>>This was sparked by one of Dragan's comments in a different thread.
>>
>>>Speaking of which... the Serbian expression for "he's all thumbs" is "has two left hands" (or "two left legs" for a soccer player). How's it in other languages?
>>
>>Being both left-handed and fascinated with language, it has always intrigued me that many languages use the word "right" to mean both a direction and "correct." There is also some negative implication to the words for "left" (sinister, gauche, etc.) in addition to the idiomatic expressions such as the ones you quoted above.
>>
>>English is rife with things like this. I'm wondering how true this is in other languages.
>>I'd love it if the others in our international community could chime in with their knowledge.
>
>And don't forget the POSITIVE implications in the use of "Dextrous", dexterity, ambidextrous.
>
>It's interesting that French also use right in nearly all the same senses as we do:
>
>"Right on" (as in straight ahead) - tout droit
>"My right" (as in entitlements) - mon droit
>"the right" (side) - La droite
>
>but strangely not "you are right" - vous avez raison.
>
>Where I come from we also refer to "left-handed" as "cack-handed" (which is also used to describe a clumsy person/attempt)
>
>and protestants refer to Catholics as "Left footers" (someone explained the etymology of this recently but I've fotrgotten it :-), but I've also heard the expression "he digs with the other foot".


Is "you are right" in the French vocabulary at all?