Lucky git
Published on
Story by
jane mery
Translation by:
christopher hall (+ns)
Since when are expressions for being a lucky git associated with a backside in Europe?
Once upon a time in France, young mothers would decorate their babies' cots with necklaces bearing the image of the Virgin Mary, in full belief it would bring their newborns life-longluck. The resulting French expression is avoir le cul bordé de médailles (having your bum surrounded by necklaces) – clear consciences hardly appreciate that some Christian figures are being poked fun at.
Other less clear consciences use the alternative expression: avoir le cul bordé de nouilles (having your bum surrounded by (cheap) pasta). Today, both expressions have evolved into implying that someone is a lucky git, as in Italy - ‘che culo (what a bum!) the Italians roar, eyes and hands raised to the sky. Religious emphasis is not excluded; the addition of che culo ... della madonna once again invokes the Virgin Mary.
Other, more pragmatic, Europeans prefer to leave it to nature. Forget flowerbeds; lucky Spaniards often have a flower planted in their backside (tener una flor en el culo).
The Romanians choose to use a strong animal metaphor: a fi plin de noroc ca câinele de purici (literally, being as full of luck as dog with fleas). The Germans come full circle and associate being lucky with fat - not the cellulite type - but the rind or lard. Schwein gehabt! (Pig is had!), they exclaim when somebody has had luck. The expression finds its origin in the middle-ages, when the unlucky loser from a tournament often returns not with his tail between his legs, but rather his arms loaded with a small and crumpled pig as his consolatory prize.
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Translated from Bordé de nouilles