in der Tusche lassen

English translation: s.u.

21:15 Sep 9, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Personal letter from Einstein
German term or phrase: in der Tusche lassen
Da hätten wir die Gelehrsamkeit in der Tusche gelassen.

This is from a personal letter from Einstein to a Florentine countess (friend of friend of my mother...). I am not familiar with the expression and there is just a chance that it has been incorrectly transcribed. The context would imply something in the nature of 'thrown scholarly ways to the winds'.., but any help on German turns of phrase from that era (written in 1927) would be most useful.
Mary McCusker
Local time: 20:56
English translation:s.u.
Explanation:
I think you are right on it with your own explanation and Hildegard is, too. I believe this refers to writing with ink but implying that whatever was written was not exactly intelligent, thus the "Gelehrsamkeit" was left in the bottle.

On another note, can someone tell me how to just add a note like above in the white box instead of hitting the answer button? Thanks.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2006-09-09 23:33:22 GMT)
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Wait! We're not off track....

Could he be somewhat flirting with her? Meaning, had she been there, they would not have had whatever scientific discussions they had because they would have found better things to do?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-09-09 23:35:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

That's gotta be it! Along the lines of, "I wish you had been here, then we would not have talked shop so much!"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-09-09 23:57:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And here I was so excited that I finally got it, while you had it all along...
Trust us down here (Hildegard, Julia, and me), though, "in der Tusche gelassen" really means "left in the ink" and it stands for not having used the ink to it's full exent, leaving something out.

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Note added at 17 hrs (2006-09-10 14:54:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Mary, yes, thank you for the "aha Moment" :-)
I have searched some more to find proof online but I haven't come up with anything. But I KNOW this expression. I assume it must be from reading a gazillion books, some of them older (from my mother or grandmother), that I am familiar with this expression. Sorry I can't provide examples....
Selected response from:

Andrea Black
United States
Local time: 19:56
Grading comment
Thanks to Andrea and all the others who puzzled at this...
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +5s.u.
Andrea Black
3 +1leave in the dust/leave at the post
Kim Metzger
2dissolved in water colours
Textklick


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
leave in the dust/leave at the post


Explanation:
This suggestion is based on the explanation found at this Swiss-German site. Maybe Einstein was saying that people were in such a hurry to prove something (for example) that they shot ahead of scholarship.

Weil „schnell fahren“ im gesamten Deutschsprachigen Raum beliebt ist, gibt es auch zahlreiche Varianten für diese Tätigkeit:
Blochen CH: 1. Sw.V./ist;
bretteln A, tuschen: tuschen lassen A, bledern A-mitte/ost, fahren wie eine gesengte Sau A D, fräsen CH, brettern CH D, heizen D-mittelwes/südwest, stochen D-mittelwest =„schnell [und rücksichtslos]fahren; rasen“
(Quelle: Variantenwörterbuch S. 126)
http://www.blogwiese.ch/archives/category/schweizerdeutsch/


Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 18:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 100

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Textklick: While I was doing mine, you were doing yours ;-) Swiss site, right? Aha! See '"Early life" at http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xeinstei.html. Added>>>We missed the flirt aspect, but research shows he was no perfect husband. Guess the Medici got to him :)
28 mins
  -> Dunno, Texty. Looks like I'm on the woodway.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
dissolved in water colours


Explanation:
"...let scholarship be dissolved in water colours"

Many dictionaries indicate ink/water colours. Given the context, the characters, and the fact that the Florentines are hardly famous for their water colours, it could have been a subtle play on words.

Bit of a guess, but there is more oil than water in the Uffizi.

Textklick
Local time: 00:56
Native speaker of: English
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
s.u.


Explanation:
I think you are right on it with your own explanation and Hildegard is, too. I believe this refers to writing with ink but implying that whatever was written was not exactly intelligent, thus the "Gelehrsamkeit" was left in the bottle.

On another note, can someone tell me how to just add a note like above in the white box instead of hitting the answer button? Thanks.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-09-09 23:33:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Wait! We're not off track....

Could he be somewhat flirting with her? Meaning, had she been there, they would not have had whatever scientific discussions they had because they would have found better things to do?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-09-09 23:35:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

That's gotta be it! Along the lines of, "I wish you had been here, then we would not have talked shop so much!"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-09-09 23:57:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And here I was so excited that I finally got it, while you had it all along...
Trust us down here (Hildegard, Julia, and me), though, "in der Tusche gelassen" really means "left in the ink" and it stands for not having used the ink to it's full exent, leaving something out.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2006-09-10 14:54:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Mary, yes, thank you for the "aha Moment" :-)
I have searched some more to find proof online but I haven't come up with anything. But I KNOW this expression. I assume it must be from reading a gazillion books, some of them older (from my mother or grandmother), that I am familiar with this expression. Sorry I can't provide examples....

Andrea Black
United States
Local time: 19:56
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 7
Grading comment
Thanks to Andrea and all the others who puzzled at this...

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Hildegard Klein-Bodenheimer (X): Under the first question instead of hitting the answer button click on ask asker and then you can write away!!
1 min
  -> Thank you! I only have a button that says Answer and one that says Track... weird. I have to play with it and see if I need to change a setting somewhere. I'm still new here. :-)

agree  Julia Lipeles
3 mins
  -> Thanks! Another note for Hildegard: I found it! I have to have 20 KudoZ points to be found worthy to get that button! ;-)

agree  Textklick: a reference to thoughts/knowledge that would have remained unwritten?
11 hrs

agree  Stephen Reader
13 hrs

agree  seehand
19 hrs
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