As a follow-up of an interesting question on a typological classification of Latin (Are Latin verbs of motion satellite-framed or verb-framed? ), I was wondering if Latin has (semi)idiomatic expressions like the following ones:
English (satellite-framed language): Ben worked his guts out // Ben cried his eyes out // Ben laughed his butt off // Ben laughed his head off // ... (meaning: 'Ben Verb-ed a lot').
Spanish (verb-framed language): Ben echó los higadillos (de tanto trabajar) // A Ben se le salieron los ojos de tanto llorar // Ben se petó de risa //...
NB: as you can see, the important satellite- vs. verb-framed typology goes beyond motion verbs.
Assuming that these idiomatic constructions can be found in Latin, the expected pattern should be the following one, with Path/Result prefixed onto the verb, i.e., something like outwork, outcry, etc.
Unfortunately, so far I've been unable to find idiomatic expressions like He cried his eyes out in Latin. Interestingly, this class of idioms is not productive in Slavic languages (which, like Latin, are also "weak satellite-framed languages"; see my answer to the post above) as it is in Germanic languages, but some examples can be found:
a. Jan schodził sobie nogi (Polish)
Jan out-walked refl-dat feet
‘John walked his feet off.’ (meaning 'he walked a lot')
b. Džon vyplakal svoi glaza (Russian)
John out-cried poss. eyes
‘John cried his eyes out.’ (meaning 'he cried a lot').
