Glossary entry (derived from question below)
español term or phrase:
el colmo de un ...
inglés translation:
What would top it all for...
Added to glossary by
Mónica Algazi
Oct 19, 2016 19:26
8 yrs ago
5 viewers *
español term
el colmo de
español al inglés
Otros
Varios
Silly jokes
These are silly jokes in Spanish based on puns.
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un futbolista? Hacerle un gol al arco iris.
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un forzudo? Doblar la esquina.
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un dentista? Arreglar una boca de tormenta.
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un herrero? Tener un hijo soldado.
Any ideas? TIA!
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un futbolista? Hacerle un gol al arco iris.
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un forzudo? Doblar la esquina.
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un dentista? Arreglar una boca de tormenta.
¿Cuál es * el colmo de * un herrero? Tener un hijo soldado.
Any ideas? TIA!
Proposed translations
(inglés)
Proposed translations
4 horas
Adoración Bodoque Martínez
Irlanda
Irlanda
Native in español
Irlanda
B.A. Eng. & Ling., DipTrans IoLET, MCIL
Native in: español (Variant: Standard-Spain) 
Works in: inglés al español, español al inglés
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
What would top it all for...
This would be my suggestion. For example:
"What would top it all for a footballer?"
... And I think Collins would agree with me:
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-spanish/...
Translations
y para colmo ..., como remate ..., y para rematar las cosas ...
See top1 (sense 21)
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Note added at 17 hrs (2016-10-20 12:27:28 GMT)
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Gracias, Mónica.
"What would top it all for a footballer?"
... And I think Collins would agree with me:
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-spanish/...
Translations
y para colmo ..., como remate ..., y para rematar las cosas ...
See top1 (sense 21)
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Note added at 17 hrs (2016-10-20 12:27:28 GMT)
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Gracias, Mónica.
Note from asker:
| I like it! ¡Gracias, Adoración! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "While other suggestions are excellent, this one appears to fit best in this particular context.
¡Gracias a todos!"
+1
6 minutos
philgoddard
Estados Unidos
Estados Unidos
Native in inglés
Estados Unidos
Six languages into flawless English
Native in: inglés
Works in: alemán al inglés, francés al inglés, español al inglés, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
125
idea of happiness
What's an XX's idea of happiness?
You could also say "ultimate ambition".
Good luck if you have to translate all those!
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Note added at 7 mins (2016-10-19 19:33:14 GMT)
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Or greatest achievement.
You could also say "ultimate ambition".
Good luck if you have to translate all those!
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Note added at 7 mins (2016-10-19 19:33:14 GMT)
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Or greatest achievement.
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Phil. You see, this "el olmo de" can also refer to the most extreme/crazy/out of this world/ridiculoous thing someone can do -not necessarily the greatest achievement. How could we convey this idea in English? |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Robert Carter
: No, it's quite the opposite, Phil.
11 minutos
|
| agree |
Charles Davis
: I think "the ultimate" covers it best, without "achievement" or "ambition" or any other noun, since no one noun covers all cases, but since the word occurs in your answer I'd better not post it myself:)
1 hora
|
+1
19 minutos
absurd
What would be the absurd of ...
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Note added at 20 mins (2016-10-19 19:46:20 GMT)
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absurd: stupid and unreasonable, or silly in a humorous way
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Note added at 20 mins (2016-10-19 19:46:20 GMT)
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absurd: stupid and unreasonable, or silly in a humorous way
Note from asker:
| Yes, perhaps "the most extreme/absurd thing a ... can do". Thanks, Benigno! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Robert Carter
: Yes, I think, "What would be the most absurd thing for a....?" would work.
25 minutos
|
|
Tanks, although your suggestion is actually better.
|
+3
35 minutos
Robert Carter
México
México
Native in inglés
México
Translating full-time since 1998
Native in: inglés (Variant: British)
Works in: español al inglés
Related KudoZ points
:
96
español term (edited):
¿Cuál es el colmo de
What's the one thing that would drive a .... mad?
I don't think it's the "ultimate achievement" at all, it's more along the lines of "What would try the patience of a...." or "What would be the last straw for a..."
The thing is, you would have to structure it the way jokes are structured in English to make it feel like a joke.
Perhaps for the "dentista" you could go with something like "What's the one thing that would drive an ophthalmologist crazy? Having to fix the eye of a storm!"
As Phil says, good luck with those, especially the one about the "hijo soldado"!
The thing is, you would have to structure it the way jokes are structured in English to make it feel like a joke.
Perhaps for the "dentista" you could go with something like "What's the one thing that would drive an ophthalmologist crazy? Having to fix the eye of a storm!"
As Phil says, good luck with those, especially the one about the "hijo soldado"!
