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Give The Cold Shoulder: Walter Scott

Native English speakers commonly use idioms without realizing they constitute idioms. The English language contains many idioms, so translators must be aware of their usage, types, and characteristics in order to properly translate them. Idioms vary in formality from informal slang to formal phrases, and many idioms have grammatical constraints. For accurate translation, the target language idiom must match the source language idiom in both form and meaning.

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70 views2 pages

Give The Cold Shoulder: Walter Scott

Native English speakers commonly use idioms without realizing they constitute idioms. The English language contains many idioms, so translators must be aware of their usage, types, and characteristics in order to properly translate them. Idioms vary in formality from informal slang to formal phrases, and many idioms have grammatical constraints. For accurate translation, the target language idiom must match the source language idiom in both form and meaning.

Uploaded by

Dajana Rakić
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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native English speakers simply use idioms without being aware what constitutes them

English language is considered to be a language rich in idioms; therefore, translators should be


aware of their usage, types, and characteristics.

Brenner himself admits this – if we read between the lines – when he states that “there are over
10,000 idioms in American English, and some of them have been in use for more than 2000 years”
(Brenner 2003: 3). According to Bárdos, 3,000-4,000 words constitute the active vocabulary and
4,000-5,000 words the passive vocabulary of an advanced learner (Bárdos 2000).

“idioms vary in formality from slang (you got it) and colloquialisms (he kicked the bucket) to those
which can be used in formal situations (run the risk)” and the fact that “many idioms have
grammatical constraints” (ibid. 237). Therefore, it is not enough for a translator to know or recognize
an idiom; he/ she must also be capable of deciding whether it is acceptable or not to use it in a
certain text, depending on its register or genre.

Unless the target-language idiom corresponds to the source-language idiom both in form and in
meaning, the play on idiom cannot be successfully reproduced in the target text”

Give The Cold Shoulder


Today’s meaning: To disregard someone

Although its true origins are unclear, the earliest written evidence of this
phrase comes from the writings of Walter Scott, a Scottish poet and
novelist who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. Though his work never
mentions food or gives any indication as to its origin, it is believed that it
derives from an earlier phrase “to give the cold shoulder of mutton.”

The older phrase was used with an unwanted guest in another’s house. To
save face or to avoid an awkward conversation, the host might serve an
inferior cut of meat (cold mutton, for example) to indicate to that particular
person they were not welcome any longer.
In Stitches
Today’s meaning: Laughing uncontrollably
The Immortal Bard, Shakespeare, coined many phrases, but we’ve picked
just one. Derived from a phrase from his time and first used in the
play Twelfth Night, “to be in stitches” means to be in such pain from laughter
that you feel like you’re being poked by a needle. Even with Shakespeare’s
help, the phrase faded from use.

Surfacing again in the 1900s, it had transformed from its original phrasing,
“laugh yourself into stitches.” Though not as common today as it was in the
20th century, “in stitches” or “had me in stitches” is now common parlance.
Shakespeare’s credits also include “break the ice,” “brave new world,” and
“bated breath.” These are just a few of the more than 1,700 words and
phrases we can thank the Bard for introducing.

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