Trocear el mango con deleite

[poli]

The direct translation is slices up the mango with joy which doesn't make much sense as a dicho in English. What does it mean in Spanish?--happily accomplishing a task?

[sosia]

No idea..... we do not have mangos here.....
saludos

[Rusty]

What is the context, Poli? If someone were to say this in a mean way, I suppose it could mean something like 'to take pleasure in cutting him/her into little pieces'. In Mexico, mango is slang for a hunk or a babe.

[poli]

I've been trying to copy and paste the article that contains this phrase, but unfortunately the computer I'm working on is not cooperating.
If you are interested in reading this phrase in context you may find it in today's El Pais under cultura. It's an article about Diego Gabino. The phrase is in the fifth paragraph.

It's a really well written article.

[Rusty]

Thanks for the article. I think the phrase, in this context, is refering to Diego's ability to wear many hats and feel right at home in each one. Perhaps the metaphor of someone joyfully cutting up a mango into small pieces is how we would say 'easily able to juggle everything at once.' The writer noted that it's hard to hold a single conversation with him because he's able to jump from topic to topic with ease.

I couldn't find this metaphor used anywhere else.

[Tomisimo]

Imposible mantener una conversación lineal con el hombre que trocea el mango con deleite.

Here's the article.

Edit: Rusty beat me with an answer.

[sosia]

agree with Rusty.
saludos

[Elaina]

STUPID QUESTION ALERT

En sí, no entiendo el significado de la frase.....

"Imposible mantener una conversación lineal con el hombre que trocea el mango con deleite".

Por favor disculpen mi "Spanglish"......

So...... it is impossible to have a serious conversation with someone that is not on an even keel?

Please explain.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Elaina

En sí, no entiendo el significado de la frase.....

"Imposible mantener una conversación lineal con el hombre que trocea el mango con deleite".

...

So...... it is impossible to have a serious conversation with someone that is not on an even keel?

Please explain.

The translation you gave for conversación lineal doesn't quite capture the idea. To me, a linear conversation is one that is easy to follow. It usually deals with a single topic. The opposite of that could be compared to a movie with complex characters and several flashbacks. It's difficult to bounce from time period to time period, character to character.
The meaning I gathered from the sentence was that it was impossible to keep the guy on a single topic. One thing made him think of another and off he went down that tangent, which in turn invited another thought, and so on. Metaphorically, the writer compared this to someone slicing off a piece of information while eyeing up the fruit for the next piece you might be interested in. They seldom think twice that a single topic was the order of business. These are those who shove a firehose down your throat when you've asked for a drink of water.

[Elaina]

Well, what I got out of it was that something or someone was not on an even keel............

What you are describing is someone that isn't..... someone that is hyper, overly anxious, etc

I understand how you are describing what the sentence says but I'm getting that from the sentence itself. To me it doesn't really make much sense.

But I'll take your word for it.

Thanks!

[sosia]

Hola Elaina
Conversación lineal: Una conversación continua, sobre un tema concreto.
un "hombre que trocea el mango con deleite" es alguien que salta de un tema a otro sin problemas, por lo que no se puede mantener con él una conversación lineal

Con un conversador lineal, empiezas hablando de economía y 2 horas más tarde sigues ahbalndo de economía.
Con un conversador no lineal, que cambia de tema fácilmente, que "trocea el mango con deleite" empiezas hablando de economía sigues con estudios de mercado, economía alternativa, comunas hippies, Hare Krisna, los tifones, la corriente del golfo, el caribe, las pirámdies de México y las hormigas del Yucatan.

Yo no sé porqué "trocear el mango con deleite" significa "cambiar de tema en tema", pero supongo que es que si una persona hace algo tan básico como trocear un mango divirtiéndose, es capaz de hacer/hablar de cualquier cosa.

Saludos

[Elaina]

Gracias Sosia......lo bueno es que a mi no me gusta "trocear el mango con deleite".

Let's be honest......doesn't it sound nasty?

Y si se puede tomar con dos sentidos como yo lo he tomado, ¿porqué un periódico o un reportero usaría esa frase cuando hay un sin fín de frases mas "normales" que hubiera podido usar?

[sosia]

Personalmente tampoco me gusta la frase. "mango" puede significar otra cosa, sobre todo "con deleite" :wicked
Supongo que será de uso normal en el Caribe. O quizás el reportero era un guasón.
Saludos