it's for the birds cheap, cheap, cheap...

English translation: cheap (= inexpensive) sound like cheep (sound birds make)

15:57 Nov 8, 2020

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / play on words

English term or phrase: it's for the birds cheap, cheap, cheap...

What does "it's for the birds cheap, cheap, cheap... " mean?

*At the furniture store - bookcase

Store Keeper: How do you like that?

Customer: Normal kind of price, I think.

Store Keeper: Yeah, that's what I say, it's for the birds cheap, cheap, cheap...

Thank you

rezaproz
Iran

Selected answer:cheap (= inexpensive) sound like cheep (sound birds make)

Explanation:
It's just a play on words, because in EN the generic noise birds make is rendered onomatopœically as 'cheep', which sounds like its homonym 'cheap', which means inexpensive (often with a negative connotation of low quality etc.)

Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 04:48

Grading comment

Thank you
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +5

cheap (= inexpensive) sound like cheep (sound birds make)

Tony M

4 +2

inexpensive

Bridgette Mitchell

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

12 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

cheap (= inexpensive) sound like cheep (sound birds make)

Tony M
France
Local time: 04:48
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 297

Grading comment

Thank you

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Tina Vonhof

22 mins

-> Thanks, Tina!

agree

Yvonne Gallagher

1 hr

-> Thanks, Yvonne!

agree

writeaway: This will hold until someone posts an answer in Farsi https://www.proz.com/kudoz/english-to-farsi-persian/general-...

1 hr

-> Thanks, W/A! I think Asker is just trying to understand the pun in EN so they can find a way to translate it.

agree

josué arno monjengue nkoum: to go on with the play of words it is also known that birds don't buy anything as in the Bible it is said ''if God feeds the birds that do not work nor pay, whatabout the human being...''

15 hrs

-> Merci, Josué !

agree

AllegroTrans: Yes, the storekeeper clearly has verbal diarrhea

17 hrs

-> Thanks, C! I think they think humour sells!

13 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

inexpensive

Explanation:
In the English language the noise birds or baby chicks make is often written as "cheep", which sounds just like "cheap" meaning not expensive. This seems to be a play on words, the shopkeeper is trying to say that the bookshelf is not expensive with a joke.

Bridgette Mitchell
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:48
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you

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it's for the birds cheap, cheap, cheap...

English translation: cheap (= inexpensive) sound like cheep (sound birds make)

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English translation: cheap (= inexpensive) sound like cheep (sound birds make)

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