Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Serbian term or phrase:
Ko o čemu, baba o uštipcima.
English translation:
"off on his/her hobby-horse again"
Added to glossary by
David Stephenson
Dec 18, 2008 22:04
15 yrs ago
6 viewers *
Serbian term
Ko o čemu, baba o uštipcima.
Serbian to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Idiomatic expression
I encountered this in an interview It was part of the interview subject's response to a speculative question, and he went on to dismiss said speculation. Since it was a rush job, I had to take a guess, so I went with "That's idle prattle."
Can anyone confirm that this is more or less what this expression conveys? Obviously, a literal rendering involving grandmothers and doughnuts would make no sense!
Hvala unapred!
Can anyone confirm that this is more or less what this expression conveys? Obviously, a literal rendering involving grandmothers and doughnuts would make no sense!
Hvala unapred!
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +10 | "off on his/her hobby-horse again" | Mark Daniels |
4 | There he goes, banging on again | rainbowns |
3 | all the same story through and through | Sladjana Spaic |
4 -6 | a hypocrit | TranslatorBS (X) |
Proposed translations
+10
13 mins
Selected
"off on his/her hobby-horse again"
This is just one stab at it in English. Not a bad guess on your part, but the meaning is more like someone is talking about a subject they are always talking about, hence it is highly predictable - so what's Granny talking about? Doughnuts again!
"Hobby-horse" was a phrase that came to mind, but there must be a better one!
"Hobby-horse" was a phrase that came to mind, but there must be a better one!
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "A "hobby-horse" construction seems to work best here IMO, it being equally colorful and figurative -- though "harping" does introduce a certain (desirable) negative element (reminds me of my own grandmother! <g>) Other less precise possibilities: "beating a dead horse," "same old, same old." Najlepša hvala svima!"
38 mins
all the same story through and through
This might be another option.
Altough not a (standard) phrase it hits the point, I guess.
Altough not a (standard) phrase it hits the point, I guess.
-6
3 hrs
a hypocrit
If somebody comments on someone's behavior with " ko o čemu baba o uštipcima", they are basically saying they are hypocrites.
e.g. " blaming others for things that they are doing themselves "
at least this is the reference in Bosnia.
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Miomira Brankovic
: There is another similar saying for the meaning you suggest: "Ko o čemu kurva o poštenju", but the granny is talking about doughnuts because that's her favourite subject, not because she does not know how to make them and pretends she does
1 hr
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Yes, I understand that. However, people in Bosnia often twist it when they want to sound more polite atually refering to " ko o čemu kurva..", which a is very subtle cultural reference in Bosnia.
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disagree |
Sladjana Spaic
: Yeap, I agree with you abt the definition of idioms, but "hypocrit" is far too strong and tends to be offensive for this context, IMO anyway. Well, never mind and no hard feelings - I wish you a great weekend! :))
6 hrs
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In modern/contemporary Bosnian slang, it is. Sorry. And yes, you are right, the translation is requested from Serbian, that's why I pointed out it is a Bosnian reference.
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disagree |
Mira Stepanovic
: Sorry, the meaning has nothing to do with hypocrisy
11 hrs
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I respect your inputs. It surely does, in a specific context.
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disagree |
Veronica Prpic Uhing
: Vidjeti: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hypocrite
16 hrs
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I know what a hypocrit is, thank you very much.
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disagree |
Natasa Djurovic
: The meaning is the same in Bosnian and Serbian as well.
17 hrs
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Are you Bosnian born and bread?I guess not. It is highly likely the phrase has been used through the disapproving and sarcastic connotation I described above.
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disagree |
Aleksander Vasiljevic
: Na bosanskim sajtovima nema tog značenja koje pominjete: http://www.google.com/search?q="ko+o+cemu+baba"+site%3Aba
23 hrs
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1 day 19 hrs
There he goes, banging on again
Perhaps this would be a bit more modern slang to the 'He's off on his hobby horse again'
Note from asker:
Thanks for responding. "Banging on" doesn't really mean anything in US English -- maybe it does in the UK. Whereas "hobby-horse" is understood readily on both sides of the Atlantic. |
Reference comments
4 hrs
Reference:
to keep reverting to the same subject of conversation
to harp forever on the same string
to have a pet subject
to ride on one's hobbyhorse
Boško Milosavljević, Margot Williams Milosavljević - Srpsko-engleski rečnik idioma, SKZ 1992.
to have a pet subject
to ride on one's hobbyhorse
Boško Milosavljević, Margot Williams Milosavljević - Srpsko-engleski rečnik idioma, SKZ 1992.
Note from asker:
Many thanks for this, Miomira! (and sorry for the delay in responding) This Milosavljević reference sounds very useful -- is it still in print? |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree |
zoe1
: I moj izvor je kao i vaš. Sorry for sending the response in Serbian. Didn't notice. My ref. is the same dictionary.
4 hrs
|
agree |
Sladjana Spaic
: Great suggestions, especcially the one "to have a pet subject"! You should give one of them as an answer in the answer box! :))
5 hrs
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agree |
Mira Stepanovic
5 hrs
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agree |
Natasa Djurovic
6 hrs
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agree |
Kristina Kolic
8 hrs
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agree |
Sherefedin MUSTAFA
8 hrs
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agree |
mita
13 hrs
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agree |
Aleksander Vasiljevic
: Unfortunately this dictionary is out of print, but it can sometimes be found in antiquarian bookshops.
1 day 21 hrs
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Too bad to hear that. The authors have both passed away and my copy was a gift from them.
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