Every once in a while, I get a bit of an itch to check my traffic, and I've noticed that even though I haven't posted here in a while (I know I promised to in my last post), I'm still getting a fair number of visits. Obviously, I've done something right to keep getting noticed like that, so I'm going to keep trying to update here.
I've been doing some translations recently and it's gotten me to think about idioms - words or phrases that have a completely different literal meaning than what they're commonly used for. I started making a list, mostly from books/blogs I've been reading or podcasts I've been listening to. So, in no particular order, here are a few that've caught my attention:
"in my wheelhouse" - This may be a regional thing, but I'd never heard this one before, and I've really only heard it from one particular podcaster. The idea here is that something "in my wheelhouse" is something that I really enjoy, that fits my interests. This brings me to:
"up my alley" - Similar in meaning (if not identical) to the previous phrase, but I essentially grew up hearing this. Again, might be due to regional differences.
"sawbones" - This is a colloquial term used for a doctor, more specifically a surgeon.
Then there are various drug references, such as "doobie," "roach," and "weed."
As I came across these, I couldn't help wonder how I would translate these into German. I could go for the functional version, translating the meaning rather than the phrase (i.e. "surgeon" for "sawbones), but it feels a lot more formal.
I'll try and keep posting these as they come up. If you have any suggestions for the translations, or want to provide more idioms for discussion, please feel free to comment.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, September 24, 2010
Back from hiatus
I haven't posted here in quite a while, and I do apologize for that. I had some rather big life changes in the last few months - graduating, looking for a job, and moving being chief among them. Things have finally settled down, and I have a new laptop to work on, so hopefully I'll have lots more updates for you soon.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Again with the verbs!
From a Kotaku article about the possibility of Infinity Ward bailing out on Modern Warfare 3:
This might because, if true, the future of the series has not yet been ironed out.
It seems someone forgot the verb again! Or it could be a failed attempt to write in slang, using "because" for the verb "be" with a common spoken contraction of "because." ("This might be, 'cause, if true...")
Source: http://kotaku.com/5443502/but-is-infinity-ward-doing-modern-warfare-3
This might because, if true, the future of the series has not yet been ironed out.
It seems someone forgot the verb again! Or it could be a failed attempt to write in slang, using "because" for the verb "be" with a common spoken contraction of "because." ("This might be, 'cause, if true...")
Source: http://kotaku.com/5443502/but-is-infinity-ward-doing-modern-warfare-3
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Location, location, location!!
From today's Rooster Teeth comic:
We got so many wonderful gifts to the office this holiday, that we where overwhelmed.
Source: http://roosterteeth.com/home.php
http://roosterteeth.com/comics/strip.php?id=1519
Note: The description doesn't show up on the actual comic post, so this is probably only available on the homepage for a limited time.
We got so many wonderful gifts to the office this holiday, that we where overwhelmed.
Source: http://roosterteeth.com/home.php
http://roosterteeth.com/comics/strip.php?id=1519
Note: The description doesn't show up on the actual comic post, so this is probably only available on the homepage for a limited time.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Again with the homophones!
In an article in my local campus paper, the writer makes the fairly common mistake of using one homophone when the correct choice would be another. This is the root of the common "your/you're" and "its/it's" errors. In this case, the campus writer used a much more uncommon pair:
Deciding that my answer to the question is yes is a hurtle I have already jumped.
In this case, he mistook the verb form "hurtle" for the noun "hurdle," which in addition to being a different part of speech, also has a different meaning. (Though dictionary.com gives a noun usage for "hurtle," it also lists this as being archaic and referring to collisions.)
From dictionary.com, here are the most common meanings of the words:
hur⋅tle
–verb (used without object)
1. to rush violently; move with great speed: The car hurtled down the highway.
2. to move or go noisily or resoundingly, as with violent or rapid motion: The sound was deafening, as tons of snow hurtled down the mountain.
3. Archaic. to strike together or against something; collide.
hur⋅dle
–noun
1. a portable barrier over which contestants must leap in certain running races, usually a wooden frame with a hinged inner frame that swings down under impact to prevent injury to a runner who does not clear it.
2. hurdles, (used with a singular verb) a race in which contestants must leap over a number of such barriers placed at specific intervals around the track. Compare high hurdles, low hurdles.
3. any of various vertical barriers, as a hedge, low wall, or section of fence, over which horses must jump in certain types of turf races, as a steeplechase, but esp. an artificial barrier.
4. a difficult problem to be overcome; obstacle.
5. Chiefly British. a movable rectangular frame of interlaced twigs, crossed bars, or the like, as for a temporary fence.
6. a frame or sled on which criminals, esp. traitors, were formerly drawn to the place of execution.
–verb (used with object)
7. to leap over (a hurdle, barrier, fence, etc.), as in a race.
