Windei
David Matley
'Das Windei' is the title of a novel by Gisela Elsner (1987). What does
Windei mean exactly and could you give me a context where you might use
it? My Collins says "non-starter", which is quite a good way of
describing the translation they give. LEO.org has wind egg. Ditto. Any
ideas?
Thanks in advance,
David
Iain Davidson
It's supposed to be the loan translation of "ova subventanea" eggs
that have been got at by the wind in some way. Literally it means an
addled egg, an egg without a shell or an egg that has not been
fertilized. So figuratively it is something of promise that has been
nipped in the bud or doesn't get of the ground. So a "dud" or
"non-starter" may not be too far off the mark.
Iain Davidson Tel : +44 1228 49944
4 Carliol Close Fax : +44 1228 810183
Carlisle Email : ia...@stt.win-uk.net
England
CA1 2QP
JLKoehl
David,
this is what I found in the "Wahrig Deutsches Wörterbuch":
Windei = "Fließei", that is "Vogelei ohne Kalkschale" (don't ask me how this
works) or also synonim for "abgestorbene Leibesfrucht".
Hope this helps
Luisa
Guido Lenz
> == david....@uni-tuebingen.de (David Matley)
> 'Das Windei' is the title of a novel by Gisela Elsner (1987). What
> does Windei mean exactly and could you give me a context where you
> might use it? My Collins says "non-starter", which is quite a good way
> of describing the translation they give. LEO.org has wind egg. Ditto.
wind egg is fine.
A "Windei" is, lit., an egg with nothing (wind, empty air) in it.
You use it to express a disappointment on a thing or a person:
Er ist ein Windei - He is not what he looks like / what is told about him
BR
Guido
--
Some men are discovered; others are found out.
John Woodgate
>'Das Windei' is the title of a novel by Gisela Elsner (1987). What does
>Windei mean exactly and could you give me a context where you might use
>it? My Collins says "non-starter", which is quite a good way of
>ideas?
Well, Langenscheidt gives 'wind-egg' for Windei, and Chambers glosses
'wind-egg' as a soft-shelled or deformed egg. But I have heard a wind-
egg described by a country-dwelling elderly relative as an egg without a
yolk, as young hens tend to lay. So it is a good metaphor for 'non-
starter', if only one knows what a wind-egg is!
--
Regards, John Woodgate, Phone +44 (0)1268 747839 Fax +44 (0)1268 777124.
OOO - Own Opinions Only. You can fool all of the people some of the time, but
you can't please some of the people any of the time.
Richard Kaminski
Guido Lenz wrote:
> > == david....@uni-tuebingen.de (David Matley)
>
> > 'Das Windei' is the title of a novel by Gisela Elsner (1987). What
> > does Windei mean exactly and could you give me a context where you
> > might use it? My Collins says "non-starter", which is quite a good
> way
> > of describing the translation they give. LEO.org has wind egg.
> Ditto.
>
> wind egg is fine.
>
> A "Windei" is, lit., an egg with nothing (wind, empty air) in it.
>
> You use it to express a disappointment on a thing or a person:
>
> Er ist ein Windei - He is not what he looks like / what is told about
> him
>
> BR
> Guido
> --
> Some men are discovered; others are found out.
Personally, "wind egg" means nothing at all to me as a British English
speaker. In fact, it sounds rather ludicrous. I don't know if Guido
meant, when he said "wind egg is fine" that he thought it was a good
translation of the German, but I'm a writer and former journalist myself
and have never heard of it (that doesn't mean a lot, of course ;) ).
How about "paper tiger"? Something that looks frightening/impressive but
has no substance?
Scott Sadowsky
peggy wrote:
>
> A Windei has nothing frightening about it. It really just denotes
> something that looks full of promise, but which turns out to be nothing but
> an empty shell - as in an egg(shell) full of wind. Some kind of
> embarassment is included in the meaning (as in windbag).
How about "dud"?
Scott "Never got past Weichei, so don't quote me on this" Sadowsky
peggy
A Windei has nothing frightening about it. It really just denotes
something that looks full of promise, but which turns out to be nothing but
an empty shell - as in an egg(shell) full of wind. Some kind of
embarassment is included in the meaning (as in windbag).
