Sumerian dog jokes, or the difficulty of translating dead languages
One of my favorites in East Asia, well-known to everyone in China and Korea四面楚歌 = 사면초가"Four sides, Chu songs"Refers to the conclusion of a bitter campaign in the 3rd century BCE for dominion in China. The famed general Xiang Yu (項羽) heard the singing of enemy soldiers of the enemy state of Chu and instantly grasped that he was doomed.The phrase, used with cheerful irony, is very useful in many contemporary situations!