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comediantes de última batida

English translation: third-rate performers

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:comediantes de última batida
English translation:third-rate performers
Entered by: Barbara Cochran, MFA

16:29 Dec 22, 2020
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / In An Autobiography
Spanish term or phrase: comediantes de última batida
Contexto:

¿No le parece a usted que no vale la pena de ser ricos con el Gobierno que tenemos? Nos cuesta demasiado dinero el mantener tantos comediantes. Todo Gobierno, es verdad, es más o menos una comedia, pero francamente, entre nosotros ha degenerado en farsa, y los que la representan son los que pudiéramos llamar comediates de última batida!

Mil Gracias,

Barbara
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 09:48
third-rate comedians
Explanation:
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on Twitter: "Have you noticed how ...twitter.com › vivekagnihotri › status
Feb 2, 2020 — Have you noticed how within a short span comedians have become 3rd rate politicians and politicians have turned third rate comedians.

and perhaps: 'two-bit'

Your idea 'bottom of the barrel" sounds good too
Selected response from:

JH Trads
United States
Local time: 09:48
Grading comment
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5third-rate comedians
JH Trads
3 +1The dregs
ormiston
3the last scum of the comedians
Perla Colzi
3the last scum of the comedians
Perla Colzi
2bottom-of-the-bill buffoons
Adrian MM.


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


37 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the last scum of the comedians


Explanation:
I would say "the last scum of the comedians" beacuse I see a metaphorical meaning in this sentence, that is "the worst comedians left".


Perla Colzi
Italy
Local time: 15:48
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
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55 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the last scum of the comedians


Explanation:
In my opinion "bottom of the barrel comedians" is more related to the attitude of the politicians, for example "people who struggled to achieve something without success" while in this case, I feel a more derogatory sense realted to the whole category of politicians

Perla Colzi
Italy
Local time: 15:48
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
The dregs


Explanation:
Could be worked into the sentence ("...as actors go"). I toyed with "they are the pits" but ...

ormiston
Local time: 15:48
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 34

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: This fits the context, but I wasn't able to find any references.
59 mins
agree  neilmac: Rather "scrapings from the bottom of the barrel" than "pits" IMHO.
1 day 1 hr
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
third-rate comedians


Explanation:
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on Twitter: "Have you noticed how ...twitter.com › vivekagnihotri › status
Feb 2, 2020 — Have you noticed how within a short span comedians have become 3rd rate politicians and politicians have turned third rate comedians.

and perhaps: 'two-bit'

Your idea 'bottom of the barrel" sounds good too

JH Trads
United States
Local time: 09:48
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 10
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks. A really good option, I do believe.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  patinba: Third-rate play-actors perhaps. "comediante" is a bit of a false friend, as it is more usually a synonym for "actor"
1 hr
agree  Steven Huddleston
1 hr
agree  Shilpa Baliga: or "third-rate performers"?
1 hr
agree  neilmac: Like Shilpa, I'd go for a synonym of comedians to avoid the repetition...
23 hrs
agree  Cláudia Pinheiro Pereira
2 days 22 hrs
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2 days 20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
bottom-of-the-bill buffoons


Explanation:
...de última batida - literally a raid or a whipped dreg- rather than de último batido as in a milkshake whip.

Note the b-b-b- alliteration of the answer,

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 jours 21 heures (2020-12-25 13:57:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Not necessarily 'two-bit actors' as the figurative / Harrap's dictionary / meanings of a hypocrite or comedian are inherent in the preface of '...es más o menos una comedia...'

https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-cobuild/two-bit actor

Example sentence(s):
  • We were bottom of the bill at 50-capacity venues and no one would show up.

    Reference: http://iate.europa.eu/search/standard/result/1608901275731/1
Adrian MM.
Austria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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