Nov 4, 2008 14:41
15 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
tender
Non-PRO
English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
This comes from a TV show. The girl is a waitress in a restaurant. She is tired of all the secrets and lies she has been force-fed by her friends. All these secrets she has to keep are a real burden for her. So she decides to quit the restaurant and all these people to start a new life elsewhere.
Girl : I'm tendering my resignation. And RESIGNING MY TENDERS TO THE the cold, harsh reality of what's not meant to be.
How do you understand the last sentence ? Could you please rephrase it ?
Girl : I'm tendering my resignation. And RESIGNING MY TENDERS TO THE the cold, harsh reality of what's not meant to be.
How do you understand the last sentence ? Could you please rephrase it ?
Responses
| 4 +5 | tender parts / fragile emotions |
Tony M
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| 3 +4 | resigning myself |
Carol Gullidge
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Change log
Nov 4, 2008 14:52: Tony M changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Responses
+5
8 mins
English term (edited):
tenders
Selected
tender parts / fragile emotions
A lovely play on words!
'tenders' means (literally) tender parts of the body, but here, of course, more figuratively, my emotional sensitivity (etc.).
And 'to resign' (in this part of the sentence) means 'to give in and accept'
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Note added at 10 mins (2008-11-04 14:52:29 GMT)
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Here is one of the definitions of 'to resign' from the NS OED that applies to the eaning as it is being used here:
2
a Abandon or consign (something) to a person or thing; yield up (oneself etc.) to another’s care or guidance.
b Subordinate (one’s will, reason, etc.) to another person, higher power, etc.
c Reconcile (oneself, one’s mind, etc.) to a condition, an inevitable event, etc. Also foll. by to do.
'tenders' means (literally) tender parts of the body, but here, of course, more figuratively, my emotional sensitivity (etc.).
And 'to resign' (in this part of the sentence) means 'to give in and accept'
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2008-11-04 14:52:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Here is one of the definitions of 'to resign' from the NS OED that applies to the eaning as it is being used here:
2
a Abandon or consign (something) to a person or thing; yield up (oneself etc.) to another’s care or guidance.
b Subordinate (one’s will, reason, etc.) to another person, higher power, etc.
c Reconcile (oneself, one’s mind, etc.) to a condition, an inevitable event, etc. Also foll. by to do.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Gunana Nijaradze
3 mins
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Thanks, Januki!
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| agree |
orientalhorizon
: She had to admit that her fragile mind couldn't stand up to the cold, harsh reality any more.
8 mins
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Thanks, O/H!
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| neutral |
Carol Gullidge
: hmmmh... far from being a lovely play on words, this seems so contrived as to be incomprehensible! But you may be right about the intended meaning of "tenders" here.//anything so contrived couldn't not be deliberate, but, oh dear...!
15 mins
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Oh, I feel sure it is a deliberate pun; and can't you just HEAR her saying it?!
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| agree |
Alice Bootman
: I would go with fragile emotions for the second instance of the word.
45 mins
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Thanks, Alice! Yes, indeed.
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| agree |
Ken Cox
: agree with your interpretation, but also with Carol -- it seems forced to my ear (but that's not uncommon in soaps, sitcoms, and related genres)
1 hr
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Thanks, Ken! Contrived, yes — but as you say, very much in the style of this sort of genre; but I think it's perfectly comprehensible for all that
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| agree |
William [Bill] Gray
: Yes, and I like it very much. A very clever play on the words, and inversion of verb/noun.
2 hrs
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Thanks, Bill! I'm so glad SOMEONE else appreciates it as I do!
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2 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+4
1 hr
Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
52
resigning myself
this is the usual format, and, presumably, the meaning here:
I'm resigning myself to the fact that....
In UK EN at least, a tender is normally either (a) a formal offer with a price attached, or (b) a small boat or dinghy used to take you to your proper boat (!!)
As Tony says, this is doubtless supposed to be a pun. However, it is so contrived that it is meaningless - hardly subtle enough to qualify.
But if the character is supposed to be a bit of a wag, then I'd leave it in -
UNLESS THIS IS A REVISION OF A TRANSLATION, in which case I'd try to find something more meaningful, after checking the ST.
Since the meaning of "tenders" is so obscure here, it's not really funny. Sometimes, one simply has to resign oneself to the fact that puns simply can't be translated!
I'm resigning myself to the fact that....
In UK EN at least, a tender is normally either (a) a formal offer with a price attached, or (b) a small boat or dinghy used to take you to your proper boat (!!)
As Tony says, this is doubtless supposed to be a pun. However, it is so contrived that it is meaningless - hardly subtle enough to qualify.
But if the character is supposed to be a bit of a wag, then I'd leave it in -
UNLESS THIS IS A REVISION OF A TRANSLATION, in which case I'd try to find something more meaningful, after checking the ST.
Since the meaning of "tenders" is so obscure here, it's not really funny. Sometimes, one simply has to resign oneself to the fact that puns simply can't be translated!
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Ken Cox
6 mins
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thanks Ken!
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| neutral |
Tony M
: It's just an inventive use of language, and I think the idea of using metonymy and 'tenders' as a countable like this is super.
35 mins
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yes, it's inventive in alright - just a determined effort to get in the word "tenders" at all costs :O). It's not even really a pun - not even the groaning sort!
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| agree |
chaman4723
1 hr
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thanks chaman!
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| agree |
Phong Le
9 hrs
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thanks Phong!
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| agree |
orientalhorizon
: Sometimes manipulation of the words may be of no reason, but maybe just intentionally signfiy a awkward situation in an awkward way.
9 hrs
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thanks OH! Yes, it is dialogue, after all, and people do say some funny things!
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Discussion