Sep 8, 2007 21:54
16 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
Romania
Translator. Subtitler. Interpreter.
Native in: Romanian 
Works in: Romanian to English, English to Romanian
'Little House on the Prairie' this isn't
English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
The mother is looking for something, turning the house upside down. At some point, she manages to pull down the entire bookcase on herself, making a window-shattering noise.
The teenage son comes into the room and asks the mother, who is lying under the toppled bookcase, "Is this your idea of spring cleaning?" - and then he says to himself "'Little House on the Prairie' this isn't."
(She was supposed to be cleaning the house.)
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Now, I know about the book 'Little House on the Prairie,' but I haven't read it and I don't quite get the meaning of this idiom here. My guess is that the son means something like, "the hell it is," but I am not 100% sure.
Thank you for enlightening me, if you will.
The teenage son comes into the room and asks the mother, who is lying under the toppled bookcase, "Is this your idea of spring cleaning?" - and then he says to himself "'Little House on the Prairie' this isn't."
(She was supposed to be cleaning the house.)
---
Now, I know about the book 'Little House on the Prairie,' but I haven't read it and I don't quite get the meaning of this idiom here. My guess is that the son means something like, "the hell it is," but I am not 100% sure.
Thank you for enlightening me, if you will.
Responses
| 4 +15 | sarcasm ... what a mess |
David Hollywood
|
Responses
+15
5 mins
David Hollywood
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
24
Selected
sarcasm ... what a mess
'Little House on the Prairie' indicates an idyllic world where everything is in its proper place and ship shape so this is a very sarcastic comment ....
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Note added at 6 mins (2007-09-08 22:00:48 GMT)
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Little House on the Prairie: Season 1, DVD, Stereo, Video, Barnes & Noble.com. ... Frontier life here is idyllic, but not without hardships. ...
video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?EAN=69458110235&z=y - 37k - Cached - Similar pages
Amazon.co.uk: The Long Winter (Little House (HarperTrophy)): Books ... Little Town on the Prairie (Little House (HarperTrophy)) by Laura Ingalls ... Although the book is about a tough period in the idyllic series , it loses ...
www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Winter-Little-House-HarperTrophy/dp/0... - 106k - Cached - Similar pages
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Note added at 10 mins (2007-09-08 22:04:56 GMT)
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the original story is supposed to present solid, stable, honest, and ordered values even though it isn´t always the case in the TV series of the same name .... the bottom line is the idea of a well-organized, stable familiy environment ....
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Note added at 13 mins (2007-09-08 22:07:42 GMT)
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and in your context the son is just commenting sarcastically (and humorously too) on the disorganized state of affairs ....
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Note added at 6 mins (2007-09-08 22:00:48 GMT)
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Little House on the Prairie: Season 1, DVD, Stereo, Video, Barnes & Noble.com. ... Frontier life here is idyllic, but not without hardships. ...
video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?EAN=69458110235&z=y - 37k - Cached - Similar pages
Amazon.co.uk: The Long Winter (Little House (HarperTrophy)): Books ... Little Town on the Prairie (Little House (HarperTrophy)) by Laura Ingalls ... Although the book is about a tough period in the idyllic series , it loses ...
www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Winter-Little-House-HarperTrophy/dp/0... - 106k - Cached - Similar pages
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Note added at 10 mins (2007-09-08 22:04:56 GMT)
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the original story is supposed to present solid, stable, honest, and ordered values even though it isn´t always the case in the TV series of the same name .... the bottom line is the idea of a well-organized, stable familiy environment ....
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Note added at 13 mins (2007-09-08 22:07:42 GMT)
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and in your context the son is just commenting sarcastically (and humorously too) on the disorganized state of affairs ....
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you so much!"
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