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  3. Poetry & Literature

пробовать тебя на зуб

English translation: see what you're made of

15:00 Jul 27, 2009
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Russian term or phrase: пробовать тебя на зуб
Hi

I'm not sure how to translate the phrase above. I wonder if it could be translated literally or not?

"Разумеется, они попытались попробовать на мне свои трюки. Любое человеческое общество проделывает это с новичком, - пробует тебя на зуб. Заключенные в тюряге, солдаты в казарме, рабочий коллектив. Но хуй-то им удалось, я не клюнул."

Thanks
Lucy Collins
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:40
English translation:see what you're made of
Explanation:
May work in the given context
Selected response from:

Deborah Hoffman
Local time: 02:40
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4see what you're made of
Deborah Hoffman
5to do a gut check / to check your guts
Alexandra Taggart
4look you in the mouth
Rachel Douglas
4try to catch you out
Jack Doughty
4to sound somebody out / to grill so. or to give somebody a grilling
Ellen Kraus
3 +1to test somebody, to give a hard time
Vladimir Alexandrov
4to size you up
Michael Korovkin
4test your nerves
Judith Hehir
3give you an acid test
Alexandra Liashchenko


  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
look you in the mouth


Explanation:
This expression has chiefly survived in the form "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," but it originates with this same "checking the teeth" way of evaluating horses. In your context, I think it would be understood, and the flavor fits.

Rachel Douglas
United States
Local time: 02:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 384

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  sarandor: The Russian expression "пробовать на зуб" originated when people literally test coins with their teeth to make sure they are made of real gold - a relatively soft metal.
29 mins
  -> Oops! Thanks for the likbez, Galia.
neutral  a05: Galia is right, horse's teeth are from another saying: "дарёному коню в зубы не смотрят"
31 mins
  -> Thanks.
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
see what you're made of


Explanation:
May work in the given context

Deborah Hoffman
Local time: 02:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yuri Geifman: you nailed it
5 mins
  -> thank you :)
agree  Lyonka
49 mins
agree  Rachel Douglas
1 hr
agree  Iosif JUHASZ
5 hrs
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
try to catch you out


Explanation:
They try to see how gullible you are by telling you something, or asking you to do something quite ridiculous, to see if you'll fall. E.g., a new engineering apprentice might be told to collect a left-handed spanner from the stores.

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 658
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to sound somebody out / to grill so. or to give somebody a grilling


Explanation:
that´s IMO the English counterpart of this saying

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 Min. (2009-07-27 15:15:03 GMT)
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to suss somebody out is a more colloquial (BE) alternative.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 Min. (2009-07-27 15:17:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

all of the above suggestions more or less stand for examining somebody closely or to keep a close eye on someone.

Ellen Kraus
Austria
Local time: 08:40
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
give you an acid test


Explanation:
or 'put you to the test'

Alexandra Liashchenko
United States
Local time: 02:40
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in UkrainianUkrainian
PRO pts in category: 16
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to test somebody, to give a hard time


Explanation:
People used to test the purity of gold by biting into it. Hence the saying about the way to see how tough a person is, whether they will yield or not.

Vladimir Alexandrov
Local time: 09:40
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  sarandor
10 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
to do a gut check / to check your guts


Explanation:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gut check

Alexandra Taggart
Russian Federation
Local time: 09:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 32
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to size you up


Explanation:
...

Michael Korovkin
Italy
Local time: 08:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 174
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3 days 18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
test your nerves


Explanation:
A possibility here

Judith Hehir
United States
Local time: 02:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 82
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