Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Finnish term or phrase:
käenpoika
English translation:
cuckoo in the nest
Added to glossary by
Owen Witesman
Sep 14, 2011 15:44
13 yrs ago
Finnish term
käenpoika
Finnish to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
In the brood parasite sense. The context is some people in an organization viewing a new department as a parasite that sucks resources from other departments. Can anyone think of any idiomatic way of saying this other than using some form of 'parasite'?
Proposed translations
(English)
4 +1 | Cuckoo in the nest? | Hannele Marttila |
4 | sycophant, sponger | Arja Whiteside (X) |
3 -1 | chick of a cuckoo | Vladyslav Golovaty |
Proposed translations
+1
1 min
Selected
Cuckoo in the nest?
The idiom is the same...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2011-09-14 15:57:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Juu, saattaa. Näinhän käet tekevät... laittavat pienensä muuhun pesään... ole hyvä.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-09-14 16:51:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Vladys - this is simply an established idiom in Finnish and in English that matches the context.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2011-09-14 15:57:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Juu, saattaa. Näinhän käet tekevät... laittavat pienensä muuhun pesään... ole hyvä.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-09-14 16:51:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Vladys - this is simply an established idiom in Finnish and in English that matches the context.
Note from asker:
Tosi outo, etten ollut löytänyt sitä netistä enkä koskaan kuullut aiemmin. Vaimollekin täysin outo idiomi. Saattaa olla niitä, jotka eivät välity meidän sukupolvelle. Kiitos! |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Arja Whiteside (X)
: misfit; a person (occasionally thing) subverting or not conforming with their group; parasite
13 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
-1
31 mins
chick of a cuckoo
even worse than a parasite, projection in the future?
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-09-14 17:10:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
interloper is a bit different, poking one's nose or prying into smth, but not sucking any resources..?
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-09-14 17:10:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
interloper is a bit different, poking one's nose or prying into smth, but not sucking any resources..?
Note from asker:
Thanks for the other suggestions, Vladys. In this case using the direct translation that Hannele suggested is going to work best. I just have to wait 24 hours before awarding points. Another I thought of was interloper. |
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Hannele Marttila
: No, this is an idiom. It is about a cuckoo leaving its young one by one in another bird's nest. The cuckoo usually grows faster than the other siblings, and bigger, and chucks the other, legitimate chicks out of the nest.
16 mins
|
Thanx, Hannele, then did you try all the range? sponger dependent houseguest boarder?
|
14 hrs
sycophant, sponger
sycophant
A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people.
a person who uses flattery to win favour from individuals wielding influence;
sponger
a person who lives off other people by continually taking advantage of their generosity; parasite or scrounger
These are other options you could consider BUT to your question
käenpoika the Cuckoo in the nest is the correct answer
A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people.
a person who uses flattery to win favour from individuals wielding influence;
sponger
a person who lives off other people by continually taking advantage of their generosity; parasite or scrounger
These are other options you could consider BUT to your question
käenpoika the Cuckoo in the nest is the correct answer
Discussion
...Under these circumstances it is difficult to see why the cuckoo is also synonymous with idiotic behaviour, but easy to understand the origins of cuckold.