08/15-Blondine

English translation: ordinary-looking

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:08/15-(Blondine)
English translation:ordinary-looking
Entered by: David Wallace

15:13 Apr 23, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Slang
German term or phrase: 08/15-Blondine
An der Bar läuft mir eine 08/15-Blondine mit Schulmädchenzöpfen über den Weg.

Presumably they mean something like "dumb blonde". But what does the 08/15 refer to?
David Wallace
United States
Local time: 03:36
ordinary-looking
Explanation:
08/15 is an expression from the armz slang of
world war 2.
08/15 was the most common army pistol in Germany
Selected response from:

moser.ilja
Local time: 08:36
Grading comment
Vielen Dank an alle! Спасибо всем! I NEVER would have found this one in a dictionary!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2garden-variety blonde / run-of-the-mill blonde
NGK
5 +1ordinary-looking
moser.ilja
3 +2run-of-the-mill blonde
Kim Metzger
4your typical blonde
Michaela Blaha
3quintessential blonde
Stephen Roche
324/7 blonde
Francis Lee (X)
3unassuming
Annette Urbschat


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
garden-variety blonde / run-of-the-mill blonde


Explanation:
something like that

NGK
United States
Local time: 02:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 40

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Werner Hehn: Yes! 08/15 just means "ordinary" or "everyday" -like a million others. In other words she is not unusual(ly attractive).
4 mins

agree  Ian M-H (X): common or garden, standard issue, regular...
28 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
run-of-the-mill blonde


Explanation:
08/15 is off-the-rack or

Does the other connotation of "Null-acht-fünfzig" come from this abbreviation?
Don't you mean "Null-acht-fünfzehn", used for "plain vanilla", "pure standard"?

http://forum.wordreference.com/archive/index.php?t-28416.htm...


Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 01:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 156

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Textklick: What I'd say
3 hrs

agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): this would be my take,too, very common term here
4 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
ordinary-looking


Explanation:
08/15 is an expression from the armz slang of
world war 2.
08/15 was the most common army pistol in Germany


moser.ilja
Local time: 08:36
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Vielen Dank an alle! Спасибо всем! I NEVER would have found this one in a dictionary!!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Ian M-H (X): wrong war, wrong kind of weapon: http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/zwiebelfisch/0,1518,311740,00.h...
24 mins

agree  Hilary Davies Shelby: but i would agree with "ordinary-looking"
6 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
your typical blonde


Explanation:
08/15 means standard or typical.

You could therefore also use "your typical blonde".

Michaela Blaha
Local time: 08:36
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
quintessential blonde


Explanation:
another option

Stephen Roche
Local time: 08:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
24/7 blonde


Explanation:
Just another (very contemporary) alternative to regular X etc.

Francis Lee (X)
Local time: 08:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 54
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
unassuming


Explanation:
This (feminist) perspective suggests that the blonde herself is unassuming i.e. not pretentious- hence the 'Schulmädchenzöpfe'. I don't know if that makes sense in your context.

Annette Urbschat
Local time: 03:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 3
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

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


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search