ölme eşeğim ölme
Turkish
Alternative forms
- ölme eşeğim ölme yaza yonca bitecek
- ölme eşeğim ölme çayır çimen bitecek
Etymology
Shortened version of ölme eşeğim ölme yaza yonca bitecek (literally, “don't die, my donkey, don't die, clover will sprout in summer”), of similar meaning to the Greek ζήσε Μάη μου να φας τριφύλλι (zíse Mái mou na fas trifýlli), both recorded by Levinus Warner already in the mid-17th c.
Phrase
- (idiomatic) Said in disbelief that a hopeless situation is to improve until a very long time in the future or ever
References
- “ölme eşeğim ölme (yaza yonca bitecek)”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
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