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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

nicht von schlechten Eltern

English translation:

quite something

Added to glossary by Timoshka
May 9, 2023 01:58
1 yr ago
62 viewers *
German term

nicht von schlechten Eltern

German to English Social Sciences Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
In a letter from 1961, written in Tel Aviv, Israel, to an addressee in New York: "Bei uns sind die alljährlichen Hundstage. Da nach Erzählungen bei uns ähnliche klimatische Verhältnisse als in New York herrschen, so können wir Euch nichts vorlamentieren. Anfangs August hatten wir in Tel Aviv 94% Humidity und 35° Celsius = 95 Fahrenheit; nicht von schlechten Eltern. Um einen solchen Sommer besser durchstehen zu können, machen wir schon seit Jahren zu Ende des Frühlings einen einwöchigen Urlaub."

I'm totally confused by the phrase "not of bad parents" in a discussion of climate/weather. Any suggestions?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +6 quite something
4 +3 not to be sneezed at
5 extremely warm.
4 +1 packs (quite) a punch
4 by no means inconsiderable
4 not bad

Discussion

philgoddard May 9, 2023:
Lancashireman Collins says "not to be sneezed at" is British, and "nothing to sneeze at" is American. I don't think there's any way this could be mistaken for a reference to hayfever.
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/not-to-be-sneezed-at
Lancashireman May 9, 2023:
If you live in certain parts of GB... Part 2 not to be sniffed at
(The version with 'sneeze' would appear to be EN-US)
AllegroTrans May 9, 2023:
If you live in certain parts of GB or Ireland such as Dorset, Lancashire or County Cork (among others), "not bad at all" can mean "positively good" or even "bordering on excellent".
Birgit Gläser May 9, 2023:
@philgoddard "nicht von schlechten Eltern" is also usually quite positive, but also used to describe a high/large amount or whatever... basically an idiom for "quite considerable" or "significant"... so from my point of view in this context all suggestions except "not bad at all" work here.
philgoddard May 9, 2023:
Yes, you're right. 'Not to be sneezed at' doesn't necessarily mean that something is good - it can also mean 'not to be ignored'.
Timoshka (asker) May 9, 2023:
@ philgoddard You are correct that the writer is not a fan of the August weather in Tel Aviv. However, I can see a way that the "not to be sneezed at" idiom could work: "We’re having our annual dog days of summer here. Since, according to reports, similar climatic conditions prevail here as in New York, we can’t complain to you about anything. At the beginning of August, we had 94% humidity and 35° Celsius = 95° Fahrenheit in Tel Aviv; nothing to sneeze at. [Meaning: 94% humidity and 95° F. is quite something, even compared to the climate/weather in New York.] Just a thought...
philgoddard May 9, 2023:
Having disagreed with everyone else, I can't come up with something myself. But 'not to be sneezed at ' means 'pretty good, worth having'.

Proposed translations

+6
13 hrs
Selected

quite something

... 95 Fahrenheit; quite something.

You could also say it's 'pretty impressive', but that wouldn't sound much like 1961.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Lancashireman : Yes. A pity, though, to omit the 'nicht' (almost a double negative) in the original. // PS: Just noticed that the asker already suggested this phrase at 15:40 (see Discussion Box)
59 mins
So they did; hadn't noticed that.
agree AllegroTrans
1 hr
agree Bernhard Sulzer : I'd phrase it as "that is quite something/unusual." Packs a punch.
2 hrs
agree philgoddard : Not "unusual" though.
3 hrs
agree Darin Fitzpatrick : Seems most natural to me.
6 hrs
agree Amy Billing : I find this the most natural option too
18 hrs
agree Michele Fauble
1 day 6 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you! I think several of the suggested translations work, but went with this one."
+3
1 hr

not to be sneezed at

The DWDS gives "ziemlich gut, von bemerkenswerter Qualität" or "heftig sein; sich erheblich, massiv, drastisch auswirken." The English idiom "not to be sneezed at" is used in a essentially equivalent way, though nowadays it's more commonly formulated as "nothing to sneeze at": https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=not to be snee...

