Watch What You Say
Minas Kojayan recently gave me a book by the cartoonist Alexander Saroukhan who had famously illustrated Yervant Odian’s popular satire(s). It's called «Տես Խօսքերդ» ("Watch What You Say", Egypt, 1962) and the cartoons caricature popular Western Armenian idioms. Below, I loosely translate some that had clear English equivalents (changing tense, altering/omitting words, etc.):
"I ran an eye over the paper."
"They spoke with their eyes."
"He's very hot-headed."
"The wine hit him."
"My head is spinning."
"My head's going to explode."
"His mind is somewhere else."
"Quiet! The walls have ears."
"A two-faced man."
"The mother swelled with pride."
(The piece of paper says: "My child's accomplishments")
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Vlume has the Armenian edition of another one of Saroukhan’s books, «Մենք Մեր Ակնոցով», available to read on their app.
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