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Dar el traste con

 

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not readily apparent based on the individual words in the expression. This forum is dedicated to discussing idioms and other sayings.


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  #1  
Old May 24, 2010, 08:10 AM
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Dar el traste con

Is this a commonly used international expression?
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Old May 24, 2010, 08:31 AM
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In Spain it's rather common. (Dar al traste con...)
Moliner defines it like this,
Dar al traste con una cosa. Terminar con ella: ‘Tantas dilaciones dieron al traste con mi paciencia. En un año dio al traste con la herencia. La enfermedad dio al traste con sus economías’.
Irse al traste una cosa. *Frustrarse o *malograrse.
In English would be something like to put paid to sth; irse al traste [plan/idea] to fall through; [esperanzas] to be dashed.
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Old May 24, 2010, 08:39 AM
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In Chile "traste" also means "el trasero de uno" "nalgas"
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Old May 24, 2010, 08:55 AM
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Esos chilenos.....
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Old May 24, 2010, 11:51 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elaina View Post
Esos chilenos.....
It is in the RAE.
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Old May 24, 2010, 12:57 PM
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I agree with JPablo: "dar/irse al traste".
And although it's not an expression you'll hear every day, it's widely used and understood.

Mi viaje se fue al traste cuando subió el tipo de cambio.
My trip had to be cancelled when the currency exchange rate changed.

Su alcoholismo dio al traste con su carrera.
His alcoholism brought his career to an end.
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Old May 25, 2010, 03:01 AM
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Gracias, Angélica. Al leer tus ejemplos me he acordado de una expresión muy parecida: "Nuestro gozo en un pozo". (Literalmente, "my joy in[side] a well"!) (Equivalent to the British that's torn it! - expressing that an unexpected event or circumstance has upset one's plans.)
Moliner lo define: Mi [nuestro, etc.] gozo en un pozo (inf.). Comentario o exclamación de desilusión cuando se malogra una cosa que se esperaba con alegría.
En tu ejemplo la variación sería:
Con la subida del tipo de cambio no pude hacer el viaje: Mi gozo en un pozo.

With the change on the currency exchange I was unable to do my trip: that's torn it!
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Old May 25, 2010, 06:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JPablo View Post
Gracias, Angélica. Al leer tus ejemplos me he acordado de una expresión muy parecida: "Nuestro gozo en un pozo". (Literalmente, "my joy in[side] a well"!) (Equivalent to the British that's torn it! - expressing that an unexpected event or circumstance has upset one's plans.)
Moliner lo define: Mi [nuestro, etc.] gozo en un pozo (inf.). Comentario o exclamación de desilusión cuando se malogra una cosa que se esperaba con alegría.
En tu ejemplo la variación sería:
Con la subida del tipo de cambio no pude hacer el viaje: Mi gozo en un pozo.
With the change on the currency exchange I was unable to do my trip: that's torn it!
Hablando de pozo....

Me recuerdo de un pobre hombre que siempre decía,
El muerto al pozo y el vivo al gozo

El siempre esperaba la muerte con anhelo ya que había sufrido tanto.
Él quería morir para que su familia dejara de sufrir por él.... muy triste. Pero cada vez que me acuerdo de él me sonrío porque era una persona muy linda.

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Old May 25, 2010, 07:05 AM
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Vaya, qué gracia. En España se usa (y Moliner lo confirma) El muerto al hoyo y el vivo al bollo (generalmente sustituyendo la segunda parte con puntos suspensivos; informal). Frase con que se comenta, a veces en tono de crítica, que lo normal tras el fallecimiento de una persona es que sus allegados la olviden y vuelvan a su vida habitual.
Mientras estudiaba otro asunto vi que Cambridge Klett da otra opción para "irse al traste" = to go down the pan
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Old May 25, 2010, 07:08 AM
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Nunca había escuchado esa expresión... to go down the pan...
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