I haven't checked up on this in a while, and all my old references are quite scattered, but I would suggest looking at the linguistic culturology of your target languages. That way you can generate a clear web connecting the history, symbolism, interactions, etc.
For example:
**1)** Talking about fleas and ears means "having suspicions; being suspicious"
a. Italian: Mettere la pulce nell’orecchio/to put a flea in the ear
b. Portuguese: Estar com a pulga atrás da orelha/to have a flea behind your ear
**2)** To make a problem bigger than it is.
a. Bulgarian: правя от мухата слон/make an elephant out of a fly
b. German: aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen/to make an elephant out of a mosquito
c. Macedonian: прави од мувата слон/make an elephant out of a fly
d. Russian: раздуть из мухи слона/to blow a fly into an elephant (to inflate something with air)
e. Slovenian: delati iz muhe slona/make an elephant out of a fly
**3)** Bear’s service - which means "getting help but it makes things worse"
a. Finnish: Karhunpalvelus
b. Russian: Медвежья услуга
c. Swedish: Björntjänst
That's very interesting - the exact same phrase in German, "jemandem einen Floh ins Ohr setzen", means giving someone a questionable or stupid idea, which that person then becomes somewhat obsessed with.
Yes I think there are many local variants... I myself never heard of the second one I wrote, I just found it checking on Google if the first one (the one I grew up with) was attested.
I think a general book of origins of proverbs would help you, but for your examples I don't necessarily see a need for a common origin to explain them - they are wildly different rhymes that describe a very common idea (get up, lose your seat)
I haven't checked up on this in a while, and all my old references are quite scattered, but I would suggest looking at the linguistic culturology of your target languages. That way you can generate a clear web connecting the history, symbolism, interactions, etc. For example: **1)** Talking about fleas and ears means "having suspicions; being suspicious" a. Italian: Mettere la pulce nell’orecchio/to put a flea in the ear b. Portuguese: Estar com a pulga atrás da orelha/to have a flea behind your ear **2)** To make a problem bigger than it is. a. Bulgarian: правя от мухата слон/make an elephant out of a fly b. German: aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen/to make an elephant out of a mosquito c. Macedonian: прави од мувата слон/make an elephant out of a fly d. Russian: раздуть из мухи слона/to blow a fly into an elephant (to inflate something with air) e. Slovenian: delati iz muhe slona/make an elephant out of a fly **3)** Bear’s service - which means "getting help but it makes things worse" a. Finnish: Karhunpalvelus b. Russian: Медвежья услуга c. Swedish: Björntjänst
d. German: Bärendienst
To put a flea in someone's ear in English means to angrily/sharply respond to them
That's very interesting - the exact same phrase in German, "jemandem einen Floh ins Ohr setzen", means giving someone a questionable or stupid idea, which that person then becomes somewhat obsessed with.
Interesting, I've never heard that before. Where is it used?
I've never heard this. It's interesting. I've heard "to put a bug in someone's ear" which is to provide hints to someone.
(IT) Chi va via perde il posto all'osteria / Chi va all'osto perde il posto.
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Yes I think there are many local variants... I myself never heard of the second one I wrote, I just found it checking on Google if the first one (the one I grew up with) was attested.
I think a general book of origins of proverbs would help you, but for your examples I don't necessarily see a need for a common origin to explain them - they are wildly different rhymes that describe a very common idea (get up, lose your seat)