0815

English translation: run of the mill

09:37 Dec 13, 2000

German to English translations [Non-PRO]
Marketing - Tourism & Travel

German term or phrase: 0815

Seems to be a category of hotels. An experienced traveller comments in a taped interview: "In den 0815 Dingern gibt es ein Portiönchen Butter, einmal Marmelade, wenn Sie Glück haben dann noch eine offene Scheibe Wurst..."
In a good hotel, furthermore, "man ist micht so 0815, wo alles so wischiwaschi ist..."
In short, 0815 hotels are the pits for this guest.

What category is this in English, pray tell?

Parrot KudoZ activity Questions: 1398 (2 open) (8 without valid answers) (6 closed without grading) Answers: 10565 Spain
Local time: 02:57

English translation:run of the mill

Explanation:
0815 is a general expression indicating nothing special, eg 08/15 (alternative form) Film mit 0815 Schauspielern,

Yours Mike Harold

Selected response from:

buckel
Local time: 02:57

Grading comment

Thank you all, it was very interesting getting all those comments. In the end I suppose I have to use the term as is (with helping phrases) since the interview is part of a hotel market study.
2 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

Petty bourgeois

Nancy Schmeing

'NOT WANTED' hotels

Evert DELOOF-SYS

run of the mill

buckel

see explanation

Beth Kantus

mediocre/commonplace

Mats Wiman

I agree with Mike Harold

Sibyl Marquardt

Answers

22 mins

Petty bourgeois

Explanation:
This beautiful website shows a list of hotels with numbers above and below 0815. It looks as if these 0815 hotels are truly middle class and have checked off all the things they have to do exactly to get in the class they are in. Some people tend to scorn middle class, perhaps thinking they deserve better, perhaps not liking the sense of calculating place. Petty bourgeois is what people sometimes call this.
Best wishes Nancy

Reference: http://www.seaview.net.au/hotels.html

Nancy Schmeing
Canada
Local time: 20:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

23 mins

'NOT WANTED' hotels

Explanation:
An educated guess:
0815 is used on the Internet to say that something is not wanted (or under construction), like 404 is 'document not found'.

Your man is most probably an internet-addict:)

- haven't seen any 0815's related to hotels (yet)

Enter 0815 at e.g. http://ragingsearch.altavista.com
where you'll find quite a few references to this number.
Some personal pages read:0815 and then say: now you'll understand why I'm not wanted, whereby his/her CV shows up ...
Others come up with subjects nobody (or only very few) is interested in etc
HTH

Evert DELOOF-SYS
Belgium
Local time: 02:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Dutch,

Flemish

26 mins

run of the mill

Explanation:
0815 is a general expression indicating nothing special, eg 08/15 (alternative form) Film mit 0815 Schauspielern,

Yours Mike Harold

buckel
Local time: 02:57

Grading comment

Thank you all, it was very interesting getting all those comments. In the end I suppose I have to use the term as is (with helping phrases) since the interview is part of a hotel market study.

1 hr

see explanation

Explanation:
In these run-of-the-mill type establishments, breakfast consists of a standard pat of butter, one portion of jam, and - if you're lucky - a single
(I don't know what "open" means in this context - maybe dried-up) slice of meat/sandwich meat or some other type of cold cut.

In good hotels, a guests is not treated like just another/an ordinary/any old traveler ...
(to interpret the meaning of wishy-washy here a little more context is needed.)
HTH - Beth

Beth Kantus
United States
Local time: 20:57
Native speaker of: English

4 hrs

mediocre/commonplace

Explanation:
"In the mediocre hotels you get a tiny portion of butter, some marmalade and, if you are lucky, a slice of sausage."

In good hotels, one is not so commonplace, where drivelling is....

Norstedts de<>sv+ Norstedts en<>sv+Cassell's+MW

Mats Wiman
Sweden
Local time: 02:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Swedish

1 day 42 mins

I agree with Mike Harold

Explanation:
The expression 0815 or 08/15 comes from a movie, I think it was a science fiction thing from the 60ies. Since then, German colloquial usage refers to something that is so normal as to be boring and small-minded. A 08/15 vacation is one that you book where you do nothing out of the ordinary. A 08/15 person would be someone who doesn't and in fact isn't able to do anything special whatsoever - not even read a book other wouldn't read, let alone say something that isn't "everybody's" opinion.

This is the background for the phrase, and therefore a 08/15 hotel and breakfast is something extremely undesirable - if only because people like to be special and different.

HTH
Sibyl

Sibyl Marquardt
Italy
Local time: 02:57
Works in field
Native speaker of:

German,

English

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