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Tuoni e fulmini

English translation: shiver me timbers

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19:38 Nov 7, 2010

Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Adventures of pirates

Italian term or phrase: Tuoni e fulmini

As an idiomatic expression; period: around 1700.

A man is listing the articles of the pirates' code in force on the ship, but he has forgot the sixth article):

"Sesto articolo – continuò Lineken – sesto articolo… tuoni e fulmini non me lo ricordo! La vecchiaia inizia a farsi sentire."

I've thought about "holy smoke and gunshot!".
Can it be a suitable rendering?

Thanks a lot.

Pierluigi Bernardini KudoZ activity Questions: 66 (2 open) (4 closed without grading) Answers: 907 Italy
Local time: 19:57

English translation:shiver me timbers

Explanation:
Una tipica esclamazione dei pirati ;-) Non è una traduzione letterale ma rende benissimo, è proprio quello che si trova nelle storie di pirati... esiste anche un sito web a proposito ("talk like a pirate"): www.yarr.org.uk
Enjoy ;-)

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Note added at 8 mins (2010-11-07 19:47:31 GMT)
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PS: la tua idea potrebbe andare se il periodo fosse molto più recente, si tratta di un'esclamazione più anni '30... e anche tipica di Batman! :-)

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Note added at 11 mins (2010-11-07 19:50:08 GMT)
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http://www.yarr.org.uk/talk/
Ecco qui nel glossario:
•Shiver me timbers!: an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud.

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Note added at 12 mins (2010-11-07 19:51:29 GMT)
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Dalla stessa fonte, un'alternativa (meno conosciuta ma non male per il tuo contesto):
•By the Powers!: an exclamation, uttered by Long John Silver in Treasure Island!

Selected response from:

Sara Maghini
Italy
Local time: 19:57

Grading comment

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

Summary of answers provided

4 +3

shiver me timbers

Sara Maghini

3 +1

blow me down

xxxMr Murray

Great Scott!

potra

thunder and lightnings

Paulo Horsky

Great balls of fire

Matthew Furfine

Avast and belay!

Tom in London

By Davy Jones!

Ernestine Shargool

By Jove

Rachel Fell

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

shiver me timbers

Sara Maghini
Italy
Local time: 19:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Italian
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Notes to answerer

Asker: grazie Sara, e molto carino il sito!

30 mins confidence:

Avast and belay!

Explanation:
Another option.

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Note added at 30 mins (2010-11-07 20:09:32 GMT)
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.. but Sara's is good !

Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 20

55 mins confidence:

Great balls of fire

Explanation:
Awaiting the pirate-lingo überexpert, this rings compatible.

Matthew Furfine
Italy
Local time: 19:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English

2 hrs confidence:

thunder and lightnings

Explanation:
---

Paulo Horsky
Local time: 14:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Portuguese,

French

4 hrs confidence:

By Jove

Explanation:
he (Jove) dispensed the thunder and lightning ;-)

By Jove - exclamation of surprise or emphasis
Jove is the older Roman name for the god Jupiter, deriving from an alteration of Jovis pater, father Jove. Jupiter was the god of the sky, the sovereign deity who had powers over both gods and men. From medieval times, Jove has been used in English as a poetical form of Jupiter. It has also been linked with Jehovah, a form of the Hebrew name of God used in some translations of the Bible. By Jove, used as a mild oath, dates back to the 16th century. It was originally a way of calling on a higher power without using the blasphemous by God.

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayingsb.htm

It was apparently used at the time.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2010-11-07 23:50:25 GMT)
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Though not especially nautical.

Rachel Fell
Local time: 18:57
Native speaker of:

English

6 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

blow me down

Explanation:
Avast ye swabs! Hang me from the yard-arm if it ain't blow me down!

[see the video in web reference 2 - and listen carefully]

Reference: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/partykit/poster.pdf
Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxuXiIGZpLw

xxxMr Murray
Italy
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: ahah, nice, thanks!

23 hrs confidence:

By Davy Jones!

Explanation:
OED 1751 In nautical slang: The spirit of the sea; the sailors' devil. 'Davy Jones's (or Davy's) locker: the ocean, especially as the grave of those who perish at sea.

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Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2010-11-08 22:47:02 GMT)
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P.S. As I'm becoming increasingly forgetful myself, I empathise with your character's "La vecchiaia inizia a farsi sentire!" I guess in that frame of mind he would (at least unconsciously) think of Davy Jones's locker, so this exclamation would not be out of place.

Ernestine Shargool
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Italian
PRO pts in category: 7

3 days15 hrs confidence:

Great Scott!

Explanation:
This is US English. It is an old fashioned expression. Christopher Lloyd (the eccentric time machnine professor) utters it constantly in the '80s movie: 'Back to the Future', starring Michael J. Fox.

potra
United States
Local time: 13:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Italian,

English
PRO pts in category: 13

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you, eheh I love that film and look forward to watching it in the original version, who knows how many translation questions it aroused!

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Tuoni e fulmini

English translation: shiver me timbers

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English translation: shiver me timbers

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