Hoch mir nicht kein chainik

[Deborah Hoffman]

Interesting--I've encountered it in speakers from Subcarpathian Ukraine (where the chrein rhymes with wine and dine and not with rain and Spain). These same speakers, however, generally use "a" for the indefinite article, replacing "ein," which you'd think would render the phrase as Jules Levin has it, "haken a chainik" rather than "nisht kein chainik."
   
  Relexification? Gey veys...
   
  
SEELANGS automatic digest system <LISTSERV at BAMA.UA.EDU> wrote:
    There are 4 messages totalling 159 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

1. Hoch mir nicht kein chainik (2)

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:52:48 -0800
From: Steve Seegmiller 
Subject: Re: Hoch mir nicht kein chainik

My ex-wife's family used this expression; they were from one of those places that used to be part of Russia but is now in eastern Poland, so apparently the expression is more widespread than the Baltic countries.

Steve Seegmiller


-----------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:35:18 -0800
From: Jules Levin 
Subject: Re: Hoch mir nicht kein chainik

At 09:52 AM 11/21/2007, you wrote:
>My ex-wife's family used this expression; they were from one of 
>those places that used to be part of Russia but is now in eastern 
>Poland, so apparently the expression is more widespread than the 
>Baltic countries.
>
>Steve Seegmiller

Strange. I think this expression is a blend of two expressions:
1. 'haken a chainik' "talk incessantly about some topic..."

2. "Macht mir nisht kein [sic! rhymes with Dane] chrein." 'Don't 
make me any horseradish' = Don't do me any favors.

Confused blends of this type are not unusual in language.

Jules Levin

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------