Ill weeds grow apace

I need to check a proverb, or saying, with human beings as Google isn't exactly going out of its way to help.

"Ill weeds grow apace."
What does it mean exactly and would an American use it?

I arrived at that saying trying to translate the Dutch "onkruid vergaat niet."
Literal translation: Weeds don't die/perish.
Meaning: Bad things (people) tend to do well.

It's something we tend to throw out when somebody (you probably haven't spoken to in a while) asks how you're doing. Slightly self depricating, sometimes deflecting an honest answer, but mostly just to get past the obligatory pleasantries.

 

I'm American, in my 70s, consider myself moderately well-read and have had a number of "life experiences."

I have never encountered the expression. Would an American use it? IMHO -- highly unlikely. I'm not sure what I would use in the circumstance you describe. I need to ponder that a bit.

 

Maybe it's the Dutch equivalent of "I've been better" or "I've seen better days".

I'll try and think of a closer idiom or expression.

 

"Still here. I'm too ornery to die."

 

Yeah, neither have I, which is why I was compelled to ask real people.
But considering you have spoken seven decades worth of words, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to scratch the expression.
Hm. I'll see how the ornery-thing looks. Clearly real-people say it, but now I wonder if it's something the character would say... I'm not shooting it down yet, though.

No, it's supposed to be more of a jokey way of saying "I'm doing well, even though I don't deserve to."

Actually, I don't even have to use any kind of expression, but for some stupid reason I'm drawing a blank on how normal human beings have that part of the conversation. I'm just gonna put it out and maybe I can steal a suggestion.
Helen calls Annie. Initially Annie needs a moment to remember who they're speaking with, but finally answers with an enthusiastic "How are you?"
Helen replies to this with (currently): "Ill weeds grow apace, you know how it goes."

 

There may not be an exact equivalent in English, but I though of another one that is similar.

"When it rains, it pours"

But this is usually said in reaction to some adverse event that has followed another adverse event (known by both speakers), and is not usually used to describe long, ongoing situations.

 

I know this one, yeah.
It's not what I need, for the exact reason you explain. Neither speaker is having a bad time.

 

Again, there may not be an exact English expression, but now that you've explained, I'm sure there is something close, just not sure.

Closest I can come up with right now:

"I must have been good in a past life"

"Someone must be looking out for me"

Those are just off the top of my head. I'm sure you'll get better suggestions.

 

Could I bother you with expanding on this a little? I've always believed ornery equalled grouchy, grumpy, gruff maybe. But google insists it's sensitive.
It doesn't really matter, either way would work, but I don't like to write words I don't fully understand.

Considering one of them is an actual god, this might be fun.

 

I agree there's no exact or really close match, but what comes to mind is
"Every dog has its day" meaning even people who don't deserve it have good luck now and then.

 

The closest I can think of is "Good things happen to bad people".

Not sure if this is an actual saying or just an observation.

 

There's also 'shit floats to the top' but that seems a bit extreme.

Or 'A broken clock is right twice a day, and even a shlub like me gets things right now and then.'

 

The squeaky wheel gets the grease - usually applied to other people but it means annoying people get the best service

The cat gets the cream - could be self-deprecating but I think the cat is seen as a positive?

 

This smells like the one I was looking for to start with.
I think we've solved it.

I think that's more of an observation, yes.
Also, I love the squeaky wheel one, for it's annoyingly truthful statement, but I can't use it here.

While the character in question would have no issue whatsoever with coarse language, it's not the right moment this time. But you won the thread already. ;o)

 

"Only the good die young!"

That seems to fit what you are after.

 

There's a Chinese proverb that goes something like "Even a blind cat can catch a dead mouse"

 

Sure. That's spoken from the perspective of a septuagenarian who has always been a bit of a contrarian. At my point in life, with a litany of physical issues I could complain about, if someone asks me how I'm doing I generally don't want to bore them with the entire sorry saga so I just offer something like that as a way of (hopefully) humorously skirting the issue. Your understanding of "ornery" is correct. Forget Google -- use the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary for American English, and the Oxford or Cambridge dictionary for British English.

A few decades ago, before my body began to betray me, a standard answer probably would have been something like, "I woke up this morning, so I'm doing great."

When talking to my more spiritual friends, I'm more likely to say something like, "God gave me another day on Earth, so I guess He's not done with me yet." But I don't think that's along the same lines as the phrase you asked about.

 

I would suggest "Nice guys finish last." It's the closest common saying I can think of.

 

We have: You can't kill a bad thing.

It may be local but it's said a lot. So much that I'm tempted to ask if I can at least try to the next person who says it.

 

Ooh. That's also a good one and an Iron Maiden-reference to boot. But considering the character saying it is basically as old as time... Though that would only add to the humor, I suppose.

Reminds me of one I think is reasonably international: Even a broken clock is twice two times a day.

It seems there's a unspoken rule that you're not supposed to answer "how are you doing" honestly. I don't do it either.

Dude, my body's been screwing me over for ten years already and I just turned 43. I basically always answer "reasonable", which in Dutch ("schappelijk") sounds funnier for some reason.

That's the first thing I came up with, but I didn't think that was actually the saying. It seemed to be too... literal (?) to be am expression.

Biblical, always fun. Especially when the character saying it is an actual god, as mentioned before somewhere.

If you're writing a Nazareth bio.
...Hm. I just tried it and it seems Nazareth barely makes it to the first page when I search Holy Roller. I'm stickin' to my guns though.

 

"Only the good die young" makes me think of Billy Joel more than Iron Maiden

 

Wait. You're saying there's other music besides Iron Maiden? ;o)

 

"Can't complain," is an option that seems to fit those parameters.

 

The sun shines on the just and the unjust alike.