Reflecting on my upcoming cataract surgery - and how dear my vision is to me, I remembered that an Arabic term of endearment is "my eyes": "O my eyes, my eyes" in Arabic could be roughly translated "O my darling, my darling" in English!
How strange it sounds! But terms of endearment in other languages sound strange to us, too. I remember laughing when I first heard "my little cabbage" in French - "Mon petit chou."
Food as endearment? Why not?! In English, "My little dumpling" used to be popular, though it's not heard much these days. But why a dumpling and not a piece of chocolate cake?!
A friend in Georgia calls her husband "Peach" - referring no doubt to the famous Georgia peaches.
Eyes? Cabbage? Dumpling? Peach? Why are any of these expressions terms of endearment?! I'm sure there's a story behind each one!
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