Note from asker:
| ¡Me gustó lo de "fix the eye of a storm"! Thanks, Robert! (Por favor, no lanzar tomates por lo malos que son los chistes.) |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Benigno Torres
: I would like to borrow your suggestion of "the last straw" to suggest: What would be the last straw for a blacksmith? To have his signature forged.
27 minutos
|
|
Thanks, Benigno, go ahead, it works well!
|
|
| agree |
Francois Boye
53 minutos
|
|
Thanks, Francois.
|
|
| agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
1 día 1 hora
|
|
Thanks, Gallagy.
|
+2
49 minutos
the last straw
One way of relating "el colmo de" to an approximate equivalency in English.
The last straw
a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable.
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/the-last...
http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=colm...
The last straw
a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable.
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/the-last...
http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=colm...
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Lugoben! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Francois Boye
41 minutos
|
|
Muchas gracias, François. Saludos:)
|
|
| agree |
neilmac
: This works nicely for the examples given IMHO :)
19 horas
|
|
Thank you, neilmac. Saludos, :)
|
1 hora
Francois Boye
Estados Unidos
Estados Unidos
Estados Unidos
An economic geek with social skills
Native in: francés
Works in: inglés al francés, francés al inglés, español al inglés, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
28
the worst of the worst
in line with all the other translations excepting Philgoddard's
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Note added at 4 hrs (2016-10-19 23:40:26 GMT)
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What is the worst of the worst for......?
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Note added at 4 hrs (2016-10-19 23:40:26 GMT)
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What is the worst of the worst for......?
Note from asker:
| Could work. Thank you, Francois! |
14 horas
the ni plus ultra
Although the correct form is "Nonplus ultra" (el 'no va más'), this deformation is quite widely used to express the notion:
https://books.google.es/books?id=cpYFAAAAQAAJ
Several Hands - 1768
... vigorous assertion and vindication of the civil and religious rights of mankind, we are not to imagine that they arrived to the ni plus ultra of political science.
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Note added at 14 hrs (2016-10-20 09:58:34 GMT)
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"...the true boundaries of all medicinal Knowledge, and the Ni plus ultra of the Physicians Empire."...
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Note added at 14 hrs (2016-10-20 10:01:03 GMT)
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Most of the references I found are from Google books, which are rather difficult to post here, but if you Google "ni plus ultra" you'll find examples of its use in both spoken and written English.
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Note added at 14 hrs (2016-10-20 10:05:31 GMT)
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Some people might be reluctant to use Latin, but I say "Stultorum infinitus est numerus"... :-)
https://books.google.es/books?id=cpYFAAAAQAAJ
Several Hands - 1768
... vigorous assertion and vindication of the civil and religious rights of mankind, we are not to imagine that they arrived to the ni plus ultra of political science.
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Note added at 14 hrs (2016-10-20 09:58:34 GMT)
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"...the true boundaries of all medicinal Knowledge, and the Ni plus ultra of the Physicians Empire."...
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Note added at 14 hrs (2016-10-20 10:01:03 GMT)
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Most of the references I found are from Google books, which are rather difficult to post here, but if you Google "ni plus ultra" you'll find examples of its use in both spoken and written English.
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Note added at 14 hrs (2016-10-20 10:05:31 GMT)
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Some people might be reluctant to use Latin, but I say "Stultorum infinitus est numerus"... :-)
Note from asker:
| Interesting. Thanks, Neil! |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Francois Boye
: Do you mean the 'NEC plus ultra'?// I have reviewed the references. They all ignore the Latin expression. 'Nec plus ultra' is the original expression. It means what you mean.
3 horas
|
|
No: "if you Google "ni plus ultra" you'll find examples of its use in both spoken and written English"...
|
23 horas
Phoenix III
Estados Unidos
Estados Unidos
Native in español
&
inglés
Specializes in field
Estados Unidos
True words...
Native in: inglés (Variant: US) 
, español (Variant: Latin American)
Works in: español al inglés, español, inglés, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
20
The maximum/top [achievement]
What is a soccer player's top achievement?
What is a dentist's top achievement?
....
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Note added at 1 day45 mins (2016-10-20 20:11:40 GMT) Post-grading
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It's all about black humor. The listener does and will not expect the answer and when he hears it, well... he should get the pun.
What is a dentist's top achievement?
....
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Note added at 1 day45 mins (2016-10-20 20:11:40 GMT) Post-grading
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It's all about black humor. The listener does and will not expect the answer and when he hears it, well... he should get the pun.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Phoenix III. |
Discussion
Thanks for the explanation, Mónica.
http://tinyurl.com/jemetfa
Alternatives that spring to mind are: [How do you confuse] "an Essex girl", or "a gay person" or who/whatever the subject of ridicule is.
But this is all very typical of English from the UK/Ireland...
Got that one?
The second one can mean "to turn the corner" or "to fold the corner";
the third one can mean "to fix the mouth of a storm/a storm drain"