8. to master (a difficulty, problem, etc.); overcome.
9. to construct with hurdles; enclose with hurdles.
–verb (used without object)
10. to leap over a hurdle or other barrier.
Source: http://oudaily.com/news/2009/sep/09/column-can-someone-be-religious-and-still-practice/
Dictionary.com:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hurtle
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hurdle
Deciding that my answer to the question is yes is a hurtle I have already jumped.
In this case, he mistook the verb form "hurtle" for the noun "hurdle," which in addition to being a different part of speech, also has a different meaning. (Though dictionary.com gives a noun usage for "hurtle," it also lists this as being archaic and referring to collisions.)
From dictionary.com, here are the most common meanings of the words:
hur⋅tle
–verb (used without object)
1. to rush violently; move with great speed: The car hurtled down the highway.
2. to move or go noisily or resoundingly, as with violent or rapid motion: The sound was deafening, as tons of snow hurtled down the mountain.
3. Archaic. to strike together or against something; collide.
–noun
1. a portable barrier over which contestants must leap in certain running races, usually a wooden frame with a hinged inner frame that swings down under impact to prevent injury to a runner who does not clear it.
2. hurdles, (used with a singular verb) a race in which contestants must leap over a number of such barriers placed at specific intervals around the track. Compare high hurdles, low hurdles.
3. any of various vertical barriers, as a hedge, low wall, or section of fence, over which horses must jump in certain types of turf races, as a steeplechase, but esp. an artificial barrier.
4. a difficult problem to be overcome; obstacle.
5. Chiefly British. a movable rectangular frame of interlaced twigs, crossed bars, or the like, as for a temporary fence.
6. a frame or sled on which criminals, esp. traitors, were formerly drawn to the place of execution.
–verb (used with object)
7. to leap over (a hurdle, barrier, fence, etc.), as in a race.
8. to master (a difficulty, problem, etc.); overcome.
9. to construct with hurdles; enclose with hurdles.
–verb (used without object)
10. to leap over a hurdle or other barrier.
Source: http://oudaily.com/news/2009/sep/09/column-can-someone-be-religious-and-still-practice/
Dictionary.com:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hurtle
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hurdle
They're really just making excuses, and bad ones, at that!
In a follow-up to a post I wrote a while back, D3 Publisher has "explained" the typo in their name. Apparently it was supposed to be some kind of play on words, but even that explanation doesn't make sense.
The Kotaku response to this statement pretty much sums it up:
"Purlisher" is a pun on "Publisher" — not a very good one, and one that would have also been viewed as a misspelling. It has nothing to do with puppy dogs.
Source: http://kotaku.com/5440276/d3-publisher-spelling-mistake-explained
The Kotaku response to this statement pretty much sums it up:
"Purlisher" is a pun on "Publisher" — not a very good one, and one that would have also been viewed as a misspelling. It has nothing to do with puppy dogs.
Source: http://kotaku.com/5440276/d3-publisher-spelling-mistake-explained
Monday, January 4, 2010
All in a "Daisies" work
Drew from Back of the Cereal Box wrote a great article about names in the TV show "Pushing Daisies." As with any writing of this length, Drew's article does contain a few mistakes.
After discussing the doubling in names of characters, Drew goes on to say:
The episode “Pigeon” features a different sort of doubling Elsa and her daughter Elsita, both of whom are played by the same actress, the very appealing Jayma Mays, who’s now on Glee and whose own name features an internal duplication of vowel sounds.
A colon would be required here, between stating the fact that doubling occurs and naming the specific instance.
He goes on to discuss a commanding character named Simone:
In that sense, I’m betting that that her creators has titular dictator of the game Simon Says in mind when they dreamed her up.
This is a case of simple subject-verb agreement, as the plural subject "creators" demands a plural verb, in this case "have." More specifically, the tense of the verb also comes into question. This is a past event, so we would need a past tense "had."
Source: http://kidicarus222.blogspot.com/2009/09/naming-conventions-in-pushing-daisies.html
After discussing the doubling in names of characters, Drew goes on to say:
The episode “Pigeon” features a different sort of doubling Elsa and her daughter Elsita, both of whom are played by the same actress, the very appealing Jayma Mays, who’s now on Glee and whose own name features an internal duplication of vowel sounds.
A colon would be required here, between stating the fact that doubling occurs and naming the specific instance.
He goes on to discuss a commanding character named Simone:
In that sense, I’m betting that that her creators has titular dictator of the game Simon Says in mind when they dreamed her up.
This is a case of simple subject-verb agreement, as the plural subject "creators" demands a plural verb, in this case "have." More specifically, the tense of the verb also comes into question. This is a past event, so we would need a past tense "had."
Source: http://kidicarus222.blogspot.com/2009/09/naming-conventions-in-pushing-daisies.html
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