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English translation: things were getting a bit hot under the collar
19:53 Feb 20, 2017
German to English translations [PRO] Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase:Dampf in der Bude
The whole sentence is "Da war Dampf in der Bude".
I've found several instances of this idiom online but none of which allow me to derive a clear meaning. I can't post a whole paragraph due to client confidentiality, but the context here would suggest something like "there was trouble at mill" or "the pressure was on".
Yes, I agree. The phrase applies to a situation where lots of people (not just one) are feeling the heat, as well as to situations where a single person is feeling the heat. Hope that's clear!
Yes, I could alternatively have used "things were heating up" although I wouldn't have used "things were gathering steam" as that, for me, as more connotations of progress and advancing things than stress/pressure which is at stake in my context.
The "hot under the collar" phrase, oddly I agree (but then aren't idioms often odd?) can be used for collective groups, not just individuals, as mentioned - see for an example this article where two sides in a referendum are described as getting hot under the collar.
does not have a collar. It just doesn't make literal or literary sense. This is NOT annoyance or poor sportswomanship, Michael's suggestion is equally valid, it's simply stating the facts.
We can definitely use "things were getting a bit hot under the collar" to describe a general situation and not to refer to a single person, in British English, so it fits even where there are lots of people "feeling the heat" so to speak.
Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Pity, really
10:03 Feb 27, 2017
I just hope the context refers to a single person - as the suggestion does.
In the end I have gone with Andrea's translation and think this fits best, however, I realize this is context-dependent and I'm sorry I could not post more context without fearing a breach of confidentiality requirements. Thanks for all the input.
I hope no one takes offense to my non-Pro vote. Similar questions in EN-EN are all non-Pro: It's highly context-dependent, you can hardly consult a dictionary about it, and either you know what it means or you don't.
You can upvote it again if you like, considering some may find this one more difficult. There are loads of questions in DE->EN like this one, though, which should have never ever been PRO, so maybe I'm just too used to the way they go about it in the other forum: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/german_to_english/law_general/6271...
Thanks, Ramey. Of course, you're correct. I suppose I was getting confused, since I could only find a matching example in the present tense ("Da ist..."). Corrected it.
And thanks Anna for the feedback.
To both of you: Not saying the answers are wrong and colloquial usage is a bit tricky in German, not least because Germans tend to be more "relaxed" about which tense they use (as are Americans sometimes, considering present perfect differences between BrE and AmE).
I merely wanted to point out that especially if there's a figurative meaning in there somewhere, Germans may use different verbs instead of different tenses in a conversation.
E.g., "kam Dampf in" -> progressive / "war Dampf in" -> simple tense, possibly perfect (based on context), i.e., in your context someone hit the roof. It's not a process, but a state. Whether the speaker used it correctly, however, is a different matter altogether.
Two examples: "800 Gäste erlebten in der Philharmonie ein wunderbares Konzert, das genau so war, wie es sich Berthold Beitz gewünscht hatte: 'mit viel Dampf in der Bude'." -> forceful, energetic http://www.derwesten.de/staedte/essen/dampf-in-der-bude-beim...
Really unfortunate you can't post any context. Here, "Dampf in der Bude" would suggest that something had already gone wrong (so I'd disagree with both answers because of the past progressive) and, e.g., someone is now getting an earful about how miserably they failed the company (or someone else).
Fitting example: "Zum Lohnklau der Arbeitgeber gibt es eine klare Meinung:
'Da ist Dampf in der Bude!'
Sie wollen für ihre zuverlässige harte – häufig im Dreck und bei Wind und Wetter – erbrachte Facharbeit mehr Anerkennung durch einen guten Tarifabschluss erfahren.
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peer agreement (net): +2
