ‘I've never heard this symphony and here I am conducting it--oh well, fools rush in where angels fear to tread,’ or
‘He had the nerve to pry into his teacher’s private life--fools rush in’.
This expression, so well known it is sometimes shortened as in the second example, is a quotation from Alexander Pope's Essay on Criticism (1709): "No place so sacred from such fops is barr'd ... Nay, fly to altars; there they'll talk you dead; For fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
? ο τρελός κουδούνι δεν βαστά - a fool is so obvious that he doesn't need to carry a bell to advertise the fact?
‘He had the nerve to pry into his teacher’s private life--fools rush in’.
This expression, so well known it is sometimes shortened as in the second example, is a quotation from Alexander Pope's Essay on Criticism (1709): "No place so sacred from such fops is barr'd ... Nay, fly to altars; there they'll talk you dead; For fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
? ο τρελός κουδούνι δεν βαστά - a fool is so obvious that he doesn't need to carry a bell to advertise the fact?
Proposed translations
(Greek)
| 4 +2 | Ο ανδρειος αψηφα και αποφευγει εκεινα τα πραγματα που επιτασσει η λογικη.Ειδαλλως αν δεν φοβαται στα |
Constantinos Faridis (X)
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Change log
May 14, 2011 11:50: Constantinos Faridis (X) Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+2
24 mins
Selected
Ο ανδρειος αψηφα και αποφευγει εκεινα τα πραγματα που επιτασσει η λογικη.Ειδαλλως αν δεν φοβαται στα
Ο ανδρειος αψηφα και αποφευγει εκεινα τα πραγματα που επιτασσει η λογικη.Ειδαλλως αν δεν φοβαται στα λογικα πραγματα είναι μαλλον τρελος.
ΑΡΙΣΤΟΤΕΛΗ - ΠΕΡΙ ΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣ
Meaning
The rash or inexperienced will attempt things that wiser people are more cautious of.
Origin
'Fool' is now a more derogatory insult than it was when this proverb was coined, in the early 18th century. At that time a fool wasn't a simpleton, lacking in intelligence, simply someone who had behaved foolishly.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Prov. Foolish people usually do not understand when a situation is dangerous, so they are not afraid to do things that would frighten more sensible people. Alan: Bob is too scared to go in and confront the boss, so I'm going to. Jane: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Vasiliki Topouzi
4 hrs
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thank you
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| agree |
Natassa Tsokkou
1 day 19 hrs
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ευχαριστώ Νατάσα
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3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This answer is too long for idiomatic usage but both answers from Constantinos and Kyriacos have led me to a solution. Thucydides bk.2 §, 40 - again in the context of Pericles' Funeral Oration - writes αμαθία μεν θράσος, λογισμός δ' όκνον φέρει but, further, Menander in his Γνῶμαι Μονόστιχοι, Ρήση Υπ.Αρίθ.33 writes Ο αμαθής είναι θρασύς, an almost perfect match! Perhaps I could hear from you what you think of these observations?"
Discussion
your reactions. At least both my attempts are fairly brief, particularly if one were to abbreviate the Thucydides - as does Kyriacos - to 'αμαθία μεν θράσος...'