# rare as



## Encolpius

Hello, I'm not sure what English say, but what do you say in you language if something is extremely rare, it's a rare bird??? Thanks. 

*Hungarian*: ritka, mint a fehér holló ["rare as a white raven]

*English*: rare as hen's teeth (???)


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## bibax

vzácný jako bílá vrána (white crow)
vzácný jako šafrán (saffron)


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## tangus

You can find a lot of these kind of similes in Spanish. Just two:

*es (Spain)*: [raro como] perro verde (green dog)

*es (universal, I think)*: [raro como] político honesto (honest politician)

Saludos.


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## Encolpius

tangus said:


> You can find a lot of these kind of similes in Spanish. Just two:
> 
> *es (Spain)*: [raro como] perro verde (green dog)
> 
> *es (universal, I think)*: [raro como] político honesto (honest politician)
> 
> Saludos.



Hello tangus and welcome to the All Languages forum. Thank you for your replies and we hope that you will visit this forum often. Bye. Enc.


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## anamsc

I don't think we have a set one in English; people just think of something rare as the situation requires.


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## enoo

*French:*
C'est un oiseau rare / C'est l'oiseau rare. - It's a/the rare bird.

(not to confuse with "c'est un drôle d'oiseau"- it's a weird bird: a weird person  )


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## ThomasK

Dutch : _*Zeldzaam als een witte raaf*_/ Rare as a white raven.


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## Encolpius

ThomasK said:


> Dutch : _*Zeldzaam als een witte raaf*_/ Rare as a white raven.



Wow,


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## ThomasK

Thanks, but the Hungarians seem to be as creative: see #1.


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## mataripis

*Tagalog: rare= bihira/pambihira, seldom= madalang*


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## ThomasK

Thanks, but don't you have a comparison for very rare ?


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## mataripis

ThomasK said:


> Thanks, but don't you have a comparison for very rare ?


Tagalog: Very rare= napakadalang/ bihirang bihira'


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## ThomasK

I am sorry, but you always forget to explain the background of the words, which could make it more interesting for non-Tagalog speakers. For example: 
-_napakadalang_: does it contain another word (like 'rare') ? 
- _bihirang bihira_: how do you explain this semi-repetitions (rare of the rarest ???)? don't you use something like _as bihira as a .... _


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## Saluton

No such comparisons in Russian. An outstanding person or, sometimes, thing can be called самородок (nugget) or бриллиант (diamond), but that's a slightly different story.


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## ThomasK

Are you quite sure? I'd think there must be some kind of paradoxical comparison for that. But of course you know better !


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## sakvaka

Neither am I reminded of anything similar in Finnish.


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## hui

> Neither am I reminded of anything similar in Finnish.



_outo lintu_ ("odd/strange bird") = an exceptional person


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## sakvaka

hui said:


> _outo lintu_ ("odd/strange bird") = an exceptional person



But we weren't talking about this, were we? Cf. #1 and #6. _

Aiheena olivat minun käsitykseni mukaan sanonnat muotoa "harvinainen kuin X", missä X kuuluu joukkoon "kaikkien konkreettisten kielellisten käsitteiden maailma"._


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## mataripis

ThomasK said:


> I am sorry, but you always forget to explain the background of the words, which could make it more interesting for non-Tagalog speakers. For example: <br>
> -<em>napakadalang</em>: does it contain another word (like 'rare') ? <br>
> - <em>bihirang bihira</em>: how do you explain this semi-repetitions (rare of the rarest ???)? don't you use something like <em>as bihira as a .... </em>


&nbsp; 1.) Root word (dalang= seldom)&nbsp; i forgot the term, but this is the degree of adjective a.) madalang=seldom&nbsp;&nbsp; b.) Mas madalang/higit na madalang=more seldom&nbsp; c.) pinaka madalang=napakadalang= most seldom /The same is true when "Bihira" is used , but it is not common to attach "Mas' and "pinaka' in this word, maybe because "Bihira" can be translated as "Unusual"/rare/seldom based on how it is used in grammar.And yes , you are right "Bihirang Bihira" is "Rare of the rarest"/ unusual of the rarest, to be exact. The samples; 1. Madalang akong dumalaw sa aming lalawigan.(seldom, i visit our province).  2.)  Bihirang bihira ang nadating na dayuhan sa ating bayan.(  it is very unusual for foreign visitors to reach our town/place)  The antonym for " madalang" is "Madalas"(frequent) and for "Bihira" is " Karaniwan"(common or usual).


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## ThomasK

This is very informative, M, thanks! So those are kind of superlatives, but lexical, where the -ng in bihirang seems like a suffix. is that correct? 

The other question still remains: don't you have funny comparisons? rare as, say, a black cockatoo, or a day tarsier? ;-)


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## mataripis

You are correct. "NG" in "BIHIRA" is a suffix. The "NG" is equivalent to "NA"  so we can say also "BIHIRA NA" is the same as "BIHIRANG".  But the rule in pronouncing continious grammar in Tagalog  need the attachment of "NG" to the word especially if they(The words) are in the beginning or in the center of sentence.For example: 1.) It is unusual for Crow to have white plumage/feathers.(Bihirang maging puti ang uwak)/but there is another form=( Pambihira na maging puti ang Uwak).  2.) For "Madalang" here is another sample sentence= Seldom we can find the nocturnal animals outside their burrows during daytime.(madalang na makatagpuan natin ang mga hayop na pang gabi sa labas ng kanilang lungga')Note: "NG" in Madalang is not suffix.This word appears the same in any grammar.


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## sakvaka

In fact, now I found the expression "harvassa kuin kanan hampaat" (~ as hen's teeth) on the Net and it sounds quite good. 'Harvassa' is an adverb, lit. 'in rare', and the corresponding adjective 'harvinainen' would be out of the question.


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## ThomasK

mataripis said:


> 1.) It is unusual for Crow to have white plumage/feathers.(Bihirang maging puti ang uwak)/but there is another form=( Pambihira na maging puti ang Uwak). 2.) For "Madalang" here is another sample sentence= Seldom we can find the nocturnal animals outside their burrows during daytime.(madalang na makatagpuan natin ang mga hayop na pang gabi sa labas ng kanilang lungga')Note: "NG" in Madalang is not suffix.This word appears the same in any grammar.



I suppose the example sentences show the use of madalang/ bihira, but not of the existence of common comparisons such as 'rare like dark cockatoos or daytime nocturnals'... Maybe the type of comparisons (hungry like a wolf, sing like a lark, dog-tired) is unusual as such in Tagalog. Or isn't it ?


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## mataripis

The given sample by the one who ask the translation of "as rare as white raven" is also expressed in Tagalog.(Pambihira tulad/gaya ng puting uwak).But the common expression is when someone is dreaming of impossible thing then the one who heard will reply " Pag puti ng uwak"  (When raven become white)  meaning "it is impossible".


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## ThomasK

I see. Nice. I am quite amazed to hear you refer to crows. Do you have them in the Philippines as well? (I suppose I have a skewdly exotic idea of the Philippines...)


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