Peter/ schwarze Peter

English translation: to pass the buck to someone

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	Peter/ schwarze Peter
English translation:	to pass the buck to someone
Entered by:	Tegan Raleigh

08:17 Jul 26, 2005

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

German term or phrase: Peter/ schwarze Peter

form a description of a boy who imagines that he sees someone with a gun, calls the cops, and gets the police to come to his house, fully decked out in riot gear... but it's just his imagination.

Somit bleibt der schwarze Peter bei Julie, die aber ach nur langsam Anstalten macht, sich dem Geschehen draussen zu naehern.

My guess is that the "schwarze Peter" = the son, whose name, however, is Charlton.

... any connection to the Strummelpeter, maybe...?

Tegan Raleigh
United States

to pass the buck to someone

Explanation:
jemandem den schwarzen Peter zuschieben / zuspielen

jemandem ein unliebsames Problem / die Schuld / die Verantwortung zuschieben, um sie selbst loszuwerden

to pass the buck to someone

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2005-07-26 08:21:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Peter2
der; Peters, Peter (ugs.) fellow; ein vergeßlicher/dummer
Peter a forgetful/silly old thing (coll.); Schwarzer Peter
(Kartenspiel) þ old maid (with a black cat card instead of an old
maid); jmdm. den Schwarzen Peter zuschieben od. zuspielen
(fig.) pass the buck to sb. (coll.)

Selected response from:

Sabine Tietge
Local time: 04:10

Grading comment

Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +7

blame

IanW (X)

3 +7

to pass the buck to someone

Sabine Tietge

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +7

blame

Explanation:
It means "the blame is left with"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 mins (2005-07-26 08:20:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"jdm den Schwarzen Peter zuschieben\" means \"to pass the buck to sb\"

IanW (X)
Local time: 00:40
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 41

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +7

to pass the buck to someone

Sabine Tietge
Local time: 04:10
Native speaker of:

German,

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thank you!

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

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

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations