Bells and whistles
Arabic translation: الكماليات غير الضرورية
| 05:40 Feb 29, 2008 |
| English to Arabic translations [PRO] Idioms / Maxims / Sayings | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Mohamed Ghazal United Arab Emirates Local time: 06:29 | ||||||
Grading comment
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| Summary of answers provided | ||||
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| 5 +10 | المميزات الإضافية/الكماليات |
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| 4 +1 | الكماليات غير الضرورية |
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Answers
11 mins confidence: 
peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1| bells and whistles الكماليات غير الضرورية Explanation: non-essential but often engaging features added to a piece of technical equipment or a computer program to make it seem more superficially attractive without enhancing its main function. Reference: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bel1.htm |
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9 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +10
peer agreement (net): +10| bells and whistles المميزات الإضافية/الكماليات Explanation: Bells and whistles is an expression that should not be translated literally. It means additional, often luxury, items. My car has auto-tinting mirrors and heated seats, and that is a good example of a car that has additional bells and whistles. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 24 mins (2008-02-29 06:05:55 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- All, please see the following link: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bel1.htm. Here is an excerpt: "The phrase is actually quite modern and may be a product of the American military. At least, one of its earliest appearances was in an article in Atlantic in October 1982, which said it was “Pentagon slang for extravagant frills”. There’s some evidence that the term has actually been around since the 1960s, but the early evidence is sparse." "Where it comes from is still a matter of learned debate. A literal sense of the phrase appeared around the middle of the nineteenth century, referring to streetcars, railways and steamships. Before modern electronics, there were really only two ways to make a loud warning noise — you either rang a bell or tooted a whistle." Example sentence(s):
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