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There once was an Austrian gander
Who had made his way down to Flanders
One fine day he wished
That he could go for a fish 
So he went to the store
They took him backdoor
And had him break a hive full of bees!

Why would they make the poor goose do this?

Hint 1

The goose had it coming.

Hint 2

He really was an angel though.

Hint 3

Press edit...

Hint 4

What would he have asked for at the store which would invite such a response?

Hint 5

What would he have asked for at the store given that he wanted to go fishing?

Hint 6

What would the gander be a victim of by breaking the hive?

Hint 7

See the new tag.

Hint 8

He got what he asked for.

Hint 9

The goose thought the shopkeeper was his friend.

Hint 10

The shopkeeper, you could say, was a false friend of the gander.

Hint 11

What could be said about this miscommunication?

Update: I am adding another hint and giving one last shot for anyone to get the 100% correct answer, but if nobody gets it I will mark the closest answer (There is one which is very close).

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  • $\begingroup$ I'm confused. Are you sure this is a puzzle? $\endgroup$
    – Bella Swan
    Sep 30, 2019 at 12:38
  • $\begingroup$ Quite sure although this is my first crack at making one. There’s another tag I could add which is relevant but it would be a dead giveaway. $\endgroup$
    – Certainly not a dog
    Sep 30, 2019 at 12:47
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ obviously rot13(gur tbbfr ubaxrq va Trezna naq gur fubcxrrcre gubhtug ur jnf fcrnxvat Qhgpu-tbbfr naq zvfhaqrefgbbq guvaxvat ur jnagrq ubarl. Hasbeghangryl, V pna'g svaq Trezna-tbbfr gb Qhgpu-tbbfr genafyngbef gb cebir guvf.) $\endgroup$
    – SteveV
    Sep 30, 2019 at 15:20
  • $\begingroup$ I don't think it's part of the puzzle but rot13(vgf shaal gung gurer'f yvgrenyyl n ohapu bs trrfr fcrpvsvp gb Nhfgevn gung ner pynffvsvrq nf gur beqre 'nafre'!) $\endgroup$
    – Tonks
    Oct 3, 2019 at 7:22
  • $\begingroup$ Well, rot13( gung'f n cyhf sbe gur pbafvfgrapl bs guvf ceboyrz gura!) $\endgroup$
    – Certainly not a dog
    Oct 3, 2019 at 8:39

3 Answers 3

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$\begingroup$

Credits to @Levieux for figuring out the exact terms.

The goose was honking..

in German (spoken in Austria) but the store keeper spoke Dutch (language in Flanders). However, the German word for fishing rod "angel" means bee stinger in Dutch.
Thus, the unfortunate incident.

Disclaimer:

I speak neither of these languages and had to rely on Google Translate so it may be a bit off. The main thought should (hopefully) hold true though.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ rot13(Lbh ner irel pybfr. Frr gur arj uvag.) $\endgroup$
    – Certainly not a dog
    Oct 2, 2019 at 3:19
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    $\begingroup$ @Certainlynotadog Updated the answer with my best shot. It probably isn't rot13(tenzzngvpnyyl pbeerpg ohg V qba'g unir gvzr gb yrnea gur ireo pbawhtngvbaf bs gjb ynathntrf :C) $\endgroup$
    – greysaff
    Oct 2, 2019 at 3:49
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    $\begingroup$ rot13(V’yy fnl gung lbh unira’g tbg nal ubggre. Creuncf jvgu fbzr gvzr/nabgure uvag.) $\endgroup$
    – Certainly not a dog
    Oct 2, 2019 at 4:02
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    $\begingroup$ rot13(Irel avpr gel gubhtu) $\endgroup$
    – Certainly not a dog
    Oct 2, 2019 at 4:03
  • $\begingroup$ I’ve half a mind to accept this because it is quite close, and nobody else seems to have an answer. $\endgroup$
    – Certainly not a dog
    Oct 5, 2019 at 8:55
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$\begingroup$

The gander wanted to go

trout-fishing

and needed

some bee-moth larvae as bait.

The store

was sold out.

So

they found an infected bee hive and broke it open to collect the larvae.

This is

definitely a thing you should not do!

Something makes me think Im way too literal...

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Very nice attempt. And just a bit too literal. $\endgroup$
    – Certainly not a dog
    Sep 30, 2019 at 16:40
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$\begingroup$

Let's go for a stretch.

The goose wanted to go fly fishing.

But

There was a misunderstanding, and the folks at the store took this to mean that the goose wanted to catch flies instead of fish.

And

So goes the adage, "You catch more flies with honey ..."

Because of course

There is honey found inside the bee hive.

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