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**"intimen Verkehr" mit Rosas Verehrer Brust dessen "zweifelhafte Stellung"

English translation: being on familiar terms with

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:**"intimen Verkehr" mit Rosas Verehrer Brust dessen "zweifelhafte Stellung"
English translation:being on familiar terms with
Entered by: Maureen Millington-Brodie

23:28 Jan 2, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - History
German term or phrase: **"intimen Verkehr" mit Rosas Verehrer Brust dessen "zweifelhafte Stellung"
"Sie wurde als viertes Kind von Amalie und Jakob Freud am 21. März 1860 in Wien, Weißgärberstr. 3, geboren.12 Damit war sie das erste von Freuds Geschwistern, das nach der Uebersiedlung der Familie Freud von Freiberg in die Hauptstadt der Donaumonarchie zur Welt gekommen war. Sigmund scheint Rosa den anderen Schwestern und besonders Anna vorgezogen zu haben; so machte er mit ihr Ausflüge über mehrere Tage ins Semmeringgebiet (Freud 1960a, S. 16) und war sehr darauf bedacht, nicht durch **"intimen Verkehr" mit Rosas Verehrer Brust dessen "zweifelhafte Stellung" zu stärken** (Freud 1960a, S. 62). Er bemühte sich, für Rosa Freunde zu finden, die auch er schätzte. So schrieb er Anfang 1884 an seine Verlobte Martha Bernays über einen Besuch bei der Familie seines alten Lehrers
Samuel Hammerschlag..."

This is an extract of a paper on the fate of Rosa Graf, one of Sigmund Freund's sisters. Maybe it's just that I'm tired, but I really don't get the idea here. Is Brust the name of Rosa's admirer? Was Freud attracted to him? What is it that Freud doesn't want to reinforce / strengthen?

Thanks in advance
Yvonne Becker
Local time: 12:39
being on familiar terms ... reinforce his ambiguous position
Explanation:
don't think it's offensive, just old-fashioned language which has come to mean something else
Selected response from:

Maureen Millington-Brodie
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:39
Grading comment
Thank you very much
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3being on familiar terms ... reinforce his ambiguous position
Maureen Millington-Brodie
3 +1excessive familiarity
Ricki Farn
3through "intimate relations" boost Rosa´s admirer Brust´s "ambiguous position"
vic voskuil


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
**
excessive familiarity


Explanation:
I would say that Brust was her suitor's name, yes, see URL. And this "intimen Verkehr" is an old-fashioned use of the words, it is not about attraction or love or sex, but means "excessive familiarity", just being too friendly with someone. I think he didn't want to encourage him (zweifelhafte Stellung stärken) by being too friendly with him. And no, "Stellung" is not a pun either :) it's just the suitor's doubful position wrt the Freud family.


    Reference: http://www.freud.org.uk/photolist.txt
Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 18:39
Native speaker of: German

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  John Jory: See my info above.
1 day 14 mins
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
**
being on familiar terms ... reinforce his ambiguous position


Explanation:
don't think it's offensive, just old-fashioned language which has come to mean something else

Maureen Millington-Brodie
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:39
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28
Grading comment
Thank you very much

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ricki Farn: isn't it weird how words acquire juicy meanings over time :)
5 mins
agree  Kim Metzger: An example in English is intercourse. We can no longer talk about people having lively intercourse when we're simply referring to social communication.
2 hrs
agree  Woodstock (X): But perhaps "overly familiar", and "dubious" rather than "ambiguous"?
10 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
**
through "intimate relations" boost Rosa´s admirer Brust´s "ambiguous position"


Explanation:
i think the quotations are meant to be a bit cheeky, so why not spice up the english until it is archaic :)

i´m not really happy with the ambiguous position....but maybe someone else has a better alternative

vic voskuil
Netherlands
Local time: 18:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: Dutch
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