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cranky

German translation: alt; gebrechlich, zerbrechlich; morsch

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	cranky
German translation:	alt; gebrechlich, zerbrechlich; morsch
Entered by:	bp-translations

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21:01 Jun 29, 2011

English to German translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature

English term or phrase: cranky

In einem Text von 1848 steht:

"Come, women, you've both walked far enough. My Mary expects to have her bed in three weeks; and as for you, Mrs. Wilson, you know you are but a *cranky sort of a body* at the best of times."

Mit der üblichen Bedeutung von 'cranky', also launenhaft etc, macht der Satz für mich irgendwie keinen Sinn. Weiß jemand, ob das Wort im 19. Jhd noch eine andere Bedeutung hatte? Ich habe leider gerade keinen Zugang zum OED, dass ich selbst nachschauen könnte, brauche den Text aber bis morgen Mittag.

Vielen Dank für eure Hilfe!
Birgit

bp-translations KudoZ activity Questions: 153 (2 open) (5 closed without grading) Answers: 85 Austria
Local time: 15:57

alt; gebrechlich, zerbrechlich; morsch

Explanation:
der Muret-Sanders von 1908 gibt unter anderem diese Bedeutungen an

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Note added at 1 Tag37 Min. (2011-06-30 21:39:01 GMT) Post-grading
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Gerne! Viel Erfolg!

Selected response from:

Coqueiro
Local time: 15:57

Grading comment

Vielen Dank, Conqueiro. Gebrechlich passt hier wunderbar! :)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided
3 +3	alt; gebrechlich, zerbrechlich; morsch	Coqueiro
3	gebrechliche Person	Horst Huber

Summary of reference entries provided

Etymologisches...

Tal Anja Cohen

Answers

3 hrs confidence:

gebrechliche Person

Explanation:
"So eher eine ..." Um den Ausdruck als ganzen anzugehen. Oder auch "brüchig"? Der Sprecher, nehme ich an, will sich wohl höflich oder einfühlsam ausdrücken.

Horst Huber
Local time: 09:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 4

Notes to answerer

Asker: Dank dir, Horst!

7 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

alt; gebrechlich, zerbrechlich; morsch

Coqueiro
Local time: 15:57
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Vielen Dank, Conqueiro. Gebrechlich passt hier wunderbar! :)

Reference comments

45 mins

Reference: Etymologisches...

Reference information:
Origin:
late 18th century (in the sense ‘sickly, in poor health’): perhaps from obsolete (counterfeit) crank ‘a rogue feigning sickness’, from Dutch or German krank 'sick'
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/cranky

crank Look up crank at Dictionary.com
O.E. cranc- preserved in crancstæf "a weaver's instrument," crencestre "female weaver, spinster," from P.Gmc. base *krank-, and related to crincan "to bend, yield." English retains the literal sense of the ancient root, while German and Dutch krank "sick," formerly "weak, small," is a figurative use.

The sense of "an eccentric person," especially one who is irrationally fixated, is first recorded 1833, said to be from the crank of a barrel organ, which makes it play the same tune over and over; but more likely a back formation from cranky, and evolving from earlier senses of crank as "a twist or fanciful turn of speech" (1590s) or "inaccessible hole or crevice" (1560s). Popularized after 1881 when it was applied to Horace Greeley during Guiteau's trial. The verb is attested from 1590s, "to zig-zag;" meaning "to turn a crank" is first attested 1908, with reference to automobile engines.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=crank

Origin of CRANK
Middle English cranke, from Old English cranc- (as in crancstæf, a weaving instrument); probably akin to Middle High German krank weak, sick — more at cringe
First Known Use: 13th century
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crank

Tal Anja Cohen
Switzerland
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 43

Note to reference poster

Asker: Danke für deine Mühe, Anja. :)

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cranky

German translation: alt; gebrechlich, zerbrechlich; morsch

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cranky

German translation: alt; gebrechlich, zerbrechlich; morsch

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