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colgué los guantes pero quedaron lustraitos

English translation: I hung up my gloves but they were still shiny

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	colgué los guantes pero quedaron lustraitos
English translation:	I hung up my gloves but they were still shiny
Entered by:	David Ronder

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20:05 Oct 10, 2011

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Personal letter

Spanish term or phrase: colgué los guantes pero quedaron lustraitos

This appears towards the end of a letter written to a friend. The writer is from Chile. Earlier in the letter he mentions how he has given up drinking so I'm wondering if this refers to that in some way but this is just a guess. Any help much appreciated, thanks.

Sandy Carpenter KudoZ activity Questions: 29 (none open) (4 closed without grading) Answers: 11
Local time: 03:33

I hung up my gloves but they were still shiny

Explanation:
or gleaming

(or burnished...?)

or still glistened

The original is a boxing metaphor and I see no reason to switch to football.

You hang up your gloves when you give up the fight. If they're still shiny or gleaming or burnished or glistening, you might just be ready to step back into the ring with whatever opponent you face (perhaps in this instance alcohol, as you suggest).

References:

to hang up your gloves
http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_...

gleaming
BLOW BY BLOW - HINCH.net - The Official Derryn Hinch Website
www.hinch.net/articles_archive/blow_by_blow.htm - Block all www.hinch.net results
One night, somebody produced a gleaming pair of red leather boxing gloves. I put them on and was mesmerised. Had to have them. Took them home to Mum ...

shiny
I Want To Learn How To Box
www.articlesbase.com › Sports and Fitness › Self Defense19 May 2011 – They eventually arrive, you rip open the packages, put on your shiny new boxing gloves and you're now staring at a brand new heavy bag that ...

glistening
A Son of War: A Novel - Google Books Result
books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=1559707208...
Melvyn Bragg - 2004 - Fiction - 432 pages
Sam whispered the rehearsal as he laid out the big boxing gloves like a ... But he could not keep his eyes off the snuggling of the large glistening gloves, ...

Selected response from:

David Ronder
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:33

Grading comment

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

Summary of answers provided

4 +3

I hung up my gloves but they were still shiny

David Ronder

3 +2

I hung up my boots but they were still polished

Edward Tully

4 +1

I hung up my gloves but I've still got the itch

franglish

3 +1

I went on the wagon but still thirsty

David Hollywood

I've given up the demon drink but the lure of the bottle is always there

Carol Gullidge

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

11 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

I hung up my boots but they were still polished

Explanation:
Difficult, so this is a general suggestion just to get the ball rolling; the meaning is clear that the possibility to return to doing something still remains...

Edward Tully
Local time: 04:33
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 78

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

I hung up my gloves but they were still shiny

David Ronder
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:33
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

I went on the wagon but still thirsty

Explanation:
if it's to do with drinking ....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2011-10-10 22:50:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or: I hung up the gloves but still looking for a fight

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2011-10-10 22:51:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

to keep the metaphor

David Hollywood
Local time: 23:33
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 40

11 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

I hung up my gloves but I've still got the itch

Explanation:
In other words, I quit but a drink is as appealing as ever, I've still got the urge.
http://www.reddit.com/.../ive_almost_fully_quit_but_the_itch... +1'd this publicly. Undo
2 days ago – I've almost fully quit, but the itch is still there. Here is ... 20 days later, and I got the itch and logged back on. ... Regret came, delayed, but surely. ...
http://www.network54.com/.../Datograph (still got the itch) ... +1'd this publicly. Undo
21 posts - 4 authors - Last post: 4 Mar 2004
The itch for Dato is still here but there's now a new itch.. for the ... I've been itching to get a Datograph, and I am contemplating to ...

franglish
Local time: 04:33
Native speaker of:

German

13 hrs confidence:

I've given up the demon drink but the lure of the bottle is always there

Explanation:
When you give up the bottle, that's when the battle begins

I'm a reformed alcoholic but the temptation is never far away

Yes, sadly, the boxing gloves metaphor is lost here. In fact, I'm not sure that "hanging up one's gloves" isn't rather misplaced in this context, as it rather implies giving up fighting - which is far from the case with fighting alcoholism. Instead I'm assuming that this IS referring to the writer having given up alcohol, and have gone in this case for a more explicative translation. It's well known that alcoholics are never completely cured. I know several reformed alcoholics, and they have to steer well clear of any alcohol, as they know that just one drink will send them right back to square 1.

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:33
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 118

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Changes made by editors

Oct 24, 2011 - Changes made by David Ronder:
Created KOG entry	KudoZ term => KOG term

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colgué los guantes pero quedaron lustraitos

English translation: I hung up my gloves but they were still shiny

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colgué los guantes pero quedaron lustraitos

English translation: I hung up my gloves but they were still shiny

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

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