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flog in großem Bogen hinunter

English translation: tumbled/flying down the stairs (head-first)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:flog in großem Bogen hinunter
English translation:tumbled/flying down the stairs (head-first)
Entered by: Elisabeth Moser

17:29 Apr 8, 2008
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase: flog in großem Bogen hinunter
he fell down the stairs *in großem Bogen*


any ideas?!
Elisabeth Moser
United States
Local time: 22:06
tumbled down the stairs (head-first)
Explanation:
In English I can do either "he flew in a wide arc (großem Bogen) over the staircase (not touching it), or he tumbled down the stairs (bumping down them). I don't know how to have him falling down, striking each step and making a "großen Bogen" at the same time. If there's something I don't understand, please tell me. Grüße!
Selected response from:

mary austria
Local time: 04:06
Grading comment
Thanks so much for your help.
Have a great weekend,
Lis
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +5tumbled down the stairs (head-first)
mary austria
3making a large arc
jccantrell
3took a huge fall (down the stairs)
Ken Cox


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
making a large arc


Explanation:
Might be how I would say it



jccantrell
United States
Local time: 19:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 19
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for proposing to my question the first idea. However, I kind of liked Mary's better. Have a great weekend, Lis

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
tumbled down the stairs (head-first)


Explanation:
In English I can do either "he flew in a wide arc (großem Bogen) over the staircase (not touching it), or he tumbled down the stairs (bumping down them). I don't know how to have him falling down, striking each step and making a "großen Bogen" at the same time. If there's something I don't understand, please tell me. Grüße!

mary austria
Local time: 04:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thanks so much for your help.
Have a great weekend,
Lis
Notes to answerer
Asker: Hi Mary, I don't like the *arc* -- there is a child-like drawing next to the text and he did trip and fall head first, catching himself with the left hand .. this all was written at the beginning of the 1900s? tumble I kind of like better?!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): first suggestion (head first) seems to fit best here
28 mins
  -> Thanks!
agree  Bernhard Sulzer: with mary's thoughts; maybe also: went flying down the stairs (in a wide/high arc)
1 hr
  -> Thanks!
agree  Uta Kappler: or, you can put it as: he took a head-first tumble down the stairs
2 hrs
  -> Thanks"
agree  Ulrike MacKay: with Uta! ;-)
13 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree  Hilary Davies Shelby: i like "went flying down the stairs", but would leave out the "arc" part - you never see that in English.//Ooops, I forgot to add "head-first"! ;-)
16 hrs
  -> "to go flying down the stairs" can mean to run or to fall down the stairs.
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18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
took a huge fall (down the stairs)


Explanation:
although I'm not sure this is exactly the English idiom of the period (if you are trying to maintain a contemporary idiom).

Ken Cox
Local time: 04:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 65
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Ken for giving me another solution to the question. Have a great weekend, Lis

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