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Note added at 1 hr (2023-05-09 03:05:20 GMT)
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For an explanation of the German idiom: https://www.redensarten-index.de/suche.php?suchbegriff=nicht...
Peer comment(s):
agree Ramey Rieger (X) : Got my vote.
2 hrs
agree Peter Dahm Robertson
3 hrs
agree philgoddard : Yes, it's the second of your two DWDS definitions, not the first.
11 hrs
neutral Lancashireman : Could be mistaken as a reference to hay fever.
11 hrs
neutral Bernhard Sulzer : wouldn't use this in this context; we're talking about heat and humidity ... think about it ... it gets confusing, is it about allergies? See Lancashireman's comment. Sounds silly too.
14 hrs
neutral Amy Billing : I disagree with the comments that this could be related to allergies as it's simply a set phrase but don't quite think it works in this context.
1 day 6 hrs
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

extremely warm.

I am a native German speaker and know that "nicht von schlechten Eltern" can't be translated literally. It is said to emphasize that something is particularly good/bad/warm/cold/ or whatsoever. In this example, it just means that it was particularly warm or extremely warm.
Peer comment(s):
neutral AllegroTrans : Whilst that is true (extremely warm) I think an expression on the lines of good/not bad etc. (value judgement/comment) is much more appropriate here
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
11 hrs

by no means inconsiderable

https://ludwig.guru/s/by no means inconsiderable

Any reference to sneezing could be mistaken for an implied side-effect of the weather.
'Extremely warm' is the implied meaning but goes beyond the phrasing of the source.
'Not bad at all' is a value judgement expressing approval of the prevailing weather, which is not the case here.
'By no means inconsiderable' is value neutral.

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Note added at 11 hrs (2023-05-09 13:21:30 GMT)
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Hundstage... vorlamentieren... Um einen solchen Sommer besser durchstehen zu können...
The writer is not favourably impressed by the 'klimatische Verhältnisse'.

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Note added at 12 hrs (2023-05-09 14:32:23 GMT)
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philgoddard: "I agree, but this sounds a bit awkward and formal."
by no means average
https://genius.com/Blackstreet-no-diggity-lyrics


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Note added at 13 hrs (2023-05-09 15:00:48 GMT)
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not your average sort of weather
https://www.google.com/search?q="not your average sort of"&o...
Peer comment(s):
neutral philgoddard : I agree, but this sounds a bit awkward and formal.
1 hr
neutral AllegroTrans : by no means cold?; "not your average sort of weather" sounds nice but we have to remember that the British and Irish probably have more expressions to describe talk and complain about the weather than any other nationality -e.g. "is it hot enough for you?
3 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
15 hrs

packs (quite) a punch

packs quite a punch -- closer to the "strength" expressed in the German phrase

https://whyy.org/articles/extreme-heat-packs-humid-punch-in-...

Extreme heat packs humid punch in highest heat index of summer




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Note added at 16 hrs (2023-05-09 18:38:04 GMT)
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variation of asker's suggestion: that is quite something
Peer comment(s):
neutral AllegroTrans : I don't really associate this expression with the weather
9 mins
I do. My wife does too. ;-)
agree Darin Fitzpatrick : I like this one, too. It’s a metaphor, as is the original, and captures the meaning well.
3 hrs
Thanks Darin!
Something went wrong...
1 day 18 hrs

not bad

A commonplace way of saying "good"



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Note added at 1 day 18 hrs (2023-05-10 20:26:30 GMT)
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What does it mean to say not bad?
Informal. good; fairly good; not unsatisfactory. : also not half bad, not so bad.

Not bad definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com
https://www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › not-bad
Search for: What does it mean to say not bad?
What does not bad mean in the UK?
Chart shows 'what the British say, what they really mean, and ...
And rather than realising that when British people murmur, "That's not bad" - and really mean "That's good" - non-Brits think they've done a terrible job.11 Nov 2015
Peer comment(s):
neutral Lancashireman : It would be a pity if this late contribution went unacknowledged, if only by a random neutral.
15 hrs
By no means an incosiderable commendation as they say in Wigan
Something went wrong...
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