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talking horse

Spanish translation: fanfarroneando

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:talking horse
Spanish translation:fanfarroneando
Entered by: Charles Davis

00:39 Jul 21, 2011
English to Spanish translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / un cuento de Kipling "the mark of the beast"
English term or phrase: talking horse
Half a dozen planters had come in from the south and were talking "horse" to the Biggest Liar in Asia who was trying to cap all their stories at once"

Esto se dice en una reunión jocosa de hombres borrachos
Suani Vera Camacho
Local time: 06:31
fanfarroneando
Explanation:
According to a footnote to this passage (from Rudyard Kipling's "The Mark of the Beast") in The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, vol. V: The Victorian Era, ed. Joseph Black et al. (Broadview Press, 2006), p. 779, note 1:

1 talking “horse” Bragging.
http://www.broadviewpress.com/babl/index.php?option=com_docm...

I do not know for certain that this is right, but it is certainly a respectable scholarly edition of the work edited by well-regarded American specialists.

The first thing that "talking horse" suggested to me (apart from Mr Ed, and of course talking about horses, a sense in which Kipling actually uses the expression elsewhere) was "talking horsesh*t", but I think it's very unlikely that Kipling meant that; it just doesn't sound like a Victorian British expression.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2011-07-21 06:52:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Curiously enough, I've just found this in an English-Romanian dictionary entry:

"to brag [bragged|bragged] {vb} (also: to butter up, to give lip-service to, to flatter, to talk horse)"
http://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-romanian/brag

I say curiously, because "brag" and "butter up/flatter" are quite different in meaning. However, this does seem somehow relevant to the question of how "talk horse" came to be translated "engatusar" in the version cited by Taña.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2011-07-21 06:56:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also this: "to talk horse= to talk big or boastfully, brag"
http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/131871-talking...

And a few more such entries here and there. There does seem to be something in it.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 11:31
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2fanfarroneando
Charles Davis
4 +1diciendo sandeces, diciendo chorradas
Michael Powers (PhD)
4 +1intercambiaban embustes (o: patrañas/bolazos)
Pablo Julián Davis


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
diciendo sandeces, diciendo chorradas


Explanation:
En este contexto, es lo que quiere decir. Es lo mismo que "shooting the bull" ...

Mike

Michael Powers (PhD)
United States
Local time: 05:31
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 140

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  David Hollywood: oui monsieur :)
4 mins
  -> Merci -- Mike
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
intercambiaban embustes (o: patrañas/bolazos)


Explanation:
Me gusta lo de 'sandeces/chorradas', sin embargo, creo que no la pegan del todo por lo que significan 'tonterías, necedades'. En el texto fuente de Kipling, en cambio, me parece que el sentido es más el de contar historias ridículamente falsas. Hay cierta intención de engañar pero como prevalece una atmósfera de intercambiar historias tremendas, es todo más o menos un juego... Es ese sentido de invención algo lúdica que busqué captar... ¡Gracias por este rompecabezas tan lindo, Suani!

Example sentence(s):
  • Media docena de plantadores/hacendados recién llegados del Sur, intercambiaban embustes con El Mentiroso Más Grande de Toda Asia, que a su vez intentaba ganarles a todos con sus invenciones.
Pablo Julián Davis
Local time: 04:31
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  isabelmurill (X): la propuesta tiene todo el sentido y es elegantísima. Me gusta con embustes!
2 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
fanfarroneando


Explanation:
According to a footnote to this passage (from Rudyard Kipling's "The Mark of the Beast") in The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, vol. V: The Victorian Era, ed. Joseph Black et al. (Broadview Press, 2006), p. 779, note 1:

1 talking “horse” Bragging.
http://www.broadviewpress.com/babl/index.php?option=com_docm...

I do not know for certain that this is right, but it is certainly a respectable scholarly edition of the work edited by well-regarded American specialists.

The first thing that "talking horse" suggested to me (apart from Mr Ed, and of course talking about horses, a sense in which Kipling actually uses the expression elsewhere) was "talking horsesh*t", but I think it's very unlikely that Kipling meant that; it just doesn't sound like a Victorian British expression.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2011-07-21 06:52:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Curiously enough, I've just found this in an English-Romanian dictionary entry:

"to brag [bragged|bragged] {vb} (also: to butter up, to give lip-service to, to flatter, to talk horse)"
http://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-romanian/brag

I say curiously, because "brag" and "butter up/flatter" are quite different in meaning. However, this does seem somehow relevant to the question of how "talk horse" came to be translated "engatusar" in the version cited by Taña.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2011-07-21 06:56:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also this: "to talk horse= to talk big or boastfully, brag"
http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/131871-talking...

And a few more such entries here and there. There does seem to be something in it.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 11:31
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 122
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  DLyons: OED gives "to talk horse" as to talk big or boastfully
8 mins
  -> Well there you are, then! I labour under the grave disadvantage of not having a full OED at home. Many thanks, DLyons :)
agree  JohnMcDove: A buenas horas..., pero más vale tarde que nunca... :-)
2593 days
  -> Se agradece igual :-) Éramos tan jóvenes... Mirándolo de nuevo ahora, creo que es correcto.
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