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get it to color up

English translation: make black smoke

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:get it to color up
Selected answer:make black smoke
Entered by: Angie Garbarino

19:10 Nov 21, 2006
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Linguistics / interview
English term or phrase: get it to color up
Whatever we did to it, we could not get it to color up on the exhaust, there was no smoke anywhere

I have this translation into italian, i don't understand this sentence, I posted it in the eng>Ita kudoz but nothing..... :(

Can someone explain in other words *Get it to color up* please?

It is an interview about performances of a new tractor

thanks a lot for you help

Angio :)
Angie Garbarino
Local time: 03:38
make black smoke
Explanation:
I think you'll find it's even simpler than Jonathan is suggesting — I believe it simply refers to trying their hardest to make it produce black smoke (tractors being notorious for this, of course!) — of course, it might be any other colour (grey, white, brown...), but the most likely would be black, for a diesel at least.

The point is that exhaust gas is usually colourless, so 'colour up' would be a loigcal way to describe the smoke's becoming visible in this way.
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 03:38
Grading comment
Thank you very much Tony :)
You really helped me
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
1 +7make black smoke
Tony M
2 +1sounds like
Jonathan MacKerron


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
sounds like


Explanation:
they tried to make the exhaust smoke visible by coloring it in some way, but without success

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2006-11-21 19:29:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

i.e. a very low rate of emissions into the air

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks a lot, it make sense now :)


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  NancyLynn: that's how it sounds to me too
5 mins
neutral  Tony M: I don't think it's as complicated as that; I think they just mean "tried everything to make it produce black smoke" (but it didn't)
13 mins
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +7
make black smoke


Explanation:
I think you'll find it's even simpler than Jonathan is suggesting — I believe it simply refers to trying their hardest to make it produce black smoke (tractors being notorious for this, of course!) — of course, it might be any other colour (grey, white, brown...), but the most likely would be black, for a diesel at least.

The point is that exhaust gas is usually colourless, so 'colour up' would be a loigcal way to describe the smoke's becoming visible in this way.

Tony M
France
Local time: 03:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 156
Grading comment
Thank you very much Tony :)
You really helped me
Notes to answerer
Asker: thanks this week will be intense for me I'm afraid, (with this translation) ^_^


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  TranslateThis: that's what it sounds like
1 hr
  -> Thanks, TT! I reckon it's as good a guess as any!
agree  Dave Calderhead: Paints the picture nicely
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Dave!
agree  ErichEko ⟹⭐: Very good guess, Tony. Two thumbs up!
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Erich!
agree  Richard Benham: What else? Good explanation as usual.
12 hrs
  -> Thanks, RB!
agree  Ken Cox: yep
12 hrs
  -> Thanks, Ken!
agree  Robert Fox
14 hrs
  -> Thanks, Robert!
agree  William [Bill] Gray
15 hrs
  -> Thanks, Bill!
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