Spanish translation help

January 4, 2005 3:07 PM

What the hell does this mean: "SI SENOR DARE DAGO FORTE LOREZ INARO. DEMAINT LOREZ DEMARE TRUX FULACOUS ANGESE ANDUX. METANTATIPIP." [mi]

I found this on a piece of card in some of my old stuff I was going through. I think I used to have it pinned to my bedroom wall when I was a kid, but aside from that I have absolutely no memory of who gave me it or why. Tried googling. tried babelfish, all to no avail. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm missing something obvious, but I can't spot any anagrams...can anyone point out what I've missed?

posted by prentiz to Writing & Language (24 answers total)

Slowly saying the first bit gets me (roughly)

"See, senor, there they go,
Forty lorries in a row."

Then there's a bit I can't quite get about lorries and trucks, then

"Full of goose and geese and ducks."

Mind you, this is just me gassing around trying to run the clock out on this work day.
posted by Skot at 3:17 PM on January 4, 2005

"Them ain't lorries, them are trucks."
posted by bachelor#3 at 3:18 PM on January 4, 2005

"Full of cows and geese and ducks."
posted by nicwolff at 3:27 PM on January 4, 2005

The way I'd heard it was something like:

O sibili! Si ergo
fortybus es in ero!
o nobili em artrux!
vattis inem?
causen dux.

(oh see Billy! se 'er go
forty buses in a row
oh no Billy! 'em are trucks
what is in 'em?
cows and ducks.)
posted by Capn at 3:37 PM on January 4, 2005

Si Senor, derdego, fortelorez inaro.
Demsno lorez demar trux
Fulov enzan geesan dux.

The only mystery is that last word.
posted by vacapinta at 3:38 PM on January 4, 2005

Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames, by Luis D'Antin Van Rooten, is pretty wonderful, too. From Mots:

Un petit d’un petit
S’étonne aux Halles
Un petit d’un petit
Ah! degrés te fallent
Indolent qui ne sort cesse
Indolent qui ne se mène
Qu’importe un petit d’un petit
Tout Gai de Reguennes.

[Tous droits réservés]

For those who wish not to abandon simple English words, there are the stories of HL Chace. Ladle Rat Rotten Hut is probably the best known - "yonder nor sorghum stenches shut ladles gull stopper torque wet strainers!"
posted by caitlinb at 3:52 PM on January 4, 2005

oops "ladle gulls"
posted by caitlinb at 3:52 PM on January 4, 2005

Response by poster: Ask Mefi - those problems that have bugged you for years solved in 15 minutes! I feel somewhat dim for not spotting the pronouncing out loud bit myself. Thanks all!
posted by prentiz at 4:12 PM on January 4, 2005

mr snakes.
mr knot.
osar... cdedbdi's?
lib, mr snakes!
posted by togdon at 4:18 PM on January 4, 2005

Babelfish does NOT like this :-)
posted by glyphlet at 4:25 PM on January 4, 2005

abcd puppies?
lmno puppies!
osar puppies.
cmpn?
posted by joaquim at 4:28 PM on January 4, 2005

could the last word be "mate, ain't that a pip"?
posted by gubo at 5:27 PM on January 4, 2005

This reminds me a lot of something my 12th grade economics teacher showed us.

MR DUCKS
MR KNOT
CM WINGS
LIB
MR DUCKS

MR FARMERS
MR KNOT
CMMT POCKETS
LIB
MR FARMERS

MR MICE
MR KNOT
CMIDBD FEET
LIB
MR MICE
posted by icontemplate at 5:46 PM on January 4, 2005

Then there's always this from Trinidad

1 1 was a racehorse
1 2 was 1 2
1 1 1 1 race
1 2 1 1 2
posted by adamvasco at 6:17 PM on January 4, 2005

Mairzy doats.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:23 PM on January 4, 2005

C D B!
C D C?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:40 PM on January 4, 2005

At a diner:

F U N E M?
S, V F M.
F U N E X?
S, V F X.
OK! M N X!

(Have you any ham?
Yes, we have ham.
Have you any eggs?
Yes, we have eggs.
OK! Ham and eggs!)
posted by SPrintF at 8:02 PM on January 4, 2005

Old latin joke:

Caesar ad in jam forte
Brutus Aderat
Caesar sic in omnibus
Brutus sic inat

(Caesar add in jam for tea;
Brutus add a rat.
Caesar sick in omnibus.
Brutus sick in hat)
posted by The White Hat at 8:11 PM on January 4, 2005

¡Mai jed jurtz!
posted by Doohickie at 10:25 PM on January 4, 2005

Coincidentally, my father-in-law taught me the forty lorries one the day before yesterday. I'd never heard it before. He has a copy of it pinned up at his workplace.
posted by tracicle at 10:29 PM on January 4, 2005

Oh, and:

A B C D fish?
S I C D fish!
M N O fish,
C D B D I's?

(Hey [B] see the fish?
Yes I see the fish!
Them no fish,
See the beady eyes?)
posted by tracicle at 10:32 PM on January 4, 2005

YY U R
YY U B
I C U R
YY 4 ME
posted by emmling at 11:33 PM on January 4, 2005

MR DUCKS
MR NOT DUCKS
OSAR CDEDBD WINGS
YIB MR DUCKS


'Em are ducks!
'Em are not ducks!
Oh 'es 'ey are! See dee itty-bitty wings?
Why, I be! 'Em are ducks!
posted by rustcellar at 12:18 AM on January 5, 2005

NEECHE
HAIGHTS
UYAN
SODAWEE.
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:48 AM on January 5, 2005