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  3. Management

skære guld med en brødkniv

09:09 Apr 8, 2008
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other

Danish to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Management
Danish term or phrase: skære guld med en brødkniv
In a text on influence styles in the following sentence.
"Hvis vi kan komme i gang med det samme og arbejder effektivt, kan vi skære guld med en brødkniv i løbet af ti år"
Is this a Danish idiom? I can find no sign of it.
ScanTran
Local time: 22:07


Summary of answers provided
2 +3achieve miracles
Diarmuid Kennan
4live high off the hog
Hanne Rask Sonderborg
4to be rolling in dough
CG diPierro MD
2 +1dine off silver plates
Tine Wanning
3on the pig's back
Soren Petersen


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +3
achieve miracles


Explanation:
I never heard of this expression and can find no reference to it anywhere, but 'achieve miracles' would be my guess.

Diarmuid Kennan
Ireland
Local time: 22:07
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bjørnar Magnussen: As we don't know whether gold here is just a hard metal or a symbol of money, your suggestion is a good compromise.
18 mins
agree  Terence Ajbro: or work wonders, the sky's the limit, etc.
29 mins
agree  Christine Andersen: I think this is it - "do what we like" - do anything eccentric or impossible that we feel like, "Fly to the moon in a wooden shoe" kind of thing.
10 hrs
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
dine off silver plates


Explanation:
Or something similar. . I think it is about become rich - to cut thick slices of gold. I have never heard this expression, sounds funny though

Tine Wanning
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:07
Native speaker of: Native in DanishDanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mette Melchior
2 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
on the pig's back


Explanation:
Yes, funny expression. "On the pig's back" is often used here in Ireland in connection with living a life of ease and luxury or being in a very fortunate situation.

Example sentence(s):
  • If we can carry this out, we'll be on the pig's back in no time.
Soren Petersen
United States
Local time: 16:07
Native speaker of: Native in DanishDanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
live high off the hog


Explanation:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/live high off the hog

live high off/on the hog (American & Australian):
to have a lot of money and live in comfort, especially eating and drinking a lot. He was a millionaire who lived high on the hog at all times.

Hanne Rask Sonderborg
Denmark
Local time: 23:07
Native speaker of: Native in DanishDanish
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to be rolling in dough


Explanation:
American english idiom with "dough" slang for money. Meaning to be very wealthy--to have enough money to be able to roll around in it. Also keeps with the bread/dough theme of the Danish idiom in question.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2008-04-08 15:51:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Example sentence: If he sells the business, he will be rolling in dough!


    Reference: http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/5970/Money++Rea...
    Reference: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/...
CG diPierro MD
United States
Local time: 17:07
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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