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[Piratis]

My mother used to say to me: ashoile!

Well asshole, aparently you haven't changed much

agnatin

This one is quite known.

besh tampoura dort okka

We use this one translated.

[mehmet]

No offense taken MicatCyp. I actually heard that story about who the most nationalistic Turks were also. All I can say is that in my family the opposite is the case. Let's hope we can put an end to the division one day while I am alive.

[Bananiot]

Ashoile, Piratis! Why do you feel compelled to answer all the time? And, what is the greek translation of "besh dampoura dort okka"? I don't think I know it. Take it easy tomorrow on the turkey, its only a bird! Merry Xmas!

[insan]

Excellent insan. I understood evey single one, exept voivoda, but I haven't given it much thought, to be honest.

It comes fromthe history and is used to define someone cruel...

PRINCE OF WALLACHIA (Kazikli Voyvoda)

The prince of Wallachia Vlad IV is known as “Kazikli Voyvoda” means piled prince in Turkish. He was a very cruel ruler and he tyrannised especially the Turks. He was the son of Prince Dracula. He fought against the Ottomans in the sultanate of Mehmed the Conqueror. He killed Turkish captives by torturing and impaling them. By his cruelty, he left a bloody sign in the Balkans. He impaled Vidin Bey and Hamza Pasha. He tortured people unbelievably, for example; he had flayed the skins of captives and sprinkled salt on their bodies, made the goats lick the salt. He nailed the Turkish ambassadors’ turbans on their heads. He had had cut the nipples of the women and put the heads of their babies inside their breast. All these unbelievable torture methods are Vlad’s inventions. He was a wild ruler. Sultan Mehmed The Conqueror tried to catch him but he escaped. Finally in 1462, he was killed by one of his own soldiers.

Here are some of my experiences:

My mother used to say to me: ashoile!

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Ha şöyle!

means well done to you.

It has still been using widely even by the young generations.

Then, my father, when he wanted to know if I understood something: agnatin?

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Ağnadıng?

this is the original TC pronounciation of the question word

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anladın mı?

Did you understand?

I used to hear this a lot, especially during heated arguments: vallahi villahi

This should be vallahi billahi. An Arabic originated phrase is used to accentuate how true the things someone say to other one.

Also, if someone was not up to learning new things (like Piratis for example): besh tampoura dort okka

This one still is used by older generations in the same meaning by TCs.

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Beş tambura dört okka

If someone saw the point but it was too late (hopefully we will solve it before its too late): bayram soranta

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Bayramdan sovra

It is still used by older generations in the same meaning you use it.

A question: Does anyone know what a simirlis is? Probably it has to do with Egypt.

Could it be smirlis?

Χρήστος Σμυρλής-Λιακατάς
Ποιος είναι ο βουλευτής. Επειδή η γνώμη σας μετράει, θα θέλαμε να την ακούσουμε... ...
www.smirlis.gr/

[Bananiot]

I have been reading an excellent book about a turkish man who lives in London and visits Crete, the birthplace of his family, following instructions from his father and grand father who were turkish speaking Cretans. In this book it is claimed that when the two communities did not kill each other they were actually struggling together against the common oppressor. One such oppressor were the Egyptians who were given control of Crete by the Sultan in 188 something. They were jointly struggling against the "misirlides" the book says. I remembered a famous greek song called "misirlou" literary a female misirlis. This is what I found out from google about this.

MISIRLOU

Misirlou is a popular song with a cult-like popularity in three very diverse styles of music: Greek rembetiko, Middle-Eastern belly dancing and American surf rock.

The song probably originated in Athens among the Greek refugees from Smyrna (now Ismir, Turkey) during the 1920s. The first known recording is by Michalis Patrinos in Greece, circa 1930; a second recording was made by Patrinos in New York, in 1931. As was often the case with rembetiko recordings at the time, Patrinos made no attribution as to the origin of the song.

In 1941, Nick Roubanis, a Greek-American music instructor released a jazz instrumental arrangement of the song, crediting himself as composer. Since his claim was never challenged in court, he is still officially credited as the composer today. S. Russell, N. Wise and M. Leeds later wrote an English version of the lyrics.

