ask

[skotopes]

whether there is in English sayings "there still gunpowder in the flasks"? Proverb "there is life in the old dog yet"- i know.:-roll:

 

[Tdol]

I haven't come across it.

 

[skotopes]

i don`t understand you. what you mean?

 

[skotopes]

and is it permissible use in conversation with an Englishman version of " there is still gunpowder in the flasks" would have made sense ? Or need to explain

 

[5jj]

[STRIKE]i[/STRIKE] I don`t understand you. [STRIKE]w[/STRIKE] What do you mean?

I haven't come across it. = I haven't met it, I have not seen it in writing or heard it in speech.

 

[5jj]

[STRIKE]and[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]i[/STRIKE] Is it permissible to use in conversation with an Englishman a version of " there is still gunpowder in the flasks"? [STRIKE]w[/STRIKE] Would [STRIKE]have made[/STRIKE] it make sense, or would I need to explain?

We might be able to guess the meaning, but it would sound strange. It is not a natural English expression.

ps. These days we prefer 'an English person/speaker' to 'an Englishman', because it is better to be inclusive - why should women be excluded?

 

[skotopes]

Thanks. My first mistake is realized. As regards the second , then just do not have time to fix. But you`re absolutely right . Will try to continue to better articulate phrases. However, admit it`s not easy, since i use the program transfer from the poor language skills. Thanks again.I hope for your assistance in the future. I need to learn how to express ideas in English without assistance.

 

[skotopes]

I am interested in British English

 

[5jj]

Although Tdol and I are both speakers of BrE, I don't think we have written anything a speaker of AmE would disagree with (touch [BrE] /knock on [AmE] wood).

However, I should have written, in post #6:

These days we prefer 'a native speaker of English [STRIKE]an English person/speaker[/STRIKE]' to 'an Englishman', because it is better to be inclusive - why should women and speakers of other dialects of English be excluded?

 

[susiedqq]

re: "there still gunpowder in the flasks" and "there is life in the old dog yet"

Yes, you might hear this in the US, but rarely used by people under 60.

Those expressions are used to mean that an older man is still virile.

:lol:

 

[skotopes]

Thank everyone, who help me! Your explanation helped me a lot.Means that in principle i proposed option would be understandable, but ,perhaps, not perceived as an idiom. I understand you correctly? Thanks for the correction of errors.:lol:

 

[skotopes]

Thank everyone, who help me! Your explanation helped me a lot.Means that in principle i proposed option would be understandable, but ,perhaps, not perceived as an idiom. I understand you correctly? Thanks for the correction of errors.

 

[skotopes]

Oh! Finally it became clear. And that the phrase "i`m interest in English"-just seemed to me that American version is more like my mother tongue method of constructing phrases! Or anything more. But now i think it`s a superficial view, and everything is more complicated. And yet,can i use my version `gunpowder in a powder flasks` for women? Because in my language it may be.:?

 

[probus]

It appears to be a literal translation of a Russian stock phrase. In my 64 years I have never heard it in English, nor do I expect to.

 

[5jj]

It appears to be a literal translation of a Russian stock phrase. In my 64 years I have never heard it in English, nor do I expect to.

The same for me.

Despite what several people have said, skotopes, you seem determined to use it. Go ahead. Many people may well understand you. However, as a general rule, you will sound more natural if you use expressions that are familiar to native speakers.

 

[skotopes]

You have convinced me.Thank to all

 

[skotopes]

How to deal with translation of literary texts? Not to lose the nuances of humor?Would be understandable if native speakers of English, the phrase: `This is where such you seen so that in a live person to a knife poking?` This statement is sometimes found as an allegory.

 

[5jj]

If you were translating a literary text, then " there is still gunpowder in his flask" is acceptable. The reader would know that this is a translation, and make the mental adjustment to understand.

However, I have no idea what is meant by `This is where such you seen so that in a live person to a knife poking?`It's not the expression that I don't understand, but the English in which it is written. The words are English, but the sentence is not.

 

[skotopes]

The first sentence- it is a Russian proverb. And the second is a literary quotation, which must be translated without losing the sarcastic tone. May be this:`This is where there is a view in a living person to poke a knife.` ?

 

[Barb_D]

The first sentence- it is a Russian proverb. And the second is a literary quotation, which must be translated without losing the sarcastic tone. May be this:`This is where there is a view in a living person to poke a knife.` ?

I am unable to understand this.