Even Greener Pastures

This post is not about our wild side, nor is it about actual parasites in the human body. It's about a phenomenon that seems to occur across cultures: naming various health conditions after animals or blaming imaginary animals for them.

In Czech, "houser" (gander, male goose) is a condition resulting in lower back pain and decreased mobility. Basically, you walk a bit like a goose.

"Vlk" (wolf) is what you get when your backside gets sore from wearing the wrong clothes on a hot day. Originally, it meant any kind of bump, boil or protuberance on the body or even on a plant. The idea is that the wolf is there, eating your flesh similarly to "rak" ("rakovina" = the condition) = "cancer" in English.

In English, the skin condition called "ringworm" is a fungal infection, often mistakenly believed to be caused by an actual worm.

Can you think of any more examples? What's eating people in your country?

Maybe you're not wrong. You know how they say we swallow insects and spiders in our sleep... maybe you accidentally swallow chipmunks.

Maybe you're not wrong. You know how they say we swallow insects and spiders in our sleep... maybe you accidentally swallow chipmunks.

If you unwittingly swallow a spider, is that an arachcident?

Ditto for:
cancer = Krebs
crow's feet = Krähenfüße
goosebumps = Gänsehaut (goose skin)

And same as in Czech, we get Hautwolf (skin wolf), or we say sich einen Wolf laufen (literally: to run yourself a wolf, i.e. to walk/run until you get sores on your skin).

Additionally, there's the self-inflicted Kater (tomcat), i.e. a hangover, which even works as a verb: verkatert sein (to be hung over).

Oh, a man's thick neck is ein Stiernacken (a bull's neck). If the guy also has Schweinsäuglein (pig's eyes), I'd stay away from him.

Let's not forget Facies Leonina, or Leonine Facies, Latin for lion's face, or Löwengesicht. Among other things it's a sign of leprosy.

Yes, of course, Nikola, how could I forget: Hühneraugen!

Thanks everyone, I think we've put together a little farm/zoo now. Also, special thanks to Jerry for not mentioning crabs.

Coligno, you mentioned "spideog" (robin). Does it mean bogey? Because we call bogey holub (pigeon).

The one about the flea is a brilliant false friend, though. In German, jemandem einen Floh ins Ohr setzen means to make a suggestion to someone they are then unable to stop thinking about.

Italian has the same saying as in German, mettere una pulce nell'orecchio a qualcuno, with the same meaning.

Coligno, you mentioned "spideog" (robin). Does it mean bogey? Because we call bogey holub (pigeon).

No, a spideog would be a watery drop on the end of your nose, a bogey would just be smuga.