Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Staccare all'improviso la spina: Assistance required

Dear all,
I am in need of assistance of the ..ahem..literary translation kind.
In a decidedly non-high-brow film script, a gentleman has just finished
attempting to make love to his wife. I say attempted, for alas, the good man
was unable to, ahem.... perform,as it were.
The part causing the undersigned her literary crisis reads thusly in
Italian:.
"X crolla sul letto, come se qualcuno gli avesse staccato all'improvviso la
spina. Rimane immobile, col viso affondato nel cuscino."
The meaning is perfectly understandable. I am however, floundering in a sea
of clichés in an attempt to render the part about the spina being staccato
without having the reader collapse in fits and howls of laughter.
Is there anyone who can think of a suitable English rendering for the
troublesome line?
With thanks in advance,
I remain, as always, etc, ecc.,
Bambi
dtb

 spina. Rimane immobile, col viso affondato nel cuscino."
"As if someone had turn him off".
--
Er Roscio.

 ha scritto nel messaggio
news:kmzq9.29557$RO.7...@twister1.libero.it...

e invece
" as if someone had plug his jack off"?
l'idea forse è giusta, ma di sicuro ci sono errori grammatricali....
:-(
Giuliano

 ha scritto nel messaggio
news:kmzq9.29557$RO.7...@twister1.libero.it...

Bimbs l'ha spiegato, cerca qualcosa che non faccia rotolare per terra i
lettori per via del doppio senso. 'Turn-off' può voler dire disgustare, o il
contrario di 'eccitare', 'repellere'.
Ciao
Giorgio

 " as if someone had plug his jack off"?
Mind boggles facing all the possibilities offered by  this simple
phrase.....
I suggest to check the meaning of 'plug', 'jack', 'jack off' and 'jacksie'
in any slang dictionary.
Beloved Queen Bambi, I suspect that you knew exactly what you were doing
when you posted this question :-)))
Now, very cautiously, is there the faintest possibility that 'as if his
power supply has been switched off' can make it out over the threshhold of
ridiculous?
Faithfully
Giorgio

Dear all,
[...]
What about that old lovely idiom... "out like a light"?
Lurve,
-- 
Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching
http://web.tiscali.it/alfabeto_auschwitz/index.htm

 ridiculous?
Idiomatically, that would probably be "as if his plug had suddenly been
pulled".
Penis = plug (Italian: spina) would seem to be an acceptable simile, not
designed to cause hilarious laughter on the part of the reader.
I am inclined to think so because of a souvenir postcard I saw for sale in
Torquay, a Cornish seaside resort frequented, among others, by honeymooners.
A cartoon-like picture shows a couple in a hotel bedroom, the woman sitting
in a baby-doll night dress on the bed, her wedding gown draped over a chair,
with one hand holding the telephone receiver to her ear, with the other
pointing to the electric outlet in the wall,  the man in his pyjamas
crouching beside the bed, about to plug his electric shaver into the wall
outlet. The woman says into the phone: "Yes, mother, I had to show him where
to put it in".
Dear Bambi, please keep us posted on what translation you decide to use in
the end.
---
Xakero

 "Yes, mother, I had to show him where to put it in".
SBAM!
Sebastiano
--
Rachel: Yes, my wind. How do you expect me to grow if you won't let me blow?
Ross: You... you know I... I don't have a... have a problem with that.

 What about that old lovely idiom... "out like a light"?
I have heard that said of someone rendered unconscious by a severe blow to
his head.
QUOTE
(informal) If you go out like a light, you fall into a complete sleep very
quickly or become unconscious.
UNQUOTE
Source: 
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=light*1+6
---
Xakero

 What about that old lovely idiom... "out like a light"
Thank you ...
Except that seconds later the phone rings, his wife hops out of bed to
answer and he swiftly avails himself of her departure to get up and  go to
the bathroom to smash his fist down on the sink...but of course!
In other words he ain't out like a light.
It's always the little things that are a b***h.
I remain, as always,
gratefully your,
Bambi
dtb

 spina. Rimane immobile, col viso affondato nel cuscino."
'as if his power had been suddenly switched off'
o più literalmente:
'as if his power plug had been suddenly pulled'
o più poetico:
'as if suddenly deflated'
Ma, un traduttore non dovrebbe migliorare un scrittore scadente, no?

