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renovados bizcochos japoneses
daños de HTT

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

a la que pierden los ingleses

English translation:

who is mad for/about Englishmen/ boys/the English / who has a real weakness for/thing about...

Added to glossary by Noni Gilbert Riley
Jan 14, 2009 12:58
15 yrs ago
Spanish term

a la que pierden los ingleses

Spanish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature modern novel
People greeting each other at a Mod reunion in Valencia. Most of these characters only appear once, unfortunately, so the context is not brilliant.
I don´t understand what is meant by the above. Help!
Some context:
Abrazos para Nei —ese amigo canalla con cuerpo de mujer a la que pierden los ingleses—, reverencia para la institución andante —y viviente— que es Albert Gil y para Maicol Da Lovva, también para Vic Smith —el hombre que se enfrentó a un cachopo de Casa Koti y vivió para contarlo—.

UK English, and thanks in advance everyone. :)
Proposed translations (English)
3 +5 who is mad for/about Englishmen/ boys/the English / who has a real weakness for/thing about...
3 +1 which the English don't stand a chance against
References
tomboy? Butch girl?
Change log

Jan 20, 2009 17:04: Noni Gilbert Riley Created KOG entry

Discussion

Gabriel Csaba Jan 15, 2009:
I don't think so, Marcelo Because then it would have to be "por la que SE pierden los ingleses" or "que pierde a los ingleses". Our man-girl has a thing for limeys, not the other way around. Sadly, this still leaves out the question of his/her gender, but maybe the writer is intentionally obscure about that.
Marcelo González Jan 14, 2009:
Could the writer have meant "por" instead of "a"? ¿...por la que pierden [la cabeza] los ingleses? Alternatively, could the writer have meant something like "ante los ingleses" (which would be consistent with P. Hirsh's football-related suggestion)?
Gabriel Csaba Jan 14, 2009:
Glad you understood me... ...in spite of my "Answet o"!
Carol Gullidge Jan 14, 2009:
many thanks Gabriel! Nice explanation of "a la que" here! I was also confused by the amigo/amiga issue...
Christine Walsh Jan 14, 2009:
Nei Anyone know what 'Nei' stands for (assuming it's a nickname)? My very uncertain reading so far is that it's a man with the appearance of a "woman who's crazy for Englishmen"! Would this be a type of woman? Or does 'amigo' refer to a masculine woman? Sorry, no help really, just thinking aloud, and Gabriel's just come in with something along similar lines.
Gabriel Csaba Jan 14, 2009:
Answet o Carol "a la que" in this case equals "a quien"

A boy with the body a of a woman who has a weakness for Englishmen/English guys/blokes/boys.

What gets lost in translation here is that "who" refers to the woman, not the boy. The source phrase is pretty obscure.
Carol Gullidge Jan 14, 2009:
pronoun conundrum I'm still trying to get my head around the pronoun "la" in "a la que". As far as I can see, the only feminine noun that it could refer to is "mujer", and it's hard to make this fit into the term in question.

Proposed translations

+5
11 mins
Selected

who is mad for/about Englishmen/ boys/the English / who has a real weakness for/thing about...

This is how I understand the expression Kate.

Lots of ways to express it - you might even want to go as high as "who has the hots for Englishmen" if you think the context justifies!

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Note added at 33 mins (2009-01-14 13:31:52 GMT)
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Equivalent of the expression: a la que priven los ingleses?

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Note added at 33 mins (2009-01-14 13:32:03 GMT)
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Sorry, privAn
Peer comment(s):
agree Carol Gullidge : I MIGHT agree (eventually!), but am unsure how "a LA que" fits in here. Can you explain?//Gabriel's explanation has swung it for me.
17 mins
Thanks Carol - and Gabriel!
agree Beatriz Ramírez de Haro : Agree 100%
49 mins
Thanks Bea.
agree psicutrinius : And, Carol: See my note under the "reference" heading as for how I would address your question.// más que "privan" (actualmente) sería "pirran", o "que se pirra por"
1 hr
Thanks Psicu
agree Gabriel Csaba
3 hrs
Double thanks Gabriel!
agree Edward Tully : I think so, especially after Gabriel's explanation!
7 hrs
Thanks Edward. Hope to see your face again soon!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Great discussion and interesting conclusions. I think it is most likely that the author is talking about an effeminate guy who has a thing for Brits. Thanks everyone, a great help. :)"
+1
29 mins

which the English don't stand a chance against

meaning Manchester City, Spain's only worry in the world. Well, you have to see it through a football-mad lens even when its not ostensibly about football. HTH
Peer comment(s):
agree Clayton Causey : I think you're on to something. She's the "marimacho" type. "Amigo" with a woman's body is irony and she's so brawny not even the Mancunian's could take her on.
4 hrs
thanks Clayton !
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

tomboy? Butch girl?

¿AmigO con cuerpo de mujer? ¿Might that mean "marimacho", even though (or, perhaps because) she is a stunning girl, but with -supposedly- man's [crude] behavior?. I am also quite sure that "a la que pierden los ingleses" means that (as ace above says) has a thing for the English boys?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hora (2009-01-14 14:43:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Grrr again a missing word... There should be a "she after the last parenthesis: "...she has a thing for the English boys

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Note added at 1 día22 horas (2009-01-16 11:27:41 GMT)
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There is a detail I have forgotten so far: There is a difference (i believe) between meanings (and, please native speakers, let me know your views on this): "Tomboy" stresses more the fact that she is intensely competitive, the boys' way: Fight it out, boxing if required, fiddling with cars (and mechanics), etc. "Marimacho" on the other hand, conveys first that she believes in a Spanish dictum now obsolete long ago, "El hombre como el oso, cuanto más feo, más hermoso", that is, no "mariconadas": Hirsutism is nice, deodorants are not virile, you do not need a good shower every day ... that is: The Spanish word goes more for appearance than for substance, whereas it is the opposite for the English one.

This is my perception. Am I right?
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Carol Gullidge : What does "la" refer to, and is it a DOP or an IOP? I assumed it's the latter//thanks for the explanation!
36 mins
"a LA que" (feminine): The "LA" can apply only to "mujer", because this is the only feminine here: "...woman, to whom..." > "mujer, a la que" (or, "a quien"). This last one might be ambiguous, but has not been used (fortunately, here).
agree Gabriel Csaba : I also think she's a tomboy girl with a penchant for Englishmen, whom the writer considers "just one of the guys" because of her likeability/tomboyishness.
1 day 4 hrs
Yes. I have a hunch that "con cuerpo de mujer" means that you no doubt notice the body, hence she is a "tía buena", while the "amigo canalla" means tomboy, and an as tough as nails one.
Something went wrong...
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