Proverbs of Finland - according to Google Translator I think.

"Means are many, said the hag
As she wiped the table with the cat"

That made me laugh most.

As a pig-farmer, I can vouch for the accuracy of the pig-related ones.

[Keeker]

They do make sense though.

They do make sense though.

Please explain "We are to many trains".

[Keeker]

They do make sense though.

Please explain "We are to many trains".

I had, perhaps wrongly, assumed that was maybe meant to be 'too many'.

They do make sense though.

Please explain "We are to many trains".

I had, perhaps wrongly, assumed that was maybe meant to be 'too many'.

In more proper English, it goes something along the lines of "there's enough of us to fill many a train," the idea being that there's a lot of different kinds of folk around. The proverb's mostly used when referring to or commenting on the actions of the less intelligent, the eccentric, or downright weird parts of the populace.

Those could indeed be according to Google Translate. Or then someone translated them like that to be funny for Finns who are familiar with the original proverbs. Some of those proverbs are found in English as well: "Pearls before swine", the fox and the grapes from Aesop's fable. Interestingly, the localised Finnish translation of the fox fable changes the grapes to rowan berries, which are actually sour, taking away much of the point of the fable if you start to think about it...

"Mail gets delivered as Kusti pedals" Priceless!
The original "posti kulkee kun Kusti polkee" gets its funny solely from its single spoonerism. That's pretty much it, just for linguistic shits and giggles. Or it could be used as a somewhat nonchalant repartee, with the rough idea of "things tend to work out," or just regarding the mail service itself...

"Works like the lavatory of a train"
I don't of other countries' train lavatories, but the kind used in the little older express trains in Finland worked on a very simple principle: when you're done, you press on a lever, and whatever's in the toilet falls on the tracks. For obvious reasons, the use of this type of toilets was prohibited when the train was at a station.

They do make sense though.

Please explain "We are to many trains".

I had, perhaps wrongly, assumed that was maybe meant to be 'too many'.

In more proper English, it goes something along the lines of "there's enough of us to fill many a train," the idea being that there's a lot of different kinds of folk around. The proverb's mostly used when referring to or commenting on the actions of the less intelligent, the eccentric, or downright weird parts of the populace.

a perfectly plausible and logical explanation, thank you. Still do not believe Keeker was able to divine that.

[JuZ]

"Means are many, said the hag
As she wiped the table with the cat"

That made me laugh most.

Yep, same here... I read it 3 times and it made less sense each time!

[swervedriver]

^All are gold, but I think Chipotle is best.

I had no idea there was a fast foood chain called Chipotle. Sounds promising.

There's actually one opposite Foyles book shop!