This question was closed without grading. Reason: No acceptable answer
Apr 11, 2016 08:21
8 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Spanish term
Spain
Fluent, Reliable Translations
Native in: English (Variant: UK)
Works in: Spanish to English
a reclamar al maestro armero!
Spanish to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
anecdotal
Here's the phrase:
...una conferencia que daba Luis en xxxxxxxx que debía empezar a las 20 y se inició con 20 minutos de retraso.(Y la culpa no es del maestro armero)...
See the twist? Normally you blame the maestro armero ... here, he's not to blame
Any thoughts on how to come up with an idiomatic English phrase that makes reference to an original equivelant and then adds the wry twist?
See here for context and outline info on idiom plus 3 URLs
This is an idiom used to deflect blame and often appears with
a reclamar al maestro armero!
What I want is some great suggestions rendering this idiom into English.
I'll include 3 URLs below which explain how it's usually used. What I have to translate is a twist on it where it's referred to wryly.
URLs:http://www.1de3.es/2006/09/30/reclamaciones-al-maestro-armero/
http://blogs.20minutos.es/yaestaellistoquetodolosabe/sabes-cual-es-el-origen-de-la-expresion-las-reclamaciones-al-maestro-armero/
http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/el-maestro-armero.336739/
...una conferencia que daba Luis en xxxxxxxx que debía empezar a las 20 y se inició con 20 minutos de retraso.(Y la culpa no es del maestro armero)...
See the twist? Normally you blame the maestro armero ... here, he's not to blame
Any thoughts on how to come up with an idiomatic English phrase that makes reference to an original equivelant and then adds the wry twist?
See here for context and outline info on idiom plus 3 URLs
This is an idiom used to deflect blame and often appears with
a reclamar al maestro armero!
What I want is some great suggestions rendering this idiom into English.
I'll include 3 URLs below which explain how it's usually used. What I have to translate is a twist on it where it's referred to wryly.
URLs:http://www.1de3.es/2006/09/30/reclamaciones-al-maestro-armero/
http://blogs.20minutos.es/yaestaellistoquetodolosabe/sabes-cual-es-el-origen-de-la-expresion-las-reclamaciones-al-maestro-armero/
http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/el-maestro-armero.336739/
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +1 | don't shoot the messenger |
neilmac
|
| 3 | blame the secretary / and he couldn't blame the secretary |
Charles Davis
|
Proposed translations
1 hr
blame the secretary / and he couldn't blame the secretary
It doesn't have quite the same punch and idiomatic heft, but "blame the secretary" is something of a set phrase, referring to the tendency of bosses to blame their own cock-ups (missing appointments etc.) on their secretary, who is a classic scapegoat.
There are idioms, like those Neil has mentioned, that express similar ideas, but I've having a hard time working them in here.
There's a website called "Blame the Secretary":
"Have you ever been expected to lie for your boss?"
https://blamethesecretary.net/
"Excusable Neglect
A legitimate excuse for the failure of a party or his or her lawyer to take required action on time (like filing an answer to a complaint). [...] Illness, press of business by the lawyer (but not necessarily the defendant), or an understandable oversight by the lawyer's staff ("just blame the secretary") are common excuses which the courts will often accept."
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/excusable_neglect
Here's a poster saying "Keep calm and don't blame the secretary"
http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-dont-blame...
There are idioms, like those Neil has mentioned, that express similar ideas, but I've having a hard time working them in here.
There's a website called "Blame the Secretary":
"Have you ever been expected to lie for your boss?"
https://blamethesecretary.net/
"Excusable Neglect
A legitimate excuse for the failure of a party or his or her lawyer to take required action on time (like filing an answer to a complaint). [...] Illness, press of business by the lawyer (but not necessarily the defendant), or an understandable oversight by the lawyer's staff ("just blame the secretary") are common excuses which the courts will often accept."
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/excusable_neglect
Here's a poster saying "Keep calm and don't blame the secretary"
http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-dont-blame...
+1
35 mins
don't shoot the messenger
Off the top of my head. If I can think of others, I'll post them as they arise.
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Note added at 36 mins (2016-04-11 08:58:10 GMT)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_the_messenger
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Note added at 38 mins (2016-04-11 08:59:23 GMT)
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The wilipedia reference leads to (a new one on me) "kick the cat":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_the_cat
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Note added at 38 mins (2016-04-11 08:59:50 GMT)
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"Kick the cat (or kick the dog) is a metaphor used to describe how a relatively high-ranking person in an organization or family displaces his or her frustrations by abusing a lower-ranking person, who may in turn take it out on his or her own subordinate."
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Note added at 40 mins (2016-04-11 09:01:43 GMT)
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Or maybe a version of this?
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/a-bad-wor...
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Note added at 2 hrs (2016-04-11 11:06:26 GMT)
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Perhaps you might need to go for something slightly less idiomatic, for example "with no-one to blame but the man himself)...
As Charles says, it's a tough one... Sort of like making spaghetti, you need to keep throwing bits at the wall until it sticks...
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Note added at 36 mins (2016-04-11 08:58:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_the_messenger
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 38 mins (2016-04-11 08:59:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The wilipedia reference leads to (a new one on me) "kick the cat":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_the_cat
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 38 mins (2016-04-11 08:59:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"Kick the cat (or kick the dog) is a metaphor used to describe how a relatively high-ranking person in an organization or family displaces his or her frustrations by abusing a lower-ranking person, who may in turn take it out on his or her own subordinate."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 40 mins (2016-04-11 09:01:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Or maybe a version of this?
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/a-bad-wor...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2016-04-11 11:06:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Perhaps you might need to go for something slightly less idiomatic, for example "with no-one to blame but the man himself)...
As Charles says, it's a tough one... Sort of like making spaghetti, you need to keep throwing bits at the wall until it sticks...
Discussion
unacceptable in any "politically correct terms" not to mention culturally, I'd like something that has the sting of ..."and this time we can't even blame Franco" -for obvious reasons that isn't the one I plan to use.