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een bruine arm halen

English translation: be a brown-nose

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Dutch term or phrase:	een bruine arm halen
English translation:	be a brown-nose
Entered by:	Robert Allwood

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12:03 Apr 21, 2005

Dutch to English translations [PRO]
Business/Commerce (general)

Dutch term or phrase: een bruine arm halen

Toen ik na enige tijd de voorraadadministratie mocht gaan bijhouden, ontdekte ik al snel dat er niets van klopte. Ik dacht: ik moet zelf op onderzoek uitgaan om erachter te komen wat er precies aan de hand is. Daarom vroeg ik aan mijn baas een paar laarzen en een jas om de vriescellen te kunnen inspecteren. Collega’s lachten me uit en sneerden: ‘Wil jij een bruine arm halen?’ Maar ik gaf niet op. Eerst was het moeilijk en snapte ik er eigenlijk niet veel van. Het kostte veel inspanning. Maar na verloop van tijd kreeg ik een helder beeld van hoe alles precies in elkaar zat.

Robert Allwood KudoZ activity Questions: 171 (1 open) (1 without valid answers) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 9
Local time: 07:47

are you trying to be a brown-nose?

Explanation:
I suppose this is the gist of what the sneering comment means.

See this article on the meaning:
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19990723

Many other ways to say it and that article will assist - you can decide what's to crude and what isn't. (e.g. kiss arse)

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Note added at 9 mins (2005-04-21 12:13:42 GMT)
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suck up to the boss
win the boss\'s favour

etc etc

Selected response from:

Lawyer-Linguist
Portugal
Local time: 07:47

Grading comment

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +5

suck up to someone

Björn Houben

4 +4

are you trying to gain brownie points?

Siobhan Schoonhoff-Reilly

3 +3

are you trying to be a brown-nose?

Lawyer-Linguist

...

Jack den Haan

Answers

7 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

suck up to someone

Explanation:
***

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2005-04-21 12:11:34 GMT)
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VD: (soldatentaal) zijn armen bruin maken, een bruine arm halen
synoniem: slijmen

Björn Houben
Belgium
Local time: 08:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Flemish,

Dutch
PRO pts in category: 3

8 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

are you trying to be a brown-nose?

Lawyer-Linguist
Portugal
Local time: 07:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 70

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

are you trying to gain brownie points?

Explanation:
een bruine arm halen, literally means: met vleierij in de gunst komen. Gain favour, get into somebody's good books etc. etc.

Siobhan Schoonhoff-Reilly
Local time: 08:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 27

1 hr confidence:

...

Explanation:
Soldatenwoordenboek (Leen Verhoef), ISBN 90 6005 412 1: "bruinen, bruinwerken: bij een meerdere in rang in het gevlij proberen te komen. Eufemisme voor 'kontkruipen'. Ook wel: 'een bruine arm halen'. Neemt een en ander extreme vormen aan, dan zegt men veelbetekenend: 'tot de elleboog/oksel erin', of ook wel: tot zover!, vergezeld van een illustratief gebaar van de hand ter hoogte van de schouder. Iemand die bruinwerkt wordt een 'bruinwerker', 'kontkruiper' of 'holtor' genoemd." Sorry, no button on this screen for signalling possibly offensive responses :-)

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Note added at 1 hr 11 mins (2005-04-21 13:14:59 GMT)
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If you want to translate the expression in another neat and tidy way, besides Siobhans\'s \'brownie points\' (sorry Crionn, sorry Deb!), you could consider \'sycophant / sycophantic\'.

Jack den Haan
Netherlands
Local time: 08:47
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Dutch,

English
PRO pts in category: 64

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English translation: be a brown-nose

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