# just let me suck around a bit



## ellyjap

Ciao a tutti,

un ragazzo apre il topping al caramello e per sbaglio lo rovescia a terra, imbrattando tutto il pavimento e lamentandosi che non ne fa mai una giusta. Nel frattempo, arriva il suo coinquilino. Il ragazzo gli dice subito "just let me suck around a bit". E il coinquilino gli risponde, arrabbiato, "No way". 

Il mio tentativo "lascia che faccia pena per un po'". Però non mi convince molto. 
Inoltre ho trovato questo: Slang. to behave in a fawning manner (usually followed by around). (the definition of suck)

Grazie a tutti


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## King Crimson

E se andasse tradotto letteralmente (lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno)? Scherzando, ovviamente...


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## You little ripper!

ellyjap said:


> un ragazzo apre il topping al caramello e per sbaglio lo rovescia a terra, imbrattando tutto il pavimento e lamentandosi che non ne fa mai una giusta. Nel frattempo, arriva il suo coinquilino. Il ragazzo gli dice subito "just let me suck around a bit". E il coinquilino gli risponde, arrabbiato, "No way".



Elly, I don't really understand why the flatmate is strongly opposed to the "sucking around a bit". Maybe he has obsessive compulsive disorder and finds the whole business gross or thinks the flatmate is going to make even more of a mess. There's even be the possibility he is being vulgar. It's difficult to say without knowing more about the characters.


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## MR1492

ellyjap said:


> un ragazzo apre il topping al caramello e per sbaglio lo rovescia a terra, imbrattando tutto il pavimento e lamentandosi che non ne fa mai una giusta. Nel frattempo, arriva il suo coinquilino. Il ragazzo gli dice subito "just let me suck around a bit". E il coinquilino gli risponde, arrabbiato, "No way".



Hello ellyjap,

This is a tricky one.  This is just my interpretation.  I think the the first guy is a screw-up, a person who fouls things up all the time.  So, after he spills the "carmello", he says to his roommate, "Just let me suck (i.e., "continue to mess things up", "continue to make mistakes", "continue to be the one who always has bad luck", etc.) around a bit ("stay right here", or "not be told to leave", or "continue to be the foolish/unlucky person right here for a while").

Once again, I think this is an example of dialogue in English where the author is trying to be cute.  It isn't a standard "modo di dire" either.

Phil


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## Holymaloney

King Crimson said:


> E se andasse tradotto letteralmente (lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno)? Scherzando, ovviamente...


Beh, veramente è la prima cosa che ho pensato anch'io


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## ellyjap

You little ripper! said:


> Elly, I don't really understand why the flatmate is strongly opposed to the "sucking around a bit". Maybe he has obsessive compulsive disorder and finds the whole business gross or thinks the flatmate is going to make even more of a mess. There's even be the possibility he is being vulgar. It's difficult to say without knowing more about the characters.




Il ragazzo che ha buttato a terra il caramello è molto disordinato e il coinquilino è arrabbiato perché fa sempre il contrario di quello che gli si dice. 
Forse è vero, va bene la traduzione letterale "lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno", ma è veramente volgare.


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## london calling

Ma cos'è?  Un cartone?  Un libro?


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## ellyjap

è un cartone.


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## King Crimson

ellyjap said:


> Forse è vero, va bene la traduzione letterale "lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno", ma è veramente volgare.



Se fosse un cartone come South Park una traduzione letterale non mi sorprenderebbe.


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## MR1492

ellyjap,

It is not best to literally translate this as succhiare.  In this example, "let me suck around here ..." is more "mi permetti a fallire miseramente qui..."

Phil


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## You little ripper!

According to this slang dictionary it's just a variant of "suck up":

suck, v.¹ — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

suck around (v.) [var. suck up v. (1)]

[1910s+] (_US_) to act in a toadying manner (towards).


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## johngiovanni

I wonder if in the original English both the literal and slang/ figurative meanings are involved here - "Sbaglio tutto, sono un disastro, ma ti chiedo solo scusa e ti prego di sopportarmi" and "Lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno".
If we knew that the speaker really wanted to stay "Please let me stay!" and the other person meant "No, I really don't want you here" - which is what I suspect - then perhaps the former.  Please let me stay! (Apologies for any mistakes in the Italian, but hopefully you'll get my drift).


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## ellyjap

Credo che la prima soluzione sia la migliore. Anche se, sicuramente, l'espressione comprende entrambi i significati. 

Grazie a tutti


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## bibiga

Secondo me si riferisce proprio al succhiare il caramello da terra in modo letterale...


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## Tellure

johngiovanni said:


> I wonder if in the original English both the literal and slang/ figurative meanings are involved here - "Sbaglio tutto, sono un disastro, ma ti chiedo solo scusa e ti prego di sopportarmi" and "Lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno".
> If we knew that the speaker really wanted to stay "Please let me stay!" and the other person meant "No, I really don't want you here" - which is what I suspect - then perhaps the former.  Please let me stay! (Apologies for any mistakes in the Italian, but hopefully you'll get my drift).


Il tuo italiano è ottimo. Solo, più stringatamente, magari "Sì, lo so, non mi dire niente. Fammene leccare solo un po'.".


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## bibiga

Tellure said:


> "Sì, lo so, non mi dire niente. Fammene leccare solo un po'."


