еж ежом

English translation: hedgehog to the core

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Russian term or phrase:	еж ежом
English translation:	hedgehog to the core
Entered by:	Eric Candle

15:08 Mar 13, 2009

Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature

Russian term or phrase: еж ежом

I am translating a literary text, in which a young woman describes her relationship with her mother-in-law as follows:

Душа ее за семью печатями спрятана – еж ежом, только иголками внутрь, со стороны и не придерешься.

In this context, how would you translate the phrase еж ежом (or the entire sentence, if a dynamic equivalent is needed)?

I will be happy with explanations of the expression in Russian or English, as well.

Chris Lovelace KudoZ activity Questions: 21 (none open) Answers: 17 Argentina
Local time: 23:04

hedgehog to the core

Explanation:
with quills inwards

Selected response from:

Eric Candle
Local time: 01:04

Grading comment

This answer really does seem to take the best of all the answers already given, and distill it into a colloquialism. All the same, Michael Korvkin's answer was very helpful as well.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +4

a veritable hedgehog

Michael Korovkin

4 +3

just like a hedgehog

Anton Konashenok

3 +1

prickly

David Knowles

hedgehog to the core

Eric Candle

Her soul is in the iron chamber behind seven locks;she is the embodiment of a hedgehog

Alexandra Taggart

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

just like a hedgehog

Explanation:
or, if you want to be more emotional, "a hedgehog, no more, no less"

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Note added at 9 mins (2009-03-13 15:18:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

literally, "as close to a hedgehog as it gets"

Anton Konashenok
Czech Republic
Local time: 07:04
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Russian,

English
PRO pts in category: 32

14 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

prickly

Explanation:
Wouldn't that work? Then you can talk about "spines".
Alternative (but I'm not sure it's right): like two hedgehogs/porcupines

David Knowles
Local time: 06:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 206

21 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

a veritable hedgehog

Explanation:
Although I would put "porcupine" (a different animal for sure but with much more of a metaphorical charge in the US than "hedgehog"). And I would also put it longer but more emphatic: "as porcupine as a porcupine could be", except the needles are on the inside

Michael Korovkin
Italy
Local time: 07:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Russian
PRO pts in category: 174

Notes to answerer

Asker: This was a really good answer, with helpful discussion. I'm sorry I could only pick one of them to award points. Your comments were very helpful.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

David Knowles: I like this, and "veritable" is much better than your second version! (and it's "spines")

3 mins

-> Thanks David. I know it's spines, but since the discourse is about the mother in law I thought to mix metaphors a bit and use needles. Doesn't work, eh?

agree

The Misha: A veritable hedgehog, spines inwards, nothing to pick on/find fault with. That was my own formula. You are right about the porcupine too.

1 hr

-> thanks Misha

agree

Anna Fominykh

1 hr

-> Thanks Anna

agree

Aleksey Chervinskiy: with porcupine for Americans, veritable is to bookish for the daughter-in-law's rather informal description, in my opinion

1 hr

-> thanks Alexey. You know, veritable is bookish but also very kinda eighteen hundreds. I heard it often in the Midwest of all places, in them thar veritable hillbilly towns...

6 hrs confidence:

hedgehog to the core

Explanation:
with quills inwards

Eric Candle
Local time: 01:04
Works in field
Native speaker of: Russian
PRO pts in category: 32

Grading comment

This answer really does seem to take the best of all the answers already given, and distill it into a colloquialism. All the same, Michael Korvkin's answer was very helpful as well.

6 hrs confidence:

Her soul is in the iron chamber behind seven locks;she is the embodiment of a hedgehog

Explanation:
You man say:" Her soul is on the dark side of the Moon" - it is more English, because these "seven locks" remind me something out of Egyptian mythology.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2009-03-13 21:59:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

That, what you should mind that "hedgehog" in Russian here, in this particular sentence is not an image, but it's quality - wary, cautious. Similarly we can say:"This person is a slug" (not "sluggish" but a "slug"), "he is a dog", "she is a swine", "a little rat" and so on .

Example sentence(s):

Her soul is in the iron chamber behind seven locks;she is like a hedgehog rolled in a tight ball, it's what she is, all quills point inwards; so you would not seize any opportunity to find a fault with her

Alexandra Taggart
Russian Federation
Local time: 08:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Russian
PRO pts in category: 32

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еж ежом

English translation: hedgehog to the core

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English translation: hedgehog to the core

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