geo63:

sudanglo:Ceiger, I quite like that as a home-grown idiom for something indefinable. You could make it even snappier with 'Kiomas da Esperantistoj'.

Does 'How long is a piece of string' have direct equivalents in other languages?

Exact equivalent not found in Polish, but we have many alike:

Ile diabłów zmieści się na czubku od szpilki?
How many devils can fit on pin top?

"How big's a devil?"
"How long's a piece of string?"
"What is n+n?"

It could go on forever

I don't recommend trying to translate idioms (you'll end up with another English )

I would just keep it real and say "Neniu scias" instead, but whatever.

There are two sorts of idioms, those whose meaning is not deducible from the literal sense and those preferred usages/sayings whose meaning is clear.

You wouldn't want to criticise Zamenhof for creating the Proverbaro, would you, Razlem?

Ne ŝovu vian nazon en fremdan vazon.

By the way Basilio, we are all bilingual here, and it's nice to have contributions from outside the anglophone world. If you can't say what you want to say in English. Just ask for someone to translate your message.

But wouldn't it be more direct just to say "no one knows" or "I don't know" instead of creating a new saying?

geo63:kordo: cord , line , rope , string

NPIV 2002 marks 'kordo' as evitinda, for the meaning of 'ŝnuro'.

elektra kordo

You want "kablo" for that.

teorio de kordoj

That's because in string theory the strings are thought to oscillate, like a string on an instrument.

geo63:Exact equivalent not found in Polish, but we have many alike:

Ile diabłów zmieści się na czubku od szpilki?
How many devils can fit on pin top?

In English we have 'How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?'

From the kids' show Sesame St., we were given 'Daddy, how deep is a donut hole?' (It was from a song designed to practice the 'd' sound, but it was the 70s so they snuck a zen-like 'koan' in there too!)

"Paĉjo, kiom profunda estas truo de benjeto?"

razlem:But wouldn't it be more direct just to say "no one knows" or "I don't know" instead of creating a new saying?

It would be, and it would be in English too, but obviously if people say an idiom in English instead of saying "I don't know", then they'll probably want the same thing in Esperanto.

Anyway, the idea of the idiom/proverb etc is to not provide a direct answer, and instead give a bit of a riddle to keep things interesting. It's not like all the experienced EOists are gonna bombard beginners with trick questions simply because those phrases exist

Surely the idea behind 'How long is a piece of string' - kiom longa estas ŝnureto - is more than 'don't know'.

It is used to imply that the questioner has posed a silly question to which a sensible answer can only be given after further clarification/specification.

tommjames:NPIV 2002 marks 'kordo' as evitinda, for the meaning of 'ŝnuro'.

The problem is not with esperanto but with English with its many meanings of words. So look for all possible meanings of string, which foreigners (as I am) do not necessarily know - but for that you must be not English... I know, impossible.

Just to see the whole picture:

string (strIN) n.
1. a thin length of cord, twine, fibre, or similar material used for tying, hanging, binding, etc.
2. a group of objects threaded on a single strand: a string of beads.
3. a series or succession of things, events, acts, utterances, etc.: a string of oaths.
4. a number, chain, or group of similar things, animals, etc., owned by or associated with one person or body: a string of girlfriends.
5. a tough fibre or cord in a plant: the string of an orange; the string of a bean.
6. Music. a tightly stretched wire, cord, etc., found on stringed instruments, such as the violin, guitar, and piano.
7. short for bowstring.
8. Architect. short for string course or stringer (sense 1).
9. Maths, linguistics. a sequence of symbols or words.
10. Linguistics. a linear sequence, such as a sentence as it is spoken.
11. Physics. a one-dimensional entity postulated to be a fundamental component of matter in some theories of particle physics. See also cosmic string.
12. Billiards. another word for lag1 (sense 6).
13. a group of characters that can be treated as a unit by a computer program.
14. (pl.; usually preceded by the)
a. violins, violas, cellos, and double basses collectively.
b. the section of a symphony orchestra constituted by such instruments.
15. (pl.) complications or conditions (esp. in the phrase no strings attached).
16. (modifier) composed of stringlike strands woven in a large mesh: a string bag; string vest.
17. first (second, etc.) string. a person or thing regarded as a primary (secondary, etc.) source of strength.
18. keep on a string. to have control or a hold over (a person), esp. emotionally.
19. pull strings. Informal. to exert personal influence, esp. secretly or unofficially.
20. pull the strings. to have real or ultimate control of something.

Who is going to learn all that stuff? Who has so much time to spend on English. I use this language occasionally, I am not fluent and I do not intend to.

geo63:The problem is not with esperanto..

Agreed.

geo63:..but with English with its many meanings of words.
[..]
Who is going to learn all that stuff? Who has so much time to spend on English. I use this language occasionally, I am not fluent and I do not intend to.

Indeed I can see how the word may be difficult for a non native to translate.

When I hear the "how long.." phrase, what I have in my mind is this. And in my view ŝnuro (or ŝnureto) is the appropriate word for that.