Re: Some phrases from Lemony Snicket's movie

Sonambul — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:34:03 GMT

Hi!

3. Trying to warm his way into the confidence of the orphans' new guardian (their aunt that is a grammar freak), Count Olaf says:

Count Olaf: Why, perhaps it's just the ramblings of an expert fisherman, but grammar is the number-one most important thing in this here world to me. (A man after my own heart!)

Aunt: It is?

Count Olaf: It's the whole ball of wax. The entire kit and caboodle. Why, without your good grammar, the whole darn shooting match could go a.r.s.e. over tea kettle.

Olaf is ironically using bad grammar and unspohisticated vocabulary here. 'Darn' means 'damned'. 'The whole shootingmatch' means 'everything'. '***' means 'ass'. To go 'Ass over tea kettle' means 'to fall badly, completely', 'to collapse', as you say.

Everything like what? That is, without _your_ good grammar, everything (like... in your life) would collapse? What precisely he is referring to with the "whole"? Or maybe the whole world would collapse? Like a metaphor

Aunt: Well, you can certainly turn a phrase.

Count Olaf: I can flip it up and rub it down too. Of course, that would be entirely up to you, mum. These phrases are exaggerated synonyms for 'turn', which was used in 'turn a phrase'. Olaf is, ironically, turning wild and clever phrases.

Thanks. Now I know how I can "turn a phrase" in my translation One moment . I read somewhere that there was some sexual meaning to those "flip it up and rub it down". Is there any? If there is, could you point it out?

Curdled Cave. What exactly does curdled means here? Some synonym? 'Curdle' means as in your dictionary. I think the word is used here only because of the alliteration with 'cave'. There is also humour in that it is a strange word to juxtapose with 'cave', it's unexpected.

I asked it because it is called "ruinous cave" in the official translation. Maybe because one of the meanings of "curdle" is "to freeze with fear", etc. Anyway, I don't think it is excellent translation. Could it be "sour cave" (like in sour milk)? Curdled and sour is almost the same thing.

it sounds like a great movie, with a lot of very clever verbal play. I want to see it!

I highly recommend it. It is a very funny comedy with a lot of black humor. I don't think it is aimed for children ,anyway.

Write again if you have any more queries, OK?

Sure

Regards

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Re: Some phrases from Lemony Snicket's movie