But I agree, wind egg has no meaning in English, and it should not be used
to translate the word.
peggy
Gerlinde Krug
In article <6jnsd8$af4$1...@phys-ma.sol.co.uk>, peggy <peggy.roberts@stirli
ng.almac.co.uk> writes
>A Windei has nothing frightening about it. It really just denotes
>something that looks full of promise, but which turns out to be nothing but
>an empty shell - as in an egg(shell) full of wind. Some kind of
>embarassment is included in the meaning (as in windbag).
>
>But I agree, wind egg has no meaning in English, and it should not be used
>to translate the word.
>
>peggy
>
addled egg; a soft-shelled or imperfectly formed egg".
>>Personally, "wind egg" means nothing at all to me as a British English
>>speaker. In fact, it sounds rather ludicrous. I don't know if Guido
>>meant, when he said "wind egg is fine" that he thought it was a good
>>translation of the German, but I'm a writer and former journalist myself
>>and have never heard of it (that doesn't mean a lot, of course ;) ).
>>
>>How about "paper tiger"? Something that looks frightening/impressive but
>>has no substance?
>>
--
Gerlinde Krug - MA, MIL, AITI 6 Earlish, By Portree, Isle of Skye,
WORDCRAFT - English to German IV51 9XL, Scotland
Translation and Editorial Service Tel+Fax: +44-(0)1470-542 333
Richard Kaminski
Gerlinde Krug wrote:
> In article <6jnsd8$af4$1...@phys-ma.sol.co.uk>, peggy
> <peggy.roberts@stirli
> ng.almac.co.uk> writes
> >A Windei has nothing frightening about it. It really just denotes
> >something that looks full of promise, but which turns out to be
> nothing but
> >an empty shell - as in an egg(shell) full of wind. Some kind of
> >embarassment is included in the meaning (as in windbag).
> >
> >But I agree, wind egg has no meaning in English, and it should not be
> used
> >to translate the word.
> >
> >peggy
> >
> Well, the Chambers certainly knows "wind egg" and defines it as "an
> addled egg; a soft-shelled or imperfectly formed egg".
>
Sure, Gerlinde. But dictionaries are full of words that no-one has ever
heard of. And of all things, the title of a book really does have to
mean something to its target audience.
Gerlinde Krug
In article <35608C46...@clara.co.uk>, Richard Kaminski
<inter...@clara.co.uk> writes
>Gerlinde Krug wrote:
>
>> Well, the Chambers certainly knows "wind egg" and defines it as "an
>> addled egg; a soft-shelled or imperfectly formed egg".
>>
>
>Sure, Gerlinde. But dictionaries are full of words that no-one has ever
>heard of. And of all things, the title of a book really does have to
>mean something to its target audience.
>
might still exist though some native speakers say it has "no meaning".
It is quite a common trap to say: XYZ does not exist because I don't
know/have never heard of it.
peggy
Dear Gerlinde,
I should have phrase this better. What I meant was that 'wind egg' in the
context of a book title does not seem to be the correct word to use. I
think 'dud' is probably best. And I am not a native English speaker.
Peggy
Gerlinde Krug wrote in message ...
detka
Windei = Fließei [Lehnübersetzung <lat.ova subventanea
Unbefruchtete Eier sollen vom Wind empfangen worden sein.
(Wahrig Deutsches Wörterbuch)
Hope it helps-
Detlef Karthaus
David Matley <david....@uni-tuebingen.de> wrote in article
<355ECA54...@uni-tuebingen.de>...
> 'Das Windei' is the title of a novel by Gisela Elsner (1987). What does
> Windei mean exactly and could you give me a context where you might use
> it?
ecott
detka wrote:
>
> Windei = Fließei [Lehnübersetzung <lat.ova subventanea
> Unbefruchtete Eier sollen vom Wind empfangen worden sein.
> (Wahrig Deutsches Wörterbuch)
>
So what would it have under PolizEi?
Hm ;-)