ζήσε Μάη μου να φας τριφύλλι

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Greek

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Shortened version of ζήσε μαύρε μου να φας τον Μάη τριφύλλι (zíse mávre mou na fas ton Mái trifýlli) (literally, “live, my poor (donkey), till May when you can eat clover”), which is an idiom of agricultural origin (i.e. expressing disbelief that on a difficult winter a donkey can survive till May when clover will have sprouted again). Through loss of etymological transparency, the phrase acquired its modern form probably in the 20th c.[1] The shortened forms ζήσε Μάη μου να φας τριφύλλι and ζήσε μαύρε μου να φας τριφύλλι are the most common today.[2]

The older phrase is of Byzantine Greek origin, as it is already recorded by Levinus Warner (mid-17th c.).[3] A calque of this phrase has also been inherited to Modern Turkish as ölme eşeğim ölme yaza yonca bitecek (literally, “don't die, my donkey, don't die, clover will sprout in summer”) or more rarely ölme eşeğim ölme çayır çimen bitecek, usually shortened to ölme eşeğim ölme.[4]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈzi.se ˈma.i mu na fas tɾiˈfi.li/

Phrase

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ζήσε Μάη μου να φας τριφύλλι (zíse Mái mou na fas trifýlli)

  1. (idiomatic) that'll be the day, that'll be the frosty Friday (said in disbelief that something is to happen until a very long time in the future or at all)

References

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  1. ^ Sarantakos, Nikos (2012 April 20) “Το τριφύλλι του Μάη [The clover of May]”, in Οι λέξεις έχουν τη δική τους ιστορία[1] (in Greek)
  2. ^ τριφύλλι, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language
  3. ^ Warner, Levinus (ca 1650) Hesseling, D. C., editor, Συλλογή Ελληνικών παροιμιών [Collection of Greek proverbs], Athens, published 1900
  4. ^ ölme eşeğim ölme (yaza yonca bitecek)”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu