# Pool(s) and sea(s) as 'lots of'



## ThomasK

I was convinced that this "pool"  was based on a swimming pool, when referring to "a common reservoir of resources", and thus resembled a sea (as in Dutch: " een zee aan (not "van", of) mogelijkheden" (a large choice/.. of possibilities). So I wanted to know what - watery or other - metaphor you use to refer to any such reservoir of resources of possibilities...

However, etymonline.com explains it as the* pool* *game*: " game similar to billiards, 1848, originally (1690s) the name of a card game played for collective stakes, from pool "collective stakes of players in a game," which is from French poule "stakes, booty, plunder," literally "hen," from Old French poille "hen, young fowl,"   "...


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## serbianfan

The etymology sounds reasonable, as we only use 'pool' and not other 'watery' nouns with 'resources'. A flood/sea/ocean of resources = highly unlikely. However, in Norwegian 'et hav av' (an ocean/sea of) is common with almost anything (a sea of people, a sea of questions *and* a sea of resources).


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## Circunflejo

In Spanish, not so much with lots of posibilities but we have things like ríos de gente (literally rivers made of people, i.e.: crowds), llover a mares (to rain seas), estar hecho un mar de dudas (to have lots of doubts)...


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## ThomasK

Great information, thanks!


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## Circunflejo

I was thinking that for lots of posibilities, there's _un océano de posibilidades_ (an ocean of posibilities) although I don't use it too much.


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## ThomasK

in Dutch we do see _stromen _(streams) and _zeeën _(seas), never oceans, as far as I can see...


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## apmoy70

Despite Greece being a maritime country, we don't use many sea metaphors. We prefer *«ανθρώπινο ποτάμι»* [anˈθrɔ.pi.nɔ pɔˈta.mi] --> _human river_, for the large crowds, and the cliché tv catchphrase *«θάλασσα ευκαιριών»* [ˈθa.la.sa ef.ce.ɾiˈɔn] --> _sea of possibilities/opportunities_, is used alot, for the limitless things that could be done (which is probably an anglicism).


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## Awwal12

Russian occasionally uses "(entire) sea of":
- with objects so numerous that they're forming a vast layer (целое море цветов - an entire sea of flowers);
- with certain abstract nouns, especially positive ones (море радости - a sea of joy).


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## AutumnOwl

There are several watery metaphors in Swedish, _ett hav av_ ... (an ocean/sea) like in Norwegian. Then there is _en flod av ... _(a river of) for example questions. _Pengaregn - _a rain of money, for (unexpected) money. _Ett regn av bomber / bombregn_ - a heavy bombardment. Then there is _uppsjö_ (up lake, a tidal wave) which is used for "lots of ...". _Träsk_ (swamp), when involved with the criminal underworld.


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## Perseas

This thread reminded me of this one: a sea of opportunities


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## Circunflejo

Circunflejo said:


> there's _un océano de posibilidades_ (an ocean of posibilities) although I don't use it too much.





ThomasK said:


> in Dutch we do see _stromen _(streams) and _zeeën _(seas), never oceans, as far as I can see...


We have also _un mar de posibilidades (a sea...). _I'm not sure what term is more used. Maybe, _mar_.


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## Penyafort

Circunflejo said:


> llover a mares (to rain seas), estar hecho un mar de dudas (to have lots of doubts)...



And "la mar de" in colloquial Spanish for "very", "much/many/lots of".

_Está la mar de contento. _He's very happy.​_Ganó la mar de dinero con ese curro. _She earned lots of money with that job.​


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## ThomasK

INteresting variant: he is a sea happy/ a sea of happiness. I cannot imagine a parallel in Dutch with emotion. 

It does remind me of a wave: in Dutch we can say that we are _*overspoeld door een golf van emotie*_/ *washed away [lit. over] by a wave of emotions*... So this expression refer to a (powerful) mass of water. So that might be an extra illustration of our topic, be it different from a sea/.. as such...


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## Circunflejo

Penyafort said:


> And "la mar de" in colloquial Spanish for "very", "much/many/lots of".
> 
> _Está la mar de contento. _He's very happy._Ganó la mar de dinero con ese curro. _She earned lots of money with that job.


La mar de majo.


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## ThomasK

Circunflejo said:


> La mar de majo.


Meaning: "massively" sympathetic/Kind/ ...?


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## Circunflejo

ThomasK said:


> Meaning: "massively" sympathetic/Kind/ ...?


Meaning: Very nice.


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## AutumnOwl

Maybe not exactly a watery metaphor but sometimes used is _ett vattenfall av tårar_, a waterfall of tears.


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## ThomasK

It is a watery metaphor, for sure. I think it is a perfect example. It is used in Dutch too!


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## Yendred

In French, we commonly say "_un océan de..._" (_an ocean of..._)


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## djara

The Arabic word بحر (baḥr = sea) is used as an adjective to mean "highly learned".
رجل بحر  (rajulun baḥrun) a scholar, a highly learned person.


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## ThomasK

But sea is being used as an adjective, like: a sea-like person?


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## djara

ThomasK said:


> But sea is being used as an adjective, like: a sea-like person?


When two indefinite nouns are juxtaposed as in رجل بحر (rajulun baḥrun; literally 'man sea') the second is an adjective qualifying the first. In this case, the expression should be understood as 'a man whose knowledge is as broad as the sea'


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## ThomasK

I see!!! (Why you term them 'indefinite' is not clear to me, but it might not be essential...)


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