 ridiculous?
For your helpful suggestion, it is not the 'ridiculous' which concerns me so
much in this instance, but rather the power supply/switched off - given the
fact that the gentleman in question was unable to perform his marital duties
(and not for want of trying, I should add) and therefore said power, had
indeed been 'switched off' and not only because of his tiredness from
trying, but also because it simply wasn't there i.e.- turned off.
It is quite possible that I have been mulling this one over far too long and
see puns, sexual meaning and double entendres most everywhere I turn.
I shall keep the Realm posted on the final outcome.
With many thanks,
I remain as always,
Bambi
dtb

 Ma, un traduttore non dovrebbe migliorare un scrittore scadente, no?
Dear Tony,
I hope you can see where the double meanings could lead one in this
instance. Lol
Many thanks however.
I remain, as always, etc,ecc,
Bambi
dtb

, 
bam...@tin.it
 says...

You could try something like:
His ardour was abruptly extinguished.
Or
His loins were suddenly frozen
Or
His libido unexpectedly vanished
Or
His passion, desire, spirit etc. promptly deserted him
This sort of thing is NOT laughable but wryly amusing in a vicarious way; 
if handled correctly. Especially if is is not happening to oneself!!
Buona Fortuna
-- 
Chris Notton
Replace "nospam" with my surname to reply by email
Sostituisca il "nospam" con il mio cognome per rispondere
}<////(*>

 instance. Lol
Sottointeso beninteso

spina. Rimane immobile, col viso affondato nel cuscino."
Feeling somewhat inspired, I would suggest:
    "and then he fell, as a body falls when dead".
Hell, ain't it simply _divine_?
cheers,
Peltio

 designed to cause hilarious laughter on the part of the reader.
On rereading the original post I see that it was not his plug being pulled.
His amorous, yet futile, efforts exhausted him. All energy left him and he
collapsed. Would an appropriate idiom be "all if all energy had been driven
from him"? I can't find it in a dictionary, but I seem to have read it once.
Of course, his plug being pulled could still signify his loosing all energy,
put obviously Bambi wants to avoid the ambiguity of "plug" being read as
"penis".
---
Xakero

"Peltio" <pel...@twilight.zone> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:aof6ke$r25$1...@lacerta.tiscalinet.it...

Yes, Peltio, it's a real Giving.

 the bathroom to smash his fist down on the sink...but of course!
Sure... His father told him to put the longest thing he has
where she pees... :-)))
--
Er Roscio.

 Hell, ain't it simply _divine_?
Ehehe... My friend Dante agrees... ;-))
--
Er Roscio.
(e cadde come corpo morto cade)

 the end.
Dearest Xakero,
Your posts, as always are a delight to read if no other reason that the
mental geographical map I carry about me, grows ever more festooned with
fabulous ribbons traversing the continents - and I confess, given that we
are almost verging into the realm of the twilight zone with such mental
imagery - that on said map with aforementioned ribbons, one charts your
travels and ports of call from the various mentions made here and there.
Additionally, being a lover of things visual, the mental imagery produced by
such idle pastimes, are truly a  wonder to behold.
However, as is my want, I am digressing.
Might I take this post as a venerable excuse for publicly thanking all who
rendered assistance and partook in proffering suggestions to aid the
undersigned navigate her way through the perilous pitfalls of ... well let
us not be shy and call it that which it was - namely a trashy screenplay.
After much deliberation, pondering and due appraisal, and truly aided
greatly by the discussion which took place within our Realm, I adopted the
following solution.
"X collapses on the bed, as if suddenly drained of all his
life-forces. He remains immobile, his face buried in the pillow."
Not overly creative, I grant you, and almost contravening specific
instruction one had received that, specifically requested one to provide a
"literal translation, but in good English"
Many thanks to all.
Remaining as always, etc, ecc,
Bambi dtb
(such flight of literary fancy propel one to outrageous heights of
improvisation even in such little idiosyncrasies as one's signature.
Streuth!)