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Thanks, cougr. Isn't there a song which has those words? It, like that of Nickel, is a very useful phrase. I trust you have read the origin of the English phrase as mentioned above.:)

Thanks, both, for your suggestions. The phrase is not uncommon. It was parodied in a comedy series of the early '90s in the catchphrase 'Dey do do dat dough don't dey dough" ("They do do that though, don't they though"). it means here: "But they do do that, don'tthey."

Thanks, all. I liked nickel's suggestion: a good phrase could be based on και στην τύχη σου και στης Παναγιάς τη βοήθεια.

A difficult idiom to describe. Here is an example:- 'Our relationship has reached a state when I care about whether I have let her down or betrayed her, implying that I now care about such nuances. So I say, 'Yes, that's right, I think.' And Martha looks evilly at me and says, 'Yes. They don't...

The interpretation of Την πατρίδα μ' έχασα by Μαυροθάλασσα was harrowing and heart-rending. Despite the Turkish denial of the Pontic genocide 'the Allies of World War I condemned the Ottoman government-sponsored massacres as crimes against humanity. More recently, the International Association...

What is the Greek equivalent for this English phrase, which dates back, it seems, only to a song composed in WWII. It means 'relying in a desperate or difficult situation on meagre resources and luck to get out of it (με τα χίλια ζόρια)'. For an account of its origin, see...

Here is the transcript:- Την πατρίδαμ’ έχασα, /Την πατρίδα μου έχασα έκλαψα και πόνεσα./έκλαψα και πόνεσα Λιγούμαι κι αροθυμώ, όι όι /λιπούμαι και νοσταλγώ, όι όι ν’ ανασπάλω κι επορώ./να ξεχάσω δεν μπορώ Ρεφραίν: Μίαν κι άλλο ’σην ζωή μ’ /Άλλη μια φορά στη ζωή μου σο πεγάδι μ’ σην αυλή μ’...

Wow, thank you both so much. Şevval Sam must have memorised the initial words poorly. It's therefore probable that she doesn't speak Pontic. Thank you both for all this help!:):)

A brilliant reply. The transcript was very poor but the translateble part that your friend could make sense of clearly gives the γενικό νόημα. A big thank you to bοth of you for your help!:) I don't know why Şevval Sam had to add these words. They are not really relevant. It is ironic that the...

AoratMelani, I have heard them both and can understand them both! I heard Της τρίχας το γεφύρι with Amalgamation, and Την πατρίδα μ' έχασα with Şevval Şam. She has a fantastic voice but there is a problem with her recording; before the song begins she sings something different which sounds like...

I only submitted the version that I found at Σον Θεό εφταίγω τάμα στίχοι. Its transcriptions are so often wrong. It is obviously ντ' εσυσρές. Thanks to you both for your help. I have learnt a great deal about Pontic Greek. It is all grist to the mill! Νερό στον γλωσσολογικό μου μύλο.....;:)

Sorry, you replied before I could! Ντε therefore is another form of ντο.:) It is worth knowing the name of your friend. She should post this translation into English online.

Τhat makes a great deal of sense: 'So, you suffered pain In giving me birth'. Is ντε the (unlikely) Turkish word or the Pontic for δε(ν); Thanks so much for all this help, AoratiMelani. At least I made some sense of it! Please thank your friend profoundly for this detailed help! I now can...

I have been interested in the Turkish genocide by Ataturk, ever since I heard that-way out cycle of songs sung by the terrifying and fearsome Diamanda Galas: Defixiones, Will and Testament: Orders from the Dead. Since then, while listening to Areti Ketime's memorable rendering of the Pontian Σον...

Thanks, SBE. I have already looked up the references you here suggested but still hummed and hawed about the best way to render these terms into English. That's why I translated τα ωραία as "the good things in our life". Can you suggest a better and more accurate rendering? :)

Thanks, Dr. I'm glad you missed it. It kind of confirms my guess. And the Turkish ya rabbi is a common enough expletive.:)

See my entry at #1, Dr. . I'm pleased that my stab at a guess has your 'qualified' approval. I don't know whether Greek has equivalents to the English 'minced oath' but this article gives many examples: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/minced_oath. A 'minced oath' is a type of euphemism of...

I agree with you, Neikos. 'Folk etymologies' are almost always erroneous. Thanks for your help. I have heard the song sung by Petros Gaitanos. I love his voice. I have his recordings of the sacred music of Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα.

Sorry, Neikos! It's my mistake. In a translation of the verse Daeman supplies:- «Γιαρούμπι, έχεις γάμπα τικ ε τικ ε σπάσ' τα τα ποτήρια σπάσ' τα, βάι να μα" The English translation is this:- Everyone is joyous, joyous! Beautiful legs, tireli, which dance, Beautiful legs; even the dishes are...

So then simply:-'enjoy yourselves, dishes!'? Thanks to Daeman for an excellent set of links. This I found particularly helpful:- http://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=3527.