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querfeldein

English translation: whatever fits in the field

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:querfeldein
English translation:whatever fits in the field
Entered by: elizabeth_med

14:31 Feb 13, 2023
German to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Agriculture / farm
German term or phrase: querfeldein
Hello!
Not sure what this really means here. I though querfeldein meant cross-country...
This is a paragraph about a family farm and their use of tractors.
"Wir sind ein familiengeführter Gemischtbetrieb mit Zwiebeln, Kartoffeln Stangenbohnen, Gurken - alles dabei, so einmal querfeldein."
Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
elizabeth_med
France
Local time: 19:29
whatever fits in the field
Explanation:
It's an oblique play on words
Selected response from:

Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Local time: 19:29
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4(we have/produce) a bit of everything
Moritz von Freyhold
3 +4whatever fits in the field
Ramey Rieger (X)
3 +3just about everything, you name it
Steffen Walter
4across the pasture
Adrian MM.
3across the field
Bourth


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
(we have/produce) a bit of everything


Explanation:

querfeldein means “diagonally across the terrain / cross-country” or something, but here I think it is used not in a literal but in a figurative sense;

I think you have to look at the whole sentence “alles dabei, so einmal querfeldein”, which literally means “all included, like once diagonally across the terrain”, which in a figurative sense means that they produce pretty much everything that can be grown – this is also shown in the list of different produces just before that phrase; the phrase therefore acts to shorten the list and to say that they have/do a bit of everything.




Example sentence(s):
  • Farming a little bit of everything

    https://www.farmanddairy.com/news/farming-a-little-bit-of-everything/6108.html
Moritz von Freyhold
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: From the context, I think this must be the meaning.
14 hrs
agree  Zorra Renard: That works fine;
21 hrs
agree  Lirka
2 days 3 hrs
agree  Birgit Gläser
2 days 22 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
whatever fits in the field


Explanation:
It's an oblique play on words

Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Local time: 19:29
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 76

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Glenn Brigaldino: Captures what is meant best, but the original text is not best German, as the "so einmal querfeldein" does not readily fit into the sentence, it confuses more than anything else.
7 hrs
agree  Nicholas Laurier Eveneshen: Nice interpretation that fits the context (in this case, the speaker's attitude towards his job). Doesn't need a reference because there probably isn't one, which is often the case with off-the-cuff, nonchalant language.
19 hrs
agree  thefastshow: I like :)
22 hrs
agree  Veronika Neuhold: "Querbeet" would be a more suitable term.
1 day 15 hrs
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
across the pasture


Explanation:
- rather than across the board.

so einmal querfeldein : fairly and squarely pitched (right) across the pasture.

Example sentence(s):
  • We crossed the pastures and fields across the forest and to the water. Wir gingen über die Weiden und Felder querfeldein in den Wald hinein und bis ans Wasser.

    Reference: http://www.proz.com/personal-glossaries/entry/4356596-querfe...
Adrian MM.
Austria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: It doesn't say anything about pasture. The context is arable farming.
8 hrs
neutral  Zorra Renard: Agree with Phil; 'pasture' is for grazing livestock, this is about vegetable/arable brownfield production
16 hrs
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18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
just about everything, you name it


Explanation:
I think you need to get away from the literal meaning, as some of the previous posters/commentators have pointed out, too. In addition, "querfeldein" is used in quite a strange way in your sentence. I'd rather think of "(einmal) quer durch den Gemüsegarten" - see https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Gemuesegarten

Steffen Walter
Germany
Local time: 19:29
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 44

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Zorra Renard: Except " you name it" bit at the beginning sounds better.
5 hrs
  -> True, this should follow immediately after the enumeration.
agree  Johanna Timm, PhD: The German sounds weird! "queerbeet" oder "einmal quer durch den Garten" would have been more fitting.https://www.dwds.de/wb/quer durch den Garten
8 hrs
  -> Yes, exactly, as I pointed out above.
neutral  philgoddard: This is basically the same as Moritz's answer.
10 hrs
  -> Well, it does differ from it quite a bit.
agree  Veronika Neuhold: W/ Johanna
23 hrs
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3 days 9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
across the field


Explanation:
I get the impression the word is used 'improperly', the point being to play on the word 'Feld' while containing the meaning of 'everything', 'across the board'.

An 'expert across the field' (in whatever field) is an expert in everything involved in the field, as opposed to a 'super-expert' with expertise in a more detailed aspect.

An agricultural 'super-expert' might produce carrots, OR spuds, OR onions. An agricultural 'expert across the field' might produce all of those, and more.

'Across the field' might seem a bit laboured, but is not 'querfeldein' too?

Bourth
France
Local time: 19:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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