Nov 14, 2023 03:52
6 mos ago
60 viewers *
German term
das Kraut fett machen
German to English
Social Sciences
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
This phrase is found in a 1940 letter, written in Vienna:
"Mit unserem Logis sind wir sehr zufrieden. Wir sind ganz in Ordnung und fühlen uns sehr wohl und nach Ansicht aller Besucher ist es auch sehr gemütlich. Mit Beate vertragen wir uns, wie es ja vorauszusehen war, sehr gut, wir sind einander in allem behilflich, nur unsere Besuche reden ihr ein bißchen zu laut, aber auch das wird sich mit der Zeit geben. Ein Glück, daß Laura nicht mehr hier ist, die hätte das Kraut fett gemacht."
From the context, it seems like the phrase must mean that Laura would have made matters worse, added fuel to the fire, etc., but I can't seem to confirm this.
"Mit unserem Logis sind wir sehr zufrieden. Wir sind ganz in Ordnung und fühlen uns sehr wohl und nach Ansicht aller Besucher ist es auch sehr gemütlich. Mit Beate vertragen wir uns, wie es ja vorauszusehen war, sehr gut, wir sind einander in allem behilflich, nur unsere Besuche reden ihr ein bißchen zu laut, aber auch das wird sich mit der Zeit geben. Ein Glück, daß Laura nicht mehr hier ist, die hätte das Kraut fett gemacht."
From the context, it seems like the phrase must mean that Laura would have made matters worse, added fuel to the fire, etc., but I can't seem to confirm this.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +1 | Make a difference |
Norbert Fuchslehner
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| 3 +1 | over-egged the pudding |
Andrew Bramhall
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| 1 | would have made/stirred up a fuss over nothing/a pointless fuss, etc. |
Anna Wright
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Proposed translations
+1
16 hrs
Norbert Fuchslehner
Austria
Austria
Native in German
Works in field
Austria
English teacher
Native in: German 
Works in: English to German, German to English, German, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
Make a difference
"Das Kraut fett machen" can be translated as make a difference, in many cases it is used in a negative way "das Kraut nicht fett machen"
Example sentence:
Diese Änderung macht das Kraut auch nicht mehr fett.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
philgoddard
11 hrs
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| neutral |
Björn Vrooman
: Even if not entirely wrong, this is way too tame. It also doesn't really fit into the sentence posted.
11 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Vielen Dank!"
5 hrs
Anna Wright
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Top-notch tailored DE>EN translations
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: German to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
would have made/stirred up a fuss over nothing/a pointless fuss, etc.
According to this German Wikipedia dictionary entry, the saying "das macht das Kraut nicht fett" relates to not worrying about irrelevant/minor details/trivialities:
https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/das_macht_das_Kraut_nicht_fet...
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Note added at 5 hrs (2023-11-14 09:47:19 GMT)
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I suppose a near-equivalent English idiom might be: "wouldn't make the grass [grow] any greener"
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Note added at 5 hrs (2023-11-14 09:51:19 GMT)
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or, in this case, she would have fussed/grumbled about how things ought to be done better
https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/das_macht_das_Kraut_nicht_fet...
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Note added at 5 hrs (2023-11-14 09:47:19 GMT)
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I suppose a near-equivalent English idiom might be: "wouldn't make the grass [grow] any greener"
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Note added at 5 hrs (2023-11-14 09:51:19 GMT)
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or, in this case, she would have fussed/grumbled about how things ought to be done better
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
philgoddard
: No, I think you've misunderstood the Wiktionary reference. It says "solche Kleinigkeiten helfen auch nicht viel weiter", meaning their contribution was so small that they weren't much help.
3 hrs
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It literally says "such minutiae won't help much more / get [you] much further", i.e. there's nothing more to be gained from worrying about such tiny details. It has to be interpreted in the given context, in any case.
|
+1
6 hrs
Andrew Bramhall
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Flair and accuracy tailored to your text
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
over-egged the pudding
..if you want to maintain the culinary metaphor. 'To over-egg the pudding' or ' to gild the lily' is to add meaning and detail which isn't necessary, to over-complicate matters in a way that leads to confusion and disharmony.
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Note added at 6 hrs (2023-11-14 10:15:35 GMT)
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Anna's idea is on the right lines; its about exaggeration which kicks up a fuss about nothing, which creates a storm in a teacup, potentially.
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Note added at 6 hrs (2023-11-14 10:15:35 GMT)
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Anna's idea is on the right lines; its about exaggeration which kicks up a fuss about nothing, which creates a storm in a teacup, potentially.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Anna Wright
: maybe something like: she would have fussed too much about making everything perfect?
3 hrs
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Possibly; the phrase is open to multiple valid interpretations, including yours.
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| agree |
AllegroTrans
8 hrs
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Thank you!
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Discussion
https://dict.leo.org/forum/viewUnsolvedquery.php?idForum=14&...
That fits perfectly here: "Ein Glück, daß Laura nicht mehr hier ist; die hätte gerade noch gefehlt."
I'm starting to wonder why these questions are closed so quickly all of a sudden; the basic meaning of Krauf fett machen is a positive one and doesn't fit here. And "Kraut" is Austrian for "Kohl," which is why I suggested that Kraut be replaced. You also can't just turn the meaning on its head because that doesn't always work.
Besides two good options posted, I'd have suggested something context-based like: "She would've found a way to ruin it for all of us."
Best
Because you need to replace "Kraut" with Bock, Kohl, or Braten:
https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/das_macht_den_Kohl_auch_nicht...
https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/das_macht_den_Braten_auch_nic...
The above is a negation so what's needed here is the opposite phrase, i.e. "den Bock fett machen," which I've actually used before.
It means "das gibt Ärger"/"das ist ja die Höhe"/"das würde das Fass zum Überlaufen bringen." In your context, it would mean something like "wäre sie hier, hätte das nur Stress gegeben"--presumably because she's very loud.