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to sharpen the pencils

English translation: Maybe she really does have to sharpen the pencils


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05:38 Jun 4, 2008
English to English translations [Non-PRO]
Slang
English term or phrase: to sharpen the pencils
A very general context, but I don't think it can mean "to give a better offer", as I've found in a dictionary
Thank you.
Ivana
English translation:Maybe she really does have to sharpen the pencils
Explanation:
Perhaps she has some real pencils that need sharpening. Maybe she does work at home that involves using pencils.

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Note added at 2 days52 mins (2008-06-06 06:30:59 GMT)
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I gave this a low confidence rating and said "maybe", so I'm not sure about this. It would have been better if you had given us all this information at the beginning instead of after closing the question. But I'm still not sure.
Selected response from:

Jack Doughty
Local time: 02:23
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
2 +14Maybe she really does have to sharpen the pencils
Jack Doughty
4to give the best results possible, to improve the results
Evelyne Trolley de Prévaux


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to give the best results possible, to improve the results


Explanation:
you have to go back to the drawing table and return with more aggressive bids for “lower priced” products.
So you use your pencils a lot

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Note added at 48 mins (2008-06-04 06:27:16 GMT)
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You have to focus on using your time better

Evelyne Trolley de Prévaux
Mexico
Local time: 18:23
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +14
Maybe she really does have to sharpen the pencils


Explanation:
Perhaps she has some real pencils that need sharpening. Maybe she does work at home that involves using pencils.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days52 mins (2008-06-06 06:30:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I gave this a low confidence rating and said "maybe", so I'm not sure about this. It would have been better if you had given us all this information at the beginning instead of after closing the question. But I'm still not sure.

Jack Doughty
Local time: 02:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you very much for your kind help. A native speaker's perspective is always invaluable. I really thought it was an idiomatic expression. But would you still say that there were pencils to be sharpened if I told you that this person was an overworked and underperforming insurance agent with time management issues? I simply can't see him fussing about some pencils, kids' or otherwise. Then again if this is a matter of synecdoche as Tony M. suggests, maybe it does not have to do with the kids? Can it mean that he needs to get down to work or try harder?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  orientalhorizon
1 min
  -> Thank you.
agree  Tony M: I think it's an example of that linguistic what's-its-name where you refer to a small part of something to describe the whole; so it means "do every little thing to help the kids get their homework done", for example
15 mins
  -> Thank you. Yes, could be.
agree  airmailrpl: -
15 mins
  -> Thank you.
agree  kmtext
44 mins
  -> Thank you.
agree  Armorel Young: Ah, I like Tony's idea that this could be synecdoche - they used to teach us about that at school but it's easy to miss it in real life
1 hr
  -> Thank you. I'd never seen the word synecdoche before, but I've looked it up so now I know what it means. I was taught grammar but I don't remember that term.
agree  Suzan Hamer: and with Tony and Armorel. Ah, synecdoche. Now there's a word you don't hear every day. In fact, I've NEVER heard it. (And how DO you pronounce it??) It shall be my word-of-the-day; I'll throw it into a conversation at least once today. (Yeah right.)
2 hrs
  -> Thank you. I think it must be pronounced synEKdoki.
agree  Mark Nathan: I suppose in the same way that, "I must do some hoovering" implies general cleaning of the house.
3 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  BdiL: Gee, great job, folks! And closely related to synecdoche lies metonymy! Just in case you wish to double up. ;-)) Maurice
4 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Mihaela Ghiuzeli: "Synecdoche ? I just watched the National Spelling Bee ; one more word to add to the "collection"
5 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Jim Tucker: more precisely, synecdoche is actually a form of metonymy - a subset of it
7 hrs
  -> Thank you. Metonymy was equally unknown to me until today.
agree  David Moore: Possibly she knows the kids always bring blunt pencils home, and has to sharpen them so they can do their homework?
8 hrs
  -> Thank you. That's how it seems to me.
agree  Gary D: Here it just means sharpen the kids pensils, But in other text, sharpen your pencil means, give me a better offer, write your quote with smaller numbers (give a cheaper price), sharpen the pencil, mens term for getting sex.
16 hrs
  -> Thank you. There's also that expression about "putting lead into your pencil".
agree  Phong Le
18 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Pham Huu Phuoc
1 day2 hrs
  -> Thank you.
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