When English borrowed a foreign word or phrase, it often
re-spelled the borrowed item so that the result looked like
common English words.

For example, Aramaic KiSHoT (anciently pronounced KiToT)
means "the truth". It is spelled "cat out" and "cat got" in the
idioms "let the cat out of the bag" and "has the cat got your
tongue". Semitic BaGaD means "to betray". It is spelled
"bag" in "let the cat out of the bag" and "left holding the bag".

To "let the cat out of the bag" is to betray the truth, or betray
by telling the truth. One asks "has the cat got your tongue"
when a child is silent because he/she doesn't want to lie but
also does not want to utter the truth. "Left holding the bag"
means your friends/associates got away but you were
"betrayed" and incurred all of the blame/responsibility.

Similarly, German acht/Achtung = pay attention, be(a)ware
and (Beweg)grund = reason, basis, grounds, (motive) was
respelled as "an axe to grind", an idiom that means someone
has a hidden or ulterior reason/motive.

Does this type of transliteration happen in other languages?

It seems to have happened in Hebrew, because the result
was sometimes translated into English.

For example, Latin sopor sond = sleep deeply seems to
have been transliterated into Hebrew (li)SPoR tSoN =
count sheep. Thererfore, we count sheep to go to sleep !?

Or, using 3 for the Hebrew letter aiyin which had a G/K
sound like 3aZa = Gaza ...
Brewer's yeast is a very ancient remedy for a hangover.
Latin Saccharomyces cervisae = Brewer's yeast ==>
Hebrew Sa3aR MiNSHaKH KeLeV = hair bite dog, i.e.,
"hair of the dog that bit you" = a hangover remedy.
Compare the Greek 3-headed cur/dog CeRBerus.

Does this type of translation of a transliteration occur
in other languages?

Sometimes an English idiom includes both a transliteration
and a translation.

For example, "break a leg" said to an actor to wish him/her
good luck. The normal term in Hebrew or Yiddish would be
BRaKHa = a blessing. The pun (transliteration) is the Hebrew
term for a knee or leg: BeReKH. Both BRaKHa and BeReHK
sound like the English word "break". Hence, "break a leg"
instead of "a blessing" (on your performance).

Another example: (cold enough to) "freeze the balls off a
brass monkey". It means, cold enough to make you shiver.
This phrase probably entered English from Arabic, most
dialects of which convert a P-sound to B.

Hebrew PeLeTZ = shiver, tremble. Compare English palsy.
Hebrew P'LiZ = brass
P to B => BaLLS

Hebrew K'Foo = frozen
Hebrew KoF = monkey
Drop the K in KoF => oFF

So, "balls off" is a transliteration, while "brass monkey" is a
translation, of the Semitic pun P'LiZ KoF = brass monkey
on the plain text PeLeTZ K'Foo which means "shiver frozen".

Does (simultaneous) transliteration plus translation occur
in the idioms of other languages?

ciao,
Israel "izzy" Cohen
israel_and_yvettec@...