Asking the large fish. Parents serve boy a small fish and keep back a large one for themselves. Knowing this, the boy puts the fish to his ear. He says that he has asked the fish a question; the fish cannot answer but tells him to ask the large fish under the bed

Motif

Asking the large fish. Parents serve boy a small fish and keep back a large one for themselves. Knowing this, the boy puts the fish to his ear. He says that he has asked the fish a question; the fish cannot answer but tells him to ask the large fish under the bed.

The wise and the foolish. · Cleverness. · Clever verbal retorts (repartee). · Retorts from hungry persons. · view the constellation · filed as J1341.2

Filed across the traditions

Lithuanian Balys Index No. *1565
Italian Novella Rotunda
general *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 247 No. 158
general *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 700
general L. Schmidt Oesterr. Zs. f. Vksk. 1954, 134.

Within the index

Filed under Retort from underfed servant (child).

Filed beside it

Softening bread-crusts. An avaricious master feeds bread-crusts to his servants. "The crusts are already getting soft." A dog to scent the rice. Given very thin rice soup, wit inquires about the master's dogs. "He should have one to scent the rice in this soup." Two eggs. Widow serves tailor one egg. He sings, "One egg, one egg." She decides one egg is not enough and serves him two next time. He then sings "Two eggs are two eggs." He is next given two eggs and a sausage, etc Hungry apprentice attracts master's attention by telling lies on him Hungry shepherd attracts attention. He tells of a cow with four teats who bore five calves. They ask what the fifth calf does while the other four are nursing. "It looks on just as I am doing now." Stingy innkeeper cured of serving weak beer. She always gives the servants a pitcher of weak beer before meals so as to fill them up. One of them: "I wash out my insides so as to have more room for food." She changes her practice The little lumps of sugar are sweeter, says the hostess. The servant says that he doesn't like sweets and takes the large lumps Hungry son gets cherries. He slaps another son, and explains that the other boy was saying that he would not get any of the father's cherries. The father shares the cherries Hungry student gets meat. By telling a mewing cat that it could not yet have the bones because no meat has been served him, a collegian calls attention to an oversight on the part of a servant Hired men sing of displeasure with food; change song when food is improved (cante fable). The Westmoreland text follows: (Mowers sing this very slowly, mow in tempo)|Curds and whey, Iv-ve-ry day,|(After the food is improved they sing and work in tempo)|Ham and eggs, mind thy legs. (Cf. K1546.) Hired man shows in saying grace how better food has resulted from arrival of unexpected guests. Nebraska text: O Lord of Love who art above|Thy blessings have descended:|Biscuits and tea for supper I see|When mush and milk was intended

Carried in tale types

Asking the Large Fish · ATU 1567C 1 recorded variant

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