IdiomAnimals
Bulgarian
BulgarianГладна мечка хоро не играе (Gladna mechka horo ne igrae)
Meaning: Nothing gets done on an empty stomach.
Literally: A hungry bear doesn't dance
Example: “Първо обяд, после ремонт; гладна мечка хоро не играе.” — Lunch first, then the repairs; an army marches on its stomach.
English equivalent: An army marches on its stomach
Origin: "A hungry bear doesn't dance the horo": from the dancing bears that bear trainers led from village to village in the Balkans until the late 20th century. A bear would perform only once it had been fed. The Bulgarian proverb means nobody works well on an empty stomach.
More Bulgarian idioms
- Бели кахъри (Beli kahŭri) Trivial, almost pleasant things to fret over.
- На баба ми хвърчилото (Na baba mi hvarchiloto) Something utterly irrelevant or nonsensical.
- Обръщам дебелия край (Obrashhtam debeliya kray) To start treating someone harshly.
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