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parlor game

English translation: COMMENT

04:37 Sep 23, 2003
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
/ subtitle
English term or phrase: parlor game
Scene description:

A guest finding strange things in the host's house said:

"Is this some parlor game?"

What does "parlor game" mean?

Thanks.
Yohanes Sutopo
Local time: 18:47
Selected answer:COMMENT
Explanation:
All the above answers convey the general idea, so i just wanted to add that there might well be a touch of irony/humor or whatever in this comment.
'Parlor games' suggests polite, probably sedate social activities (and that's why I don't entirely agree with the answer 'party games', which suggests something much more rowdy!), whilst the "strange things" might suggest anything BUT — for example, handcuffs and sexy underwear; or guns and grenades! In which case, the deliberate use of the term 'parlor games' might well have a tinge of irony, which it would be important to try and bring out in your sub-title.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-09-23 07:50:10 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

What I was trying to say was that the use of this quite old-fashioned (to my ears) term (and of course, we don\'t know what PERIOD your scene is set in?) seems to indicate to me a more than simply straightforward, literal usage here.
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 13:47
Grading comment
Thanks Dusty!
And thanks also for every other answer and comment you all have given me. But Dusty's answer gives me some "enlightening".
Again, thank you to everyone of you.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +9COMMENT
Tony M
5 +5Indoor game (such as charades)
Rowan Morrell
5 +2party game
Jirina Nevosadova
5 +2any games that are played in parlor
Iftekhar Hassan
4(indoor) group game
jerrie


  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Indoor game (such as charades)


Explanation:
A parlor is "a room in a private home set apart for the entertainment of visitors". (American Heritage Dictionary). A parlor game is a game played in a parlor. It could be something like charades, where you have to guess a word based on clues that people give by making gestures. The emphasis is on entertainment, usually after the guests have enjoyed a nice dinner beforehand.

Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
Local time: 23:47
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 227

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Attila Piróth
1 hr
  -> Thanks Attila.
agree  Rajan Chopra
3 hrs
  -> Thanks lang.
agree  MJ Barber
4 hrs
  -> Thanks MJ.
agree  vixen
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Vixen.
agree  David Moore (X): Parlo*U*r in BE, please - incidentally, weren't parlour games invented in Britain anyway, so they should be spelt with the "u" everywhere??? Just kidding....
5 hrs
  -> Well, naturally it's spelt "parlour" in British English, but as the asker has used the American spelling I can only assume the text is in US English and adapt my answer accordingly.
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
party game


Explanation:
Parlor game is a game played at parties. It requires some space - it cannot be played when sitting around a table. It usually requires a large room or even the whole house.

Jirina Nevosadova
Czech Republic
Local time: 13:47
Native speaker of: Native in CzechCzech

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  William Stein: That would be understandable in a subtitle.
24 mins
agree  J. Leo (X)
1 hr
disagree  Tony M: Not necessarily — card and board games are also parlor games, but CAN be played round a table...
2 hrs
agree  Rajan Chopra
3 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
any games that are played in parlor


Explanation:
Like: card games, dart board, pool, table soccers

Reference: http://www.usashopclub.net/d/sports-gear/parlor-games.html

Iftekhar Hassan
United States
Local time: 07:47
Native speaker of: Native in BengaliBengali
PRO pts in pair: 42

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Yes, really — some games require a certain amount of equipment, hence the supposition being made (humorously?)
1 hr
  -> toys?..lol
agree  Rajan Chopra: of course
1 hr
  -> thanks
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +9
COMMENT


Explanation:
All the above answers convey the general idea, so i just wanted to add that there might well be a touch of irony/humor or whatever in this comment.
'Parlor games' suggests polite, probably sedate social activities (and that's why I don't entirely agree with the answer 'party games', which suggests something much more rowdy!), whilst the "strange things" might suggest anything BUT — for example, handcuffs and sexy underwear; or guns and grenades! In which case, the deliberate use of the term 'parlor games' might well have a tinge of irony, which it would be important to try and bring out in your sub-title.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-09-23 07:50:10 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

What I was trying to say was that the use of this quite old-fashioned (to my ears) term (and of course, we don\'t know what PERIOD your scene is set in?) seems to indicate to me a more than simply straightforward, literal usage here.

Tony M
France
Local time: 13:47
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 3385
Grading comment
Thanks Dusty!
And thanks also for every other answer and comment you all have given me. But Dusty's answer gives me some "enlightening".
Again, thank you to everyone of you.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Armorel Young: well said
11 mins
  -> Thanks, Armorel!
agree  DGK T-I: emphasis likely to be more on the strangeness than the literal nature of parlour games (which are just used to make the image -likely joking/ironic)
19 mins
  -> Thanks, Dr Giuli!
agree  vixen
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Vixen!
agree  mbc: exactly and it´s that irony that we don´t want to be lost in a subtitle
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Madeline! My point precisely...
agree  RHELLER: Context! if only... (you are correct to point out that this is an old-fashioned phrase)
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, Rita! Oh yes, indeed...!
agree  Patricia Baldwin
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Patricia!
agree  Mario Marcolin: *)
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Mario!
agree  Paula Vaz-Carreiro: well observed
11 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot, Paula!
agree  Iftekhar Hassan: dusty, I was also thinking along your line, Phrase indeed suggest along your line too
14 hrs
  -> Thanks, IH! Film scripts and subtitles are a special interest of mine...
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
(indoor) group game


Explanation:
See link for explanation and some examples (UK).
Agree with Dusty - due to the odd nature of the things the narrator is finding in the host's house (handcuffs, stuffed animals, inflatables, whatever), he/she is thinking - this can't be normal...these must be the props for a 'parlor/parlour game'....

Makes me think of the one where everybody is given a list of random objects and they have to go off and find them (indoor treasure hunt), which is way I have to limited my answer to one room!

hth


    Reference: http://www.netguides.org.uk/guides/christmasparlourgames.htm...
jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:47
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 773
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