The song was rearranged as a solo guitar piece by Dick Dale in the 1950s, and it was this version that would introduce Misirlou to a wider audience in the United States. Dale was of partially Lebanese background, and often credited Armenian music as the inspiration for his guitar style, and perhaps for this reason the tune has often been mistakenly described as a Lebanese or Armenian folk song.

The Beach Boys re-recorded a Dale-inspired Misirlou for the 1963 album "Surfin' USA", forever making Misirlou part of American pop culture. Hundreds of recordings have been made, by performers as diverse as Agent Orange and Connie Francis. There's also a ladino version of Misirlou by the Turkish-Jewish band Los Pasaros Sefaradis .

In 1994, Misirlou was heard on the dynamic soundtrack of Quentin Tarrantino's Pulp Fiction. More recently, the song was selected by the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee as one of the most influential Greek songs of all time, and was heard on venues and the closing ceremony.

Lyrics:

Greek Translation

Μισιρλού μου, η γλυκιά σου η ματιά
Φλόγα μου 'χει ανάψει μες στην καρδιά
Αχ, γιaχαμπίμπι, αχ, γιαχαλέλι, αχ

Τα δυο σου χείλη στάζουνε μέλι, αχ

Αχ, Μισιρλού, μαγική, ξωτική ομορφιά
Τρέλα θα μου 'ρθει, δεν υποφέρω πια
Αχ, θα σε κλέψω μέσα από την Αραπιά

Μαυρομάτα Μισιρλού μου τρελή
Η ζωή μου αλλάζει μ' ένα φιλί
Αχ, γιαχαμπίμπι ενα φιλάκι, άχ
Απ' το γλυκό σου το στοματάκι, αχ

English version

My Misirlou (Egyptian girl), your sweet stare
Has lit a fire in my heart
Ah, yahabibi, Ah, yahaleli, ah
(Arabic: Oh, my love, Oh, my night)
Your two lips dripping honey, ah

Ah, Misirlou, magical, exotic beauty
I'll go crazy, I can't take any more
Ah, I'll take you away from the Arab land

My black-eyed, wild Misirlou
My life changes with a kiss
Ah, yahabibi a little kiss, ah
From your sweet lips, ah

English Lyrics by Russell, Wise and Leeds:

Desert shadows creep across purple sands
Natives kneel in prayer by their caravans
There, silhouetted under an eastern star
I see my long lost blossom of Shalimar
You, Misirlou, are the moon and the sun, fairest one

Old temple bells are calling across the sand
We'll find our Kismet, answering love's command
You, Misirlou, are a dream of delight in the night

To an oasis, sprinkled by stars above
heaven will guide us, Allah will bless our love
Ah, Ah, Misirlou

Thanks for the effort insan to find out. The particular Smirlis you stumbled upon is an MP apparently in the Greek Parliament with Papandreou's Party.

[insan]

Thanks for the effort insan to find out. The particular Smirlis you stumbled upon is an MP apparently in the Greek Parliament with Papandreou's Party.

Thank you for the infos you've given about the song "misirlou". It is one of my all time favourite since "pulp fiction". I didn't know that there are also older versions of this song. Now I'm gonna make an emule search to find and listen them. I hope I can find the first recording of this excellent song.

[brother]

One that i am teaching my kids is 'efgaristo bolla' (i hope i spelt that nearly right) which means thankyou very much.

[michalis5354]

efharisto polla (thats better)

[mehmet]

One of the things that interests me is how the Turkish spoken in Cyprus has deviated from that in the Turkish Republic. It is well known that under the reforms of Ataturk that the langauage was 'nationalised' in order to remove foreign (Persian, Arabic but not European foreign) influences.

When I watch two Turkish Cypriots playing backgammon (Tavla) thye will react to certain throws of the dice with certain phrases. Well, if you look up how to say certain numbers in Persian you can see where it comes from. Do these phrases get used by Greek Cypriots also?

I will look up and return with some examples.

[mehmet]

Here they are

one = yechd

five = penj

six = shesh[/b]