Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Danish term or phrase:
pilfinger
English translation:
the inquisitive
Added to glossary by
Michele Fauble
May 4, 2008 20:08
16 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Danish term
pilfinger
Danish to English
Art/Literary
Slang
A shop is described as being a 'slaraffenland for pilfingre'.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | the inquisitive |
Michele Fauble
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| 4 | a curious George |
Hanne Rask Sonderborg
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| 3 +1 | someone with sticky fingers - rephrase here |
Christine Andersen
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Change log
Aug 8, 2016 08:04: Michele Fauble Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+1
12 mins
Michele Fauble
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Native English
Native in: English
Works in: Norwegian to English, Danish to English, Swedish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
the inquisitive
a 'paradise for the inquisitive'
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you!"
6 hrs
Hanne Rask Sonderborg
Denmark
Denmark
Native in Danish
Denmark
Professional Full-Time Translator
Native in: Danish 
Works in: English to Danish
a curious George
Vinterberg da > eng:
Ikke pille! = Don't monkey with that!
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Note added at 6 hrs (2008-05-05 02:20:36 GMT)
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Two examples:
"If, like me, you happen to be obsessively curious, then perhaps you want to know what carbonic maceration is. For the curious Georges amongst us, here's...............carbonic maceration."
http://basicjuice.blogs.com/basicjuice/2006/03/carbonic_mace...
"What's worse is that the Curious Georges can still browse your other friends' lists (considering that their settings aren't on blocked)."
http://kotaku.com/gaming/upgrades/xbox-360-fall-update-comin...
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Note added at 18 hrs (2008-05-05 14:41:57 GMT)
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The term Pilfinger was coined in Denmark in 1933: "Prins Pilfinger". Prins Pilfinger was a Danish cartoon figure, comparable to Curious George.
http://www.seriejournalen.dk/tegneserie_indhold.asp?art=&ID=...
Ikke pille! = Don't monkey with that!
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Note added at 6 hrs (2008-05-05 02:20:36 GMT)
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Two examples:
"If, like me, you happen to be obsessively curious, then perhaps you want to know what carbonic maceration is. For the curious Georges amongst us, here's...............carbonic maceration."
http://basicjuice.blogs.com/basicjuice/2006/03/carbonic_mace...
"What's worse is that the Curious Georges can still browse your other friends' lists (considering that their settings aren't on blocked)."
http://kotaku.com/gaming/upgrades/xbox-360-fall-update-comin...
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Note added at 18 hrs (2008-05-05 14:41:57 GMT)
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The term Pilfinger was coined in Denmark in 1933: "Prins Pilfinger". Prins Pilfinger was a Danish cartoon figure, comparable to Curious George.
http://www.seriejournalen.dk/tegneserie_indhold.asp?art=&ID=...
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Diarmuid Kennan
: This expression is not one that I have ever heard before.
5 hrs
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It is often used in the United States. It's from a children's book (1941) "Curious George" that has since become a classic. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George It has been translated into Danish and called Peter Pedal in Danish.
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+1
11 hrs
Christine Andersen
Denmark
Denmark
Native in English
Denmark
the message, not just the words
Native in: English (Variant: UK)
Works in: Danish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
7
someone with sticky fingers - rephrase here
I think if I met this expression I would rephrase it.
There are lots of expresisons like' children who poke their fingers everywhere'
(The shop was an invitation to poke fingers in here and there / everywhere.)
'toddlers who are into everything'
'can't keep their fingers to themselves' (This one is less innocent and tends towards meddling, so I would not use it here.)
"The shop looks like one big hands-on experience"
I thought of 'fiddlefingers' - which is in the DA-EN dictionary, and certainly exists verbally, but has not made it to the mono-English dictionaries! It would be understood, but is not nearly such an everday word as the Danish 'pilfinger'.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2008-05-05 07:45:03 GMT)
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everyday, of course...
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Note added at 1 day10 hrs (2008-05-06 06:31:38 GMT)
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Mads definitely has a point. If it is that kind of 'pilfingre' = folk, der elsker pillearbejde' - I would call them people with nimble fingers, or the nimble-fingered.
There are lots of expresisons like' children who poke their fingers everywhere'
(The shop was an invitation to poke fingers in here and there / everywhere.)
'toddlers who are into everything'
'can't keep their fingers to themselves' (This one is less innocent and tends towards meddling, so I would not use it here.)
"The shop looks like one big hands-on experience"
I thought of 'fiddlefingers' - which is in the DA-EN dictionary, and certainly exists verbally, but has not made it to the mono-English dictionaries! It would be understood, but is not nearly such an everday word as the Danish 'pilfinger'.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2008-05-05 07:45:03 GMT)
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everyday, of course...
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Note added at 1 day10 hrs (2008-05-06 06:31:38 GMT)
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Mads definitely has a point. If it is that kind of 'pilfingre' = folk, der elsker pillearbejde' - I would call them people with nimble fingers, or the nimble-fingered.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Suzanne Blangsted (X)
: your examples are great - easy to fit into any text about "pilfingre"
12 hrs
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Thanks!
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| neutral |
Michele Fauble
: IMO having 'sticky fingers' means having a tendency to pilfer, and 'a paradise for sticky fingers' would mean 'a paradise for shoplifters'./Probably a difference in US vs. British usage.
12 hrs
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I see your point - and in a shop it would be relevant, but as children we were always being told not to poke our 'sticky fingers' into everything - and that expression is still definitely in use! Perhaps it should be 'sticky little fingers'.
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Discussion