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пока целая

English translation: Shut your trap while you're still in one piece!

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Russian term or phrase:пока целая
English translation:Shut your trap while you're still in one piece!
Entered by: Alexandra Taggart

05:39 Oct 23, 2010
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Slang
Russian term or phrase: пока целая
Full expression:
Закрой рот пока целая
This is the response from the officer when a woman asked why she was being detained. (Belarus)
Paul Sadur
Local time: 07:33
Shut your trap while you're still in one piece!
Explanation:
"Before I destroy you"

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Note added at 3 days13 hrs (2010-10-26 18:40:00 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thank you! I'm always at your service!
In fact, this expression is a derivative from "Вернуться С ВОЙНЫ ЦЕЛЫМ и невредимым". Many soldiers had returned home with one leg, or one arm, broken scull, etc when the II World war ended.
Why the officer replied by using these words - IMHO, probably because that lady didn't simply ask the question,perhaps, she was too argumentative, she had "started a war".
Selected response from:

Alexandra Taggart
Russian Federation
Local time: 15:33
Grading comment
Thanks! The other suggestions were also useful, but this is a matter of putting in what a thug would say in similar circumstances in English. A literal translation would fail here, of course.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4(Shut your mouth) while you've still got one!
Rachel Douglas
4 +3(shut your mouth) or I'll shut it for you
Mark Berelekhis
5while you're unhurt
Michael Kislov
5(shut up) or you're gonna get hurt (ИЛИ get it)
Andrei B
5Shut your trap while you're still in one piece!
Alexandra Taggart
4while you are safe
Dmitry Murzakov
4(shut your mouth) while you can
David Knowles
4 -1or else (here)
rns
4 -1while you are still in/with a whole skin
interprivate


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
while you're unhurt


Explanation:
.

Michael Kislov
Russian Federation
Local time: 15:33
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4
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28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
or else (here)


Explanation:
Shut up or else

rns
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 15

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Andrei B: or else = "а то ..." - другая идиома (нет столь сильного намека на физическое наказание, как в "пока целая") Очень четкое пояснение см. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=or else// "пока целая" не вызывает вопросов типа "or else what?"
1 hr
  -> 1. Ваше понимание обеих идиом, как мне кажется, несколько узко. "or else" — inspecific threat of bad consequences — http://bit.ly/caRiKN / "пока цел" — Уходи, пока цел! (угроза) — http://bit.ly/a2Pcdu 2. You seem to miss "(here)" in my answer//No comment.
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35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
while you are safe


Explanation:
Источник - Abby Lingvo, статья -"целый".

Dmitry Murzakov
Russian Federation
Local time: 16:33
Native speaker of: Russian
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
while you are still in/with a whole skin


Explanation:
...

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Note added at 37 mins (2010-10-23 06:16:51 GMT)
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http://www.babylon.com/definition/skin/Russian
in/with a whole skin - цел и невредим;

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Note added at 44 mins (2010-10-23 06:23:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://books.google.com.ua/books?id=wuLrTJ0wtlMC&pg=PA143&lp...
escape with a whole skin - (also: keep a whole skin) escape without damage, remain unhurt

interprivate
Local time: 13:33
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in UkrainianUkrainian
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Andrei B: Escape? Do you mean the woman can somehow escape while in detention, hurt or unhurt?// You can hardly find an example of your suggested phrase in a context similar to Asker's
14 hrs
  -> В моем ответе НЕТ слова escape.Фраза с escape дана только в качестве одного из примеров употребления"with a whole skin". Но проявлю толерантность к отсутствию у Вас способности это понять.И Вам не стоит приписывать свои домыслы чужому ответу. Спасибо
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53 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
(shut your mouth) or I'll shut it for you


Explanation:
For something idiomatic.

Mark Berelekhis
United States
Local time: 08:33
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 123

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jack Doughty
12 mins
  -> Thank you.
agree  svetlana cosquéric
3 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  LanaUK
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
(Shut your mouth) while you've still got one!


Explanation:
Pretty threatening.

Rachel Douglas
United States
Local time: 08:33
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Natalie: :-)
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Natalie.
agree  Rodion Shein
9 hrs
  -> Thanks, Rodion.
neutral  Andrei B: The expression sounds uncommon as one of intimidation, whereas пока цел(ая) is frequently used as such. The disparity made me think you'd done it word-for-word/ Sounds new to me. I thought it's rather common in "while you've still got time/chance" Thanks
9 hrs
  -> Why would you be trying to do a word-for-word translation here? If the lady's mouth/teeth/jaw get knocked out, I guess she won't be целая any more. / "Do X while you've still got Y" is common in warnings & threats. It works here as a variation.
agree  Angela Greenfield
1 day 17 hrs
  -> Thanks, Angela.
agree  interprivate
2 days 8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
(shut your mouth) while you can


Explanation:
to keep as much of possible of the idea of "wholeness"

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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-10-23 08:00:38 GMT)
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maybe "while you still can", but I'm not sure!

David Knowles
Local time: 13:33
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 9

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Andrei B: "but I'm not sure" sounds really strange from a native English speaker. Hint: in the context of a cop speaking menacingly to a detained woman, the idea of целая is not that of "whole" - it's about her limbs still unbroken and face unpunched
8 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
(shut up) or you're gonna get hurt (ИЛИ get it)


Explanation:
get it = to be punished or scolded (Informal)
см. ссылку в Интернете
get hurt = то же самое , но с сильным намеком на физическое наказание

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Note added at 3 час (2010-10-23 08:45:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Important:
The idiom "пока целая" means a threat of physical injury to be inflicted unless the order (Закрой рот = shut up) is obeyed


    Reference: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/get+it
Andrei B
Local time: 15:33
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  rns: "The idiom "пока целая" means a threat of physical injury" — you surely would provide a proof link that it can't be just a general threat? // To me? Never. I thought you'd owe it to yourself.
3 hrs
  -> Do I really need to provide anything to you at all here?
neutral  Natalie: Слабоватая угроза получается//Уже предложен - у Рейчел прекрасный вариант
14 hrs
  -> Угроза слабовата? // Не спорю. Но get hurt однозначнее по применению (см. коммент к Rachel) и встречается на порядки чаще (проверьте Гуглом) - важнейшие преимущества с учетом "богатства" проф. языка копов/ментов Писал я свой ответ не зная о ее "while..."
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Shut your trap while you're still in one piece!


Explanation:
"Before I destroy you"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 days13 hrs (2010-10-26 18:40:00 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thank you! I'm always at your service!
In fact, this expression is a derivative from "Вернуться С ВОЙНЫ ЦЕЛЫМ и невредимым". Many soldiers had returned home with one leg, or one arm, broken scull, etc when the II World war ended.
Why the officer replied by using these words - IMHO, probably because that lady didn't simply ask the question,perhaps, she was too argumentative, she had "started a war".

Alexandra Taggart
Russian Federation
Local time: 15:33
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Thanks! The other suggestions were also useful, but this is a matter of putting in what a thug would say in similar circumstances in English. A literal translation would fail here, of course.
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