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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

muovere bene il sedere

English translation: sway her hips

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:muovere bene il sedere
English translation:sway her hips
Entered by: Fiona Grace Peterson

12:13 Mar 16, 2007
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / proverbs
Italian term or phrase: muovere bene il sedere
This sentence comes from a text about the tradition in Romagna of making pasta dough. I'm having trouble rendering the last part of the following proverb as poetically as possible, in a way that's not too vulgar:

“Per fare una bella sfoglia/ l’azdòra deve ***muovere bene il sedere***.”

All help greatly appreciated :-)
Fiona Grace Peterson
Italy
Local time: 14:10
sway her hips
Explanation:
is the concept, I think ... shame though - "strut her stuff" and "shake her booty" aren't quite the register, are they...
Selected response from:

Angela Arnone
Local time: 14:10
Grading comment
Thanks Angela, and to everyone who answered and agreed. Not an easy one to translate, but after speaking to the client it was decided that the hip-swaying was the crucial part of it all... So now you know... get into the kitchen people :-))))))
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3get the caboose rolling
Jim Tucker (X)
4 +3sway her hips
Angela Arnone
4 +3give it all she's got / put her all into it / go at it body and soul
WendellR
4must sweat for it
roni_roni
3 +1know how to shake it
James (Jim) Davis
3shake the bottom rhythmically
Caterina Passari
3rock her bottom well
Adele Oliveri
3shake her thang/her lovely lady hump/wiggle her booty
potra


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
shake the bottom rhythmically


Explanation:
Ti pare sufficientemente "poetico"?:))) E' solo un'idea...Ciao

Caterina Passari
Italy
Local time: 14:10
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  WendellR: Don't think you could say that in english without provoking snickers
27 mins
  -> :)))
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
rock her bottom well


Explanation:
here's another suggestion... :-)


Adele Oliveri
Italy
Local time: 14:10
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 4
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
get the caboose rolling


Explanation:
"put the backfield in motion"

"mobilize all assets"

(those two are freebies)

Jim Tucker (X)
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  WendellR: "backfield in motion" is the best of all (though would it work outside the US?), esp. because it frees us from the notion that only women make pasta dough
15 mins
agree  Linda 969: mobilize all assets" is my favorite//but I think Wendell's suggestion is the safest bet
30 mins
agree  texjax DDS PhD
1 hr
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
must sweat for it


Explanation:
meening she must put all her efforts (hm, this might be a possibile variant as well!?)
Good luck!

roni_roni
Local time: 15:10
Native speaker of: Native in UkrainianUkrainian
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
sway her hips


Explanation:
is the concept, I think ... shame though - "strut her stuff" and "shake her booty" aren't quite the register, are they...

Angela Arnone
Local time: 14:10
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Thanks Angela, and to everyone who answered and agreed. Not an easy one to translate, but after speaking to the client it was decided that the hip-swaying was the crucial part of it all... So now you know... get into the kitchen people :-))))))

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Caterina Passari
21 mins
agree  texjax DDS PhD: I love shake her booty...dopotutto la frase originale dice *sedere!*...how safe is that??? :-))) [inoltre, booty non è affatto volgare]
58 mins
neutral  Alfredo Tutino: yeah! Frank Zappa rules! Sheik Yerbuty! http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheik_Yerbouti (well, this has nothing to do with the question, but I felt like saying it :-) )
1 hr
agree  Adele Oliveri: hips sounds great - very physical, yet more "acceptable" in formal speech
6 hrs
  -> Hi!
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29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
give it all she's got / put her all into it / go at it body and soul


Explanation:
Sadly, I think you've got to lose the bottom/hips reference - largely for register.

WendellR
Local time: 14:10
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Linda 969: Sadly, I pretty much agree
15 mins
agree  Shera Lyn Parpia
48 mins
agree  Ivana UK
51 mins
neutral  Angela Arnone: Wendell ... have you ever seen a woman make pasta ... it's an art form that requires butt wiggling ... that's where the poetry lies, by all accounts!
1 hr
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
shake her thang/her lovely lady hump/wiggle her booty


Explanation:
I do not know what your target public is, but for a young audience a Fergie or Beyonce reference could be appropriate and funny.

potra
United States
Local time: 08:10
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 13
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
know how to shake it


Explanation:
Just an Idea. However 10 out of 10 for one of the best posts ever!!! Doing the final read through at page 321 of 595 of the most fascinating (only) engineering manual I've ever translated, this is just what the doctor ordered.
Alternatively: "You have to get yer ya yas out." but there's copyright on it.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2007-03-16 14:04:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Having read the additional context (my motto is you never translate words, you always translate the complete message) , "Know how to put a swing into it"

James (Jim) Davis
Seychelles
Local time: 16:10
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 30

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jim Tucker (X): I like it. Something like this occurred to me as well, but then I wasn't sure whether she was shaking the pas-ta or the pos-terior.
8 mins
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