Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: How would you translate...

...the expression "Get a clue" into Italian (I was thinking of something
like "Datti una svegliata"...Perhaps our American friends could give us
a "clue"!)

 a "clue"!)
"To get a clue" significa  "avere un'idea o un indizio".
I haven't got a clue where she has gone= non ho la minima idea di dove sia
andata
I'll give you a clue = ti do' un indizio
Ciao
Marina

Actually, I know the use of the phrase "not to have a clue". But the
expression I was referring to is American slang, and you use it in an
offensive or at least provocative way. I guess it's related to the meaning of
"clueless" (deficiente, stupido, buono a nulla): in this case, if you're
stupid because "you don't have a clue", "get a clue" could be a suggestion to
solve your problem...


Salve,
I might translate it as "figure it out"
Harriet
solit...@aol.com

 clue" could be a suggestion to solve your problem...
From your explanation I take "get a clue" is an exhortation to think and
don't be so clueless. "Wiseup" is an older expression perhaps of similar
meaning.  A bit difficult if the person is permanently 'a tinny short of
a six-pack' or a 'sandwich short of a picnic'. :-)))
cheers,
Loki

 Loki
Dear Loki,
I haven't hear either of these in many a long year and I thank you for
bringing them back to memory. In honour, I have baked (yet another) Pavlova.
Now for the bolly.
Hoping your server is behaving, as it's nice to have you back,
--
I remain, as always,
Bambi
dtb

 meaning.  A bit difficult if the person is permanently 'a tinny short of


 Could you suggest to me the Italian for that?
Arrangiati!
Non ti mancherà mica uno per far due, no?
saluti,
Peltio
: )
PS
Non quotare per intero il messaggio a cui rispondi.
Ad esempio qui non si capiva se volevi una risposta per get a clue o per to
be a tinny short of a sixpack

 Hoping your server is behaving, as it's nice to have you back, --
Dear Bambi,
I fear it was my software that was the likely culprit in my efforts to
get fancy with it. I will try and be more demure  in future. <yeah
right>
Pavlova! I love Pavlova! Not sure why you want to ruin it with Bolly
though ..... ;-)
cheers,
Loki

 > Loki
 
-- 

What a nice person! :-( Sorry, but I'm not good at maths: could you help me to
make the addition and suggest what "one and one" is in this case? If I ask, I
obviously can't do it on my own...(BTW, thanks for  the advise about
replying...)
Lillo



Please, don't use such horrible anglicisms as "quotare". The Italian language
is rich enough to express the same concept with verbs like  "citare" or better
"riportare". I know it's a technical term, but it's sound really badly. And in
this case, the neologism isn't necessary ;-]

 What a nice person!
Non l'hai capita?
Mi spiace.
A proposito di matematica, la corrispondenza tra le due coppie di frasi non
è certo buinivoca ma potrebbe rappresentare una discreta approssimazione.
saluti,
Peltio criptico.

 necessary ;-]
 ["it sounds really bad"]
Neologism.... please is this necessary either? 
"Quotàre" é nel mio dizionario che almeno ha venti anni o di pùi. 
riportare = to bring again, to take back, to report, to get.
citare = to quote, cite, to sue 
quotare = to quote
Loki

 quotare = to quote
ciao Loki,
devo dire che Lillo ha ragione in quanto 'quotare' in italiano non significa
'citare' o 'riportare', ma 'appore delle quote' (ad esempio su un disegno
tecnico) o 'stimare il valore di mercato'.
Mi ha beccato, non c'è niente da dire...
.. mi chiedo però se si è reso contro che il mio "arrangiati" era un
tentativo di tradurre "get a clue", e che "ti manca uno per far due" è un
modo di dire milanese che a mio avviso potrebbe tradurre "to be a can short
of a sixpack".
; ))))
saluti,
Peltio

 Loki




 tentativo di tradurre "get a clue",
Peltiuzzu....sorry to have to disagree with you on this one, but I
would not translate "get a clue" with "arrangiati".  "Get a clue"
implies a certain degree of stupidity and lack of understanding on the
part ofthe other person.  "get a clue" is almost an insult.  You are
implicitly telling the other person that he is not aware of the
situation becuase he is not intelligent enough to understand what is
going on.  I would not know how to translate "get a clue" in
Italian.  "svegliati" is the closest I can come up with, but it does
not render the true meaning  of this beautiful colloquial English
expression .
Come hai passato il Ferragosto?
Ciao
arianna
Sent via Deja.com 
http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

So we are back to my original proposal. 'Svegliati' is the closest
solution to the original.
Thanx
          Danilo