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Article #4039Re: Can't see the wood for the trees
From: Dena Shunra & Oren Shefet
Date: Sat, 09 Sep 1995 20:42
Date: Sat, 09 Sep 1995 20:42
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peter@fourier.newcastle.edu.au (Peter Moylan) told us that the phrase "can't see the wood for the trees" is common in Dutch, as well as English - and French, and Japanese, and Chinese. I'd just like to play further havoc with the "common ancestor" theory of the origin of that phrase: it's perfectly acceptable in Hebrew, too! I looked the matter up in a couple of dictionaries, and it is neither biblical in origin nor offered as a translation from any other language. I'd love to hear any further thoughts on this universal-seeming saying. Thanks! Dena Shunra
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!news.netvision.net.il!usenet From: shunra@netvision.net.il (Dena Shunra & Oren Shefet) Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,comp.lang.modula2 Subject: Re: Can't see the wood for the trees Date: Sat, 09 Sep 1995 20:42:40 GMT Organization: NetVision LTD. Message-ID: <42su72$c65@news.netvision.net.il> References: <423j4r$pqh@seagoon.newcastle.edu.au> NNTP-Posting-Host: ts34p1.netvision.net.il X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.0.82