Jan 18, 2010 12:48
14 yrs ago
English term
Italy
skilled in books translation
Native in: Italian 
Works in: English to Italian, German to Italian, French to Italian, and 4 more.
drink a sup and turn the tankard up
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
children's stories
In the fairy tale "Nail Soup" ( http://storytellingcookingandkids.blogspot.com/2010/01/old-w... ), an old woman is amazed by a tramp who prepares a broth with a nail -- and all the other ingredients she is cheated into giving him. At one point the woman thinks:
He was really a wonderful man, that tramp! ***He could do more than drink a sup and turn the tankard up, he could***.
Is this an idiom? What does it exactly mean?
Thank you!
f
He was really a wonderful man, that tramp! ***He could do more than drink a sup and turn the tankard up, he could***.
Is this an idiom? What does it exactly mean?
Thank you!
f
Responses
+2
2 hrs
Selected
He is not just a drunkard - he is cleverer than he looks
My mother used to tell a similar story - one in which a tramp first asked for some water "to make a rabbit soup". He then asked for a carrot, an onion, a leek, a slice of turnip, salt, pepper .... etc. in succession, prompting the admiring comment "he could make rabbit soup with no rabbit".
In any case, the stone soup / nail soup/ axe soup is a popular folk tale throughout Europe, and in each case the moral is that the tramp (or soldier in some versions) is cleverer than he looks (and in this story, not merely a drunkard), and that he is canny at extracting favours from the locals.
In any case, the stone soup / nail soup/ axe soup is a popular folk tale throughout Europe, and in each case the moral is that the tramp (or soldier in some versions) is cleverer than he looks (and in this story, not merely a drunkard), and that he is canny at extracting favours from the locals.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
-1
7 mins
Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Japan
Works in field
Japan
Scientia est potentia
Native in: Japanese 
Works in: English to Japanese, German to Japanese, Italian to Japanese, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
40
nurse or sip and make the tankard empty
Tankard is a large drinking cup. Drink a sup means to sip or nurse, so drinking little by little, he could empty the tankard without difficulty.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tankard
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tankard
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Sébastien GUITTENY
24 mins
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Thank you penfriend
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| agree |
Veronika McLaren
49 mins
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Thank you Veronika
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| disagree |
Kim Metzger
: "drink a sup" does not mean "sip" or "little by little" here. It's a euphemism that means "have a drink," which usually means more than one.
1 hr
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| disagree |
Oliver Lawrence
: agree with Kim
9 hrs
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| disagree |
Paula Vaz-Carreiro
: with Kim
5 days
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1 hr
Stephanie Ezrol
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
United States
French to English, English to English
Native in: English
Works in: English, French to English, French Middle (ca.1400-1600) to English
Related KudoZ points
:
156
eat and get drunk
"drink a sup" I think means drink a supper in this case -- and "turn a tankard up" means to get drunk, by referring to taking a drinking glass and emptying out.
The old lady is probably reflecting on her first impression of the tramp, who she assumed was, like all tramps, a tramp because he was a habitual drunk who was only interested in eating and drinking.
It is not an idiom, but drinking your supper is common phrase, as is tankard up.
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-01-18 14:31:44 GMT)
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“You gonna drink your supper?” the waitress quipped in her Brooklyn accent.
http://www.edauthorllc.com/html/new_book.html
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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-01-18 15:14:07 GMT)
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"drink your supper" does mean to get drunk -- it is usually used as expressed the Brooklyn waitress, to say to someone all you are doing is drinking and drinking. Sometimes the answer is, well beer is grain isn't it ?
As this is a story translated from Swedish according to one internet source, I could be wrong on the sup equals supper. Perhaps the better short version is"
to drink and get drunk
The old lady is probably reflecting on her first impression of the tramp, who she assumed was, like all tramps, a tramp because he was a habitual drunk who was only interested in eating and drinking.
It is not an idiom, but drinking your supper is common phrase, as is tankard up.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-01-18 14:31:44 GMT)
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“You gonna drink your supper?” the waitress quipped in her Brooklyn accent.
http://www.edauthorllc.com/html/new_book.html
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2010-01-18 15:14:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"drink your supper" does mean to get drunk -- it is usually used as expressed the Brooklyn waitress, to say to someone all you are doing is drinking and drinking. Sometimes the answer is, well beer is grain isn't it ?
As this is a story translated from Swedish according to one internet source, I could be wrong on the sup equals supper. Perhaps the better short version is"
to drink and get drunk
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Kim Metzger
: I don't know about "drink a supper" but it does mean to get drunk, as in "have a few drinks." Drink a sup of whiskey. Drink a sup of beer.
18 mins
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Thanks Kim
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| disagree |
MJ Barber
: sup does not mean supper - drink a sup means to take a drink
19 mins
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Thanks MJ. But either way, drink way drink your supper, or take a sup, they both mean to drink. I suggested "eat" at first because that is a comman retort from the drinker as I added to my answer. But drink is better.
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| agree |
Demi Ebrite
: 'Tankard up' is similar to 'bottoms up', slang for the act of emptying the contents of the tankard (beer) into one's belly.
2 hrs
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Thanks Demi
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| disagree |
Paula Vaz-Carreiro
: sup does not mean supper - drink a sup means to take a drink
5 days
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