You've Met A Greek Mother If You've Heard These Phrases

  • by XpatAthens
  • Wednesday, 13 May 2015
You've Met A Greek Mother If You've Heard These Phrases
Have you ever met a Greek mother? It was Mother’s Day recently and maybe you visited Greece or plan to, or you may have Greek friends around the world, or maybe your roommate is a Greek. Next time you hear these phrases from their Greek mothers, it is good to know what they mean.

What a Greek Mother will say and what it means
  •     Keep your eyes fourteen! (Means: be cautious).
  •     The feet revolted and want to hit the head (Means: denouncing authority).
  •     I ate the whole world to find you (Means: I looked everywhere).
  •     That’s just a small chandelier (Means: It’s not that big a deal).
  •     If that is true you can pierce my nose (Means: No way that is true).
  •     She/He will fit your two legs in 1 shoe (Means: She/He will do with you as he/she pleases or/and push you around).
  •     The lid rolled and found the kettle (Means: These people are the same or/and think the same way, one fits on the other).
  •     I got fleas in my ears (Means: I am suspicious for something I am thinking or have heard. By the way, it’s origin is from an actual torture in Byzantine times).
  •     She/He will cook the fish on your lips (Means: She/He will torture you with nagging or other psychological way).
  •     She/He will change your lights (Means: Same as above. The actual origin of this phrase comes too from an actual torture).
  •    Though we haven’t seen him yet, we call him Yiannis (Means: We still don’t know what/who is, yet we have labeled him with something. The origin comes from an anecdote with Kolokotronis and Nikitaras at the Greek revolution of 1821).
Common phrases a Greek Mother will use to “work you around”
(Some are used by Greek fathers too)
  •     If you or your brother want to kill each other, get out. I just finished cleaning the floor.
  •     Pray the carpet stain can be removed.
  •     I am going to get your semester grades. If they are not good you better leave the house and not find you when I come back.
  •     What do you mean “why?”. Because, I said so!
  •     If you fall and bleed your knees, you will get spanked because you would have ripped your trouser too!
  •     Change your underpants! Suppose you have an accident and end up to the hospital. What would doctors say.
  •     Stop crying without a reason, or I will give you a reason to cry.
  •     Sure, that is a nice shower you had. Can’t you see that the back of your neck is still black/dirty?
  •     Close your mouth and eat your lunch.
  •     Your room is like being hit by a hurricane.
To read more, please visit: A Greek Adventure

LIFE & CULTURE