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whatever flies, you eat

English translation: One has to take every opportunity in life

05:35 Jun 16, 2008
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
English term or phrase: whatever flies, you eat
Letter, 1940s:

"I felt confused during the farewell at home, when I said to you (in anger) 'Why are you crying? After all I'm not going to die.' Forgive me, my dear, I was foolish. I was lightheaded. I believed tha 'whatever flies, you eat.' It seems that I was too young, so waht use is there of apology?"

What is the meaning of the proverb? Thanks,
Gely
Spain
Local time: 05:43
Selected answer:One has to take every opportunity in life
Explanation:
That may be what it means. The person writing the letter says that, as a young person, he/she believed that he/she should take every oppportunity in life, not waste any chance, etc, like a spider for example that eats anything that flies into its web.
Selected response from:

Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:43
Grading comment
thank you all very much! I think this fits best for me, though matter is uncertain
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
2 +3One has to take every opportunity in life
Nesrin
4naive
vanq
3your easy
warren
3The speaker was too ambitious that he/she hurt someone
ricochu0311


Discussion entries: 9





  

Answers


49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +3
One has to take every opportunity in life


Explanation:
That may be what it means. The person writing the letter says that, as a young person, he/she believed that he/she should take every oppportunity in life, not waste any chance, etc, like a spider for example that eats anything that flies into its web.

Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:43
Native speaker of: Arabic
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
thank you all very much! I think this fits best for me, though matter is uncertain

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gary D: sounds reasionable, but why was she crying? maybe the opportunities were with the ladies?
2 mins
agree  Patricia Townshend (X): Sounds right.
5 mins
agree  Ken Cox: further: if the letter was written in the 1940's, the writer was probably leaving to join the war, and judging from the wording the text is British
1 hr
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
your easy


Explanation:
sounds like a jealousy trip, someone is going away and the other one is insecure.

warren
Local time: 05:43
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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1 day 22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
The speaker was too ambitious that he/she hurt someone


Explanation:
...and that's why he/she apologized.

Just give you one more choice.

ricochu0311
Hong Kong
Local time: 11:43
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
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6 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
naive


Language variant: Bulgarian

Explanation:
There is a similar proverb in Bulgarian. It is used for people who are naive and believe in everything they hear. That's the meaning of the proverb, I think. Maybe that woman trust everything she hear :)

vanq
Bulgaria
Local time: 06:43
Native speaker of: Native in BulgarianBulgarian
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