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shoveling down whatever he set his eyes on

English translation: Sounds just fine to me

15:06 Feb 28, 2006
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / children's fantasy
English term or phrase: shoveling down whatever he set his eyes on
The next instant a couple of servants put a sumptuous supper on the table. Seating himself on a pile of soft pillows, Pinn fell to shoveling down whatever he set his eyes on.

Dear native English speakers!
Please advise if the phrase sounds OK (or natural enough) to you.
The idea is that the character starts eating greedily and without distinction, pushing everything he sees into his mouth.
Thank you!
Andrew Vdovin
Local time: 16:17
Selected answer:Sounds just fine to me
Explanation:
It has exactly that connotation here in the USA.
Selected response from:

jccantrell
United States
Local time: 02:17
Grading comment
Thank you very much for your help! Thanks everybody for all the other versions!!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +10or: gobbling up
David Hollywood
4 +9Sounds just fine to me
jccantrell
4 +2eating (wolfing down, gobbling up) everything in sight
NancyLynn
3 +1FYI
Naikei Wong
4began shoveling down...
Michelle Welchons


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
Sounds just fine to me


Explanation:
It has exactly that connotation here in the USA.

jccantrell
United States
Local time: 02:17
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 44
Grading comment
Thank you very much for your help! Thanks everybody for all the other versions!!!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Laurel Porter (X): IMO, no need for other options - Andrew's choice is fine as is.
22 mins
agree  Jack Doughty: Reminds me of a "Hancock's Half-Hour" sketch in which Tony Hancock is being fussy about table manners, and his partner Sid James says: The body's like a furnace, it needs refuelling, and when it needs it, you just open the furnace door and shovel it in!"
1 hr
agree  zaphod
1 hr
agree  Giovanella (X)
1 hr
agree  Will Matter
1 hr
agree  Melanie Nassar
1 hr
agree  William [Bill] Gray: "Shovelling" is also possible with double "l"; British English, I believe.
2 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
3 hrs
agree  KNielsen
11 hrs
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +10
or: gobbling up


Explanation:
ok

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2006-02-28 15:13:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or: wolfing down

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2006-02-28 15:14:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

any of these options would do and yours is spot on :)

David Hollywood
Local time: 06:17
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 118

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Romanian Translator (X)
1 min
  -> thx Awana :)
agree  RHELLER: both very good choices :-)
11 mins
  -> thx Rita :)
agree  Morad Safe (X): also guttle, raven, pig.
12 mins
  -> thx Morad :)
agree  Mwananchi
17 mins
  -> thx Mvananchi :)
agree  Alison Jenner
17 mins
  -> thx Alison :)
agree  Refugio: Funny how we gobble up but wolf down.
34 mins
  -> weird and wonderful indeed Ruth thx :)
agree  Will Matter
1 hr
  -> thx willmatter :)
agree  William [Bill] Gray: These are also possible, but the original sounds very good to me.
2 hrs
  -> thx Bill :)
agree  NancyLynn
3 hrs
  -> thx Nancy :)
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
1 day 2 hrs
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
FYI


Explanation:
fell to shoveling down

(literal meaning)
--> Began to take (down) the food very quickly and voraciously

"Shovel down" is a metaphorical / humorous use of the phrase here. It's all fine.

From Cambridge Adv, Learner’s Dictionary:
fall to (START) phrasal verb LITERARY
to begin doing something energetically:
There was a lot of work to do, so they fell to immediately.


Naikei Wong
Local time: 17:17
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ChineseChinese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Morad Safe (X)
16 hrs
  -> Thanks for that, MS!
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
eating (wolfing down, gobbling up) everything in sight


Explanation:
Now this is just to throw another option at you, Andrew; I intend to agree with the others as well, because they are all right too. :-)

NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 05:17
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 75

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  KNielsen: Yes--wolfing down is the other one that came to mind.
7 hrs
agree  Morad Safe (X)
13 hrs
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1 day 2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
began shoveling down...


Explanation:
your translation is great but i'm not sure about the "fell" part.. it doesnt really make sense, a different word to describe how he started shovelling everything down

Michelle Welchons
United States
Local time: 04:17
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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