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ganado mollar

English translation: lice or ticks

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:ganado mollar
English translation:lice or ticks
Entered by: Lydia De Jorge

20:54 Jun 27, 2019
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / poesía barroca española JÁCARA DE LA ZANGARILLEJA
Spanish term or phrase: ganado mollar
Estimados colegas,
Intento traducir algunos poemas de la gloriosa era barroca española y la tarea ha sido ardua. Espero puedan ayudarme y desde ahora les agradezco.

Contexto:
Dos horas está en peinarse
la zangarilleja,
si antes cuatro en espulgar,
¡zarandillo y andar!
Que aunque siempre fue perfecta
la zangarilleja,
tuvo ganado mollar,
¡zarandillo y andar!
Lydia De Jorge
United States
Local time: 18:42
lice or ticks
Explanation:
I think this is what it really refers to; it's a play on words.

One of the meanings of "ganado" in this period is this one, as defined in the first Academy dictionary (1734):

"Ganado. Metaphoricamente llaman à los animalejos que se crian en la cabéza ò cuerpo: y para explicar su abundancia se dice que tiene mucho ganado."

Why "mollar"? I'm not sure, but perhaps it's referring to soft-bodied ticks rather than lice. Or perhaps it evokes the image of "mollares", almonds soft enough to shell with your fingers, just as you pick lice off with your fingers. Perhaps it's because lice are not very quick moving. In any case, I think this is very probably what "ganado" refers to, playing on the double meaning of "ganado mollar" that John has explained: docile cattle. "She always had lice" would fit in with "antes [estaba] cuatro [horas] en espulgar".



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2019-06-28 02:03:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I do have a paper copy of the first Real Academia dictionary (1726-39) at home (a facsimile edition, not an original!), but nowadays you can access it online, along with many other historical dictionaries, at the RAE's NTLLE portal:
http://buscon.rae.es/ntlle/SrvltGUILoginNtlle
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 01:42
Grading comment
Thank you, again!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3lice or ticks
Charles Davis
3 +3gentle cattle / docile cattle
JohnMcDove
3was plenty lousy
Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
Summary of reference entries provided
Ganado mollar
Toni Castano

Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
lice or ticks


Explanation:
I think this is what it really refers to; it's a play on words.

One of the meanings of "ganado" in this period is this one, as defined in the first Academy dictionary (1734):

"Ganado. Metaphoricamente llaman à los animalejos que se crian en la cabéza ò cuerpo: y para explicar su abundancia se dice que tiene mucho ganado."

Why "mollar"? I'm not sure, but perhaps it's referring to soft-bodied ticks rather than lice. Or perhaps it evokes the image of "mollares", almonds soft enough to shell with your fingers, just as you pick lice off with your fingers. Perhaps it's because lice are not very quick moving. In any case, I think this is very probably what "ganado" refers to, playing on the double meaning of "ganado mollar" that John has explained: docile cattle. "She always had lice" would fit in with "antes [estaba] cuatro [horas] en espulgar".



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2019-06-28 02:03:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I do have a paper copy of the first Real Academia dictionary (1726-39) at home (a facsimile edition, not an original!), but nowadays you can access it online, along with many other historical dictionaries, at the RAE's NTLLE portal:
http://buscon.rae.es/ntlle/SrvltGUILoginNtlle

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 01:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 296
Grading comment
Thank you, again!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Evidently you have better dictionaries than I do! ;) Yes, this would make much more sense in this context. Gracias!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  JohnMcDove: Wow! This is it! "Garrapatas" are definitely "mollar"... ¡Puaj! ;-)
19 mins
  -> Many thanks, John ;-) Es que la ingeniosidad verbal de esta época es apabullante. No soy un gran experto en parásitos, aunque mis hijos tuvieron piojos alguna vez cuando eran pequeños (se transmiten en el cole). Me acuerdo de la lendrera y las lociones...
agree  Toni Castano: You couldn´t make sense of it at first because it´s necessary to read the search expression within the context given, what I didn´t. After reading the whole poem, I agree with your interpretation. Excelllent research! Why "mollar"? No idea.
4 hrs
  -> Many thanks, Toni! I have one further suggestion on that, from my wife, who's from La Mancha and immediately realised "ganado" meant lice etc. She thought "mollar" meant "en la mollera": I love the idea but I'm not sure it's linguistically feasible.
agree  neilmac: I got itchy scalp just reading this...
5 hrs
  -> I know what you mean! I never had lice AFAIK, but they've made a comeback (like bed bugs in New York hotels, I read somewhere).
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
was plenty lousy


Explanation:
Two hours took combing
The ragged one,
If four before delousing.
Swift and walking!
Even ever faultless was
The ragged one,
And plenty lousy.
Swift and walking!


Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
Mexico
Local time: 18:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 4
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
gentle cattle / docile cattle


Explanation:
docile cattle

Mollar se entiende normalmente como blando, pero aquí, aplicado al ganado, me parece que se refiere en un sentido figurado a "docil", como "blandito"...

3. adj. coloq. Dicho de una persona: Que se deja engañar o persuadir con facilidad.

https://dle.rae.es/?id=PZtrWVK

También podría ser "ganado que produce carne blandita"..., pero creo que con "gentle cattle" podrías cubrir ambas connotaciones.

Saludos cordiales.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2019-06-28 01:11:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

De nada, Lydia.

Lo único que se me ocurre es que esté usado metafóricamente, y pueda hacer alguna referencia a una casa de lenocidio, y "el ganado mollar" de esta mujer podría referirse a sus pupilas.

http://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv/dictionary/SearchAllLemas/myLangu...

Estoy aventurando bastante, sin más contexto, pero por ahí podría tener algún sentido.

Espero que eso te dé alguna pista. O si no, con 4 patas puede quedarse el gato... ;-)

Saludos, una vez más.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2019-06-28 03:42:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Bueno, pues el gato no tenía 4 patas, sino muchas garrapatas.

Obviamente, la aportación de Charles es LA respuesta.

JohnMcDove
United States
Local time: 16:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 16
Notes to answerer
Asker: Gracias, John. Mi problema es que en este contexto no me parece lógico. Se describe a una mujer mundana y como tarda dos horas en peinarse pero antes se tarda cuatro en espulgar. De ahí no sé como empatar el ganado dócil. Quizá ando buscándole 5 patas al gato que tiene 4. Gracias por tu aportación!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Toni Castano: Confirmo y saludo (con referencia incluida) :-)
1 hr
  -> Muchas gracias, Toni. :-) Excelente referencia. :-) ¡Saludos!
agree  Adolfo Fulco
2 hrs
  -> Muchas gracias, Adolfo. :-)
agree  Charles Davis: This is the conclusion I came to, but like Lydia I can't make sense of it in context. // I think I've found a possible second meaning.
3 hrs
  -> Thank you very much, Charles. :-) (Let me read your findings!)
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Reference comments


2 hrs peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: Ganado mollar

Reference information:
https://www.morucha.com/vacuno/curiosidades/
Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Ganado Vacuno de Raza Morucha
Terminología campera
Mollar: referido a un animal manejable, pastueño, tranquilo.

Toni Castano
Spain
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  JohnMcDove: Pues sí, señor. :-) Muchas gracias por la referencia. /.../ Mira por dónde, la definición que aporta Charles, tiene todo el sentido en el contexto! ¡Cosas veredes! ;-)
38 mins
  -> Un placer, señor.
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