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jemand jemandem vor die Nase setzen

English translation: promote the stupid cow and stick her right under my nose

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	meinen Urlaub ausnutzen, um mir diese blöde Kuh vor die Nase zu setzen im Büro
English translation:	promote the stupid cow and stick her right under my nose
Entered by:	Susan Welsh

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12:53 Dec 8, 2008

German to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Business/Commerce (general)

German term or phrase: jemand jemandem vor die Nase setzen

"...X wollte meinen Urlaub ausnutzen, um mir diese blöde Kuh vor die Nase zu setzen im Büro."

Lonnie Legg KudoZ activity Questions: 25 (3 open) (2 without valid answers) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 233 Germany
Local time: 21:45

see below for full phrase

Explanation:
What about: "promote this stupid cow and stick her right under my nose"?
I can't think of an English idiom, but it's a shame to strip the humor out of the German idiom. Sometimes literal translations are more fun.
NOSE is probably among the most frequently used words in idioms in many languages (cf. Gogol's short story by that name in Russian). I wouldn't like to get rid of it here.

Selected response from:

Susan Welsh
United States
Local time: 15:45

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +4

to promote SO ahead of SO (else)

David Moore

4 +3

by letting her steal my job

mary austria

3 +4

see below for full phrase

Susan Welsh

3 +2

to appoint someone over someone's head

Alison MacG

to put someone over me

Ellen Kraus

to make this person my boss

BrigitteHilgner

dump someone on someone else

suew

Answers

6 mins confidence:

to put someone over me

Explanation:
he wanted to avail himself of my absence by putting this .... over me

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 Min. (2008-12-08 13:01:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

they put a new man over him : ihm wurde ein Neuer vor die Nase gesetzt

Ellen Kraus
Local time: 21:45
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 77

25 mins confidence:

dump someone on someone else

Explanation:
I believe it suggests that (at least at first) the person whose "Nase" it is, is powerless to stop it happening

suew
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:45
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

55 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

by letting her steal my job

Explanation:
Alternative: by having her steal my job (or duties).

mary austria
Local time: 21:45
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 11

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

agree

EdithK: I have a feeling that this is actually meant here

11 mins

-> Thanks, EdithK. That's my feeling, too. But I don't think there's an idiom for it in English. Grüße!

agree

Ingeborg Gowans: intended meaning; how to render "blöde Kuh" is another issue :))

20 mins

-> Thanks, Ingeborg. "Tussi" is another hard one!

neutral

hazmatgerman: Im Deutschen ist doch von der Arbeitsplatzwegnahme nicht die Rede, oder?

41 mins

-> Urlaub + Büro = Arbeitsplatz IMO!

agree

Charles Rothwell: I agree with the sense. ("X intended to use my being away on leave to promote this stupid cow to what should have been MY job!")http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6kOs2ewssTwC&pg=RA2-PA691... die Nase setzen English&source=web&ots=zbRBA

1 hr

-> Thanks, Charles!

1 hr confidence:

to make this person my boss

Explanation:
How about some context?

BrigitteHilgner
Austria
Local time: 21:45
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 161

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

to appoint someone over someone's head

Explanation:
Another way of putting it (see the following dictionary of idioms)

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ve-Q4qZ1ycoC&pg=PA216&lpg...

It could mean that this person got the job in preference to the more obvious, but absent, candidate or perhaps, if the person on holiday held a position of some authority, without consulting that person.

over someone's head
a) without a person in the obvious position being considered, esp for promotion: the graduate was promoted over the heads of several of his seniors
b) without consulting a person in the obvious position but referring to a higher authority: in making his complaint he went straight to the director, over the head of his immediate boss
c) beyond a person's comprehension
(Collins)

Alison MacG
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:45
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 26

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

to promote SO ahead of SO (else)

Explanation:
Is how I'd suggest it is translated. The wording might read "to promote this stupid cow ahead of me".

David Moore
Local time: 21:45
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 225

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

see below for full phrase

Susan Welsh
United States
Local time: 15:45
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

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Changes made by editors

Dec 22, 2008 - Changes made by Susan Welsh:
Created KOG entry	KudoZ term => KOG term

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jemand jemandem vor die Nase setzen

English translation: promote the stupid cow and stick her right under my nose

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jemand jemandem vor die Nase setzen

English translation: promote the stupid cow and stick her right under my nose

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Answers

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ProZ.com ideas

KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.