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Päivän sana - Sopuli (lemming) (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Etymology

From Russian со́боль (sóbolʹ, “sable”),[1] from Old East Slavic соболь (sobolĭ).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ˈsopuli/, [ˈs̠o̞puli]
Rhymes: -opuli
Hyphenation(key): so‧pu‧li

Noun

sopuli

lemming (several rodents in the family Cricetidae, especially those of the tribe Lemmini)
lemming, true lemming (any rodent of the genus Lemmus)
Norway lemming, Lemmus lemmus
Synonym: tunturisopuli
lemming (a member of a group given to conformity or groupthink; used especially of journalists)

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Oh, we have a lot of those. Here's a few from the top of my head:

Omata lehmän hermot / To have the nerves of a cow (a really calm person).

Lauhkea kuin lammas / As gentle as a sheep.

Viedä kuin pässiä narussa / Being lead around like a ram on a leash. (Stubborn as rams can be, they can be easily made to follow you if you don't walk in a straight line. You have to make small curves on your way to distract the ram. A metaphor of apparent deception.)

Viekas kuin kettu / Cunning as a fox.

Olla kuin perseeseen ammuttu karhu / To be like bear who's shot in the ass. (A truly pissed off person.)

Lämpö menee harakoille / The warmth goes to the magpies. (When a window or a door is kept open too long during cold weather.)