to put on a bit of a show

Italian translation: darsi un contegno

12:00 Jan 12, 2014
English to Italian translations [PRO]
Science - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / scienza del XVII secolo
English term or phrase: to put on a bit of a show
For historians of writing the seventeenth century has often been an
era to move quickly over. Perhaps we are embarrassed by the impossible
posturing of the writing masters, those self-important characters that
Isaac Disraeli would dismiss as Vive la Plume men. Everything seems
to be flourished and insubstantial. But in the documents and notebooks
of the new scientists, chemists and philosophers of the Royal Society
and their correspondents we can see the first handwriting that is recognizably
modern. The modest looped cursive of Descartes, the flowing
hand of the astronomer Edmund Halley, and Boyle the chemist, and
Newton’s hand, look as if they might have been written any time in the
last century; but not always so. Sometimes they revert; this is still a time
when writing is in ‘transition’. Robert Boyle’s (1627–91) handwriting is
particularly variable over the course of his life. On one particular page of
his notebook No. 21 (Fig. 38, p. 154), we can see a functional and flowing
hand at the top of the page (entry 201) and then a complete contrast
beneath, a stiffer flourished hand that reminds one of Billingsley.134 In
the margin to the left of the passage, where the change occurs he has
written the word ‘Transcribed’. It appears that the act of transcription
has made him socially self-conscious again; he feels he has to PUT ON A BIT OF A SHOW – this is his careful writing.
budu
Local time: 04:40
Italian translation:darsi un contegno
Explanation:
Non è letterale, ma rende l'idea: sente di doversi dare un contegno, nell'atto di trascrivere.
Selected response from:

Barbara Bonatti Divers
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:40
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3cercare di fare bella figura
Danila Moro
4 +2fare un po' di scena
cynthiatesser
3 +2cercare di mettersi in bella mostra
Elena Zanetti
4darsi un contegno
Barbara Bonatti Divers
4dare spettacolo/darsi un tono/assumere una parvenza di stile
Pierluigi Bernardini
3presentarsi al meglio
Luciana Trevisi
3deciso di mettersi in vista
Mariagrazia Centanni


  

Answers


16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
darsi un contegno


Explanation:
Non è letterale, ma rende l'idea: sente di doversi dare un contegno, nell'atto di trascrivere.

Barbara Bonatti Divers
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Italian
PRO pts in category: 8
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
cercare di fare bella figura


Explanation:
anche la mia non è "letterale", ma nell'idea di "mettere su uno spettacolo" c'é un accento un po' critico, come una persona che vuole mostrare di saper fare o essere quello che non è.

(ricordati di chiudere le domande!)

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Note added at 37 min (2014-01-12 12:37:16 GMT)
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oppure: dare/fare bella mostra di sé

Danila Moro
Italy
Local time: 04:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Italian
PRO pts in category: 63
Notes to answerer
Asker: grazie cara che mi risistemi sempre le domande!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Enrico Antonio Mion
5 mins
  -> grazie!

agree  zerlina: :)
2 hrs
  -> grazie Zerl :)

agree  Shera Lyn Parpia
18 hrs
  -> grazie!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
fare un po' di scena


Explanation:
...

cynthiatesser
Italy
Local time: 04:40
Native speaker of: Italian
PRO pts in category: 7

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Caterina Chimenti: mi piace, usando scena si resta nello stesso ambito semantico di show!
1 hr
  -> Grazie!

agree  Isabellabo
20 hrs
  -> Grazie!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
cercare di mettersi in bella mostra


Explanation:
.

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Note added at 1 ora (2014-01-12 13:11:17 GMT)
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dare sfoggio di sé...

Elena Zanetti
Italy
Local time: 04:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Italian
PRO pts in category: 34

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  zerlina: :)
1 hr
  -> ;-)

agree  EleoE
6 hrs
  -> grazie!
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
presentarsi al meglio


Explanation:
Deve far sfoggio della sua scrittura migliore e quindi è più attento alla forma.

Luciana Trevisi
Italy
Native speaker of: Italian
PRO pts in category: 12
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
deciso di mettersi in vista


Explanation:
'' sembra che abbia deciso di mettersi in vista - è così la sua accurata scrittura''.

Mariagrazia Centanni
Italy
Local time: 04:40
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
dare spettacolo/darsi un tono/assumere una parvenza di stile


Explanation:
Qualche altra soluzione.

put on a show = dare spettacolo
http://www.wordreference.com/enit/show

Pierluigi Bernardini
Italy
Local time: 04:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 20
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