Finders keepers (losers weepers)

Hi good people,

These days, I have been reviewing "Have you ever ～ ?" 「～をしたことがありますか。」with my students at E-Style. Here are some sample sentences:

• Have you ever slept in a car overnight? あなたは車の中で一晩寝たことがありますか。
• Have you ever lost your keys or wallet? あなたは鍵又は財布を無くしたことがありますか。
• Have you ever found any money? あなたはお金を見つけたことがありますか。

The second and third questions bring up an interesting cultural difference (文化の差) between Japan and the United States. The custom here is to take an item (including money) that one has found to the nearest police box (交番) so it can be returned to the rightful owner (正当な持ち主に戻す). To pocket it (猫ばばする) is considered bad (悪いと思われている); it is also illegal (違法). 

In America, however, we have a saying (ことわざ): "Finders keepers, losers weepers." This means that the person who finds something gets to keep it and the person who has lost the item can do nothing but cry (泣くしか出来ない). Sometimes this saying is shortened to "Finders keepers." 

So, if you travel to the States in the future, be careful not to lose any of your possessions (所有物) or else you, too, may end up weeping.

Finding it hot (but keeping cool),

Alan