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too near the bone

English translation: Explanation

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06:40 Aug 2, 2005

English to English translations [Non-PRO]
Cinema, Film, TV, Drama / subtitle

English term or phrase: too near the bone

Too near the bone is used to describe an "appropriate" scene:

Even though Dahl had coined a word for it, "whizzpopping", his American publisher thought the scene was too near the bone.

What does too near the bone mean?

Thank you.

Yohanes Sutopo KudoZ activity Questions: 437 (1 open) (1 without valid answers) (6 closed without grading) Answers: 22
Local time: 15:31

English translation:Explanation

Explanation:
"whizpopping" in Roald Dahl's book "The BFG" means to break wind/fart/suffer from flatulence - the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) always does this after drinking, even in front of the Queen!
So , here., "too near the knuckle" doesn't refer to sexual explicitness, but just means "a distasteful subject" to which the American didn't want reference made.

Selected response from:

John Bowden
Local time: 08:31

Grading comment

Than you very much.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +3

Explanation

John Bowden

4 +4

too sexually explicit

Jack Doughty

close to breaching standards of taste and/or decency

Charlie Bavington

3 +1

gruesome, heavy

Lietta Warren-Granato

Answers

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

too sexually explicit

Explanation:
"near the knuckle" is probably a more common way of putting it.

Jack Doughty
Local time: 08:31
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Michele Johnson: Or more generally: Referring too closely to a subject which it would have been kind or tactful to avoid; upsettingly pointed or critical.

8 mins

-> Thank you. Yes, it can be used that way, but it's nearly always referring to sex.

agree

Tony M

11 mins

-> Thank you.

agree

Andrey Belousov

1 hr

-> Thank you.

agree

Vicky Papaprodromou

4 hrs

-> Thank you.

agree

flipendo: bone Verb. To have sexual intercourse.Noun. The act of having sexual intercourse (from: a dictionary of slang)

6 hrs

-> Thank you, but I think that is just coincidence. "Too near the bone (or knuckle)" is based on the fact that the best meat on a joint is in the outer layers. If it's "too near the bone", it won't be so good.

neutral

John Bowden: Usually I'd agree, but in "the BFG", whizzpopping has nothing to do with sexual matters, it's just the word the BFG uses for farting

6 hrs

disagree

Nigel Jones: I don't think anything Roald Dah ever wrote could possibly be sexually explicit, especially as he was a children's author

6 hrs

neutral

Lietta Warren-Granato: Good point Nigel! I disagree that 'too close to the bone' 'is nearly always referring to sex'

6 hrs

neutral

Will Matter: Don't think there's any sex involved here, the real meaning is "too close to the truth" (and therefore needs to be overlooked or ignored). No sex involved.

1 day13 hrs

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

gruesome, heavy

Explanation:
in my experience 'too near the bone' and 'too close to the bone' just mean 'too heavy' 'too gruesome'; not necessarily referred to sex.
If the author in question is Dahl,see this reference:

"The BFG is one of Dahl's most lovable character creations. (...)speaking his delightful, jumbled, squib-fangled patois; or whizzpopping for the Queen. (...) The gruesome descriptions of the horrid giants.."
www.naturalskincare.ws/stuff-0141301058.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 56 mins (2005-08-02 08:36:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In fact \'too close to the bone\' is usually an UNCOMFORTABLE subject.

Lietta Warren-Granato
Italy
Local time: 09:31
Native speaker of: Italian

6 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

Explanation

John Bowden
Local time: 08:31
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Than you very much.

15 hrs confidence:

close to breaching standards of taste and/or decency

Explanation:
Is what it means, in a nutshell.

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 08:31
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

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English translation: Explanation

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