Mi sembra perfetto


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## MR1492

Tellure said:


> Il tuo italiano è ottimo. Solo, più stringatamente, magari "Sì, lo so, non mi dire niente. Fammene leccare solo un po'.".





bibiga said:


> Mi sembra perfetto



I have to disagree.  This cannot be taken literally.  This is a slang use of "suck" and it means "to be bad/wrong/in error/a mistake/etc."  After spilling the "caramello" (which I presume is just one in a series of mistakes), he asks his roommate if he can "suck around a bit" which means "may I remain here and continue to make bad mistakes."  Apparently, his roommate is not in agreement and responds, "No way."  One can only presume that there is a lot more context here we don't have but it might be that the two have discussed the screw-up leaving before and now his roommate is insisting he leave.

Unless "leccare" or "succhiare" have a meaning of "screwing up" or "making mistakes", they should not be used here in my opinion.

Phil


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## ellyjap

MR1492 said:


> I have to disagree.  This cannot be taken literally.  This is a slang use of "suck" and it means "to be bad/wrong/in error/a mistake/etc."  After spilling the "caramello" (which I presume is just one in a series of mistakes), he asks his roommate if he can "suck around a bit" which means "may I remain here and continue to make bad mistakes."  Apparently, his roommate is not in agreement and responds, "No way."  One can only presume that there is a lot more context here we don't have but it might be that the two have discussed the screw-up leaving before and now his roommate is insisting he leave.
> 
> Effettivamente, prima di cospargere il caramello sul pavimento, aveva rotto un servizio di piatti.


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## rrose17

King Crimson said:


> E se andasse tradotto letteralmente (lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno)? Scherzando, ovviamente...


Sorry Phil, but I agree with KC on this one.


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## MR1492

rrose17 said:


> Sorry Phil, but I agree with KC on this one.



Well, to each his own, I suppose.  I just see it differently.  And KC did say he was only kidding, didn't he?

I'll stick with my idea from post #17.

Phil

P.S.  Congrats, rrose.

P.S.S.  Added a few more thoughts after thinking.


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## barking fellows

I don't think KC was joking - I think he meant the character is, when saying "Lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno". I agree that it may have two meanings in English but as we can't render both in Italian, I'd go for the other one: "fammi star qui a far altri casini" or something.

P.S. Maybe you could translate the answer "No way", by "Ti attacchi!", so the whole thing sounds more like slang and also to get a meaning which has something to do with caramello on the floor..


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## bibiga

I stick to the literal meaning of it. The rest doesn't make much sense.


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## MR1492

barking fellows said:


> I don't think KC was joking - I think he meant the character is, when saying "Lasciamene solo succhiare un po' qui attorno". I agree that it may have two meanings in English but as we can't render both in Italian, I'd go for the other one: "fammi star qui a far altri casini" or something.
> 
> P.S. Maybe you could translate the answer "No way", by "Ti attacchi!", so the whole thing sounds more like slang and also to get a meaning which has something to do with caramello on the floor..



I do think this is probably closest to the original but only if it means "making a mess out of my life" in addition to making a physical mess of things.  I'm just not familiar enough with the nuances of everyday Italian to make that judgment.  As for the caramello, I think (if you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies) it is just a MacGuffin.  That is, it's just a plot device to move things forward but has little or no meaning to the story.  We are focused too much on the caramello and not enough on the fact that the character is a screwed up person.

But that's just my opinion! 



bibiga said:


> I stick to the literal meaning of it. The rest doesn't make much sense.



On the contrary, it makes perfect sense to me as slang which is why I don't think the literal meaning fits very well.  

Phil


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## Pietruzzo

I think both parties are right since the "sucker" wants to literally lick the caramello on the floor while the other guy is fed up with his "sucking around".
My take:
-Fammici pasticciare un po'
-Ma falla finita con i pasticci!


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## bibiga

MR1492 said:


> On the contrary, it makes perfect sense to me as slang which is why I don't think the literal meaning fits very well.


I know the slang fits well but it doesn't fit the context. The guy wants to lick the caramel off the floor.


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## tittiugo

Hi all,

Could someone tell me what the italian meaning of "No way" is?

This response would be so kind/much appreciated...

Thanks in advance.


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## Mary49

tittiugo said:


> Hi all, Could someone tell me what the *I*talian meaning of "No way" is? This response would be so kind/much appreciated... Thanks in advance.


no way - Dizionario inglese-italiano WordReference 
*"no way* _interj
informal_ (refusal) (_informale_) neanche per idea!, nemmeno per sogno!, non se ne parla nemmeno!, è fuori discussione! _inter"._


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## tittiugo

Thanks a lot Mary


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## Lorena1970

_*Potrei slinguazzare/ sleccucchiare qui e là...*
_
Potrebbe essere un gergo da cartoni. Non ho idea di che cartone sia...


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## MR1492

ellyjap said:


> un ragazzo apre il topping al caramello e per sbaglio lo rovescia a terra, imbrattando tutto il pavimento e lamentandosi che non ne fa mai una giusta. Nel frattempo, arriva il suo coinquilino. Il ragazzo gli dice subito "just let me suck around a bit". E il coinquilino gli risponde, arrabbiato, "No way".





bibiga said:


> I know the slang fits well but it doesn't fit the context. The guy wants to lick the caramel off the floor.



Well, since it is an interpretation of a mixture of Italian and English, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.  I just don't see where "...._e lamentandosi che non ne fa mai una giusta_," is some definite context stating that he wants to lick it off the floor.  To me, it means he regrets not being able to get even a small taste.  The English phrase he uses ("just let me suck around a bit") is definitely slang and, at least to me, does not mean he wants to "suck the caramel off the floor."  That action is neither expressed nor implied in my opinion (reference my post #23).

Phil


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## johngiovanni

He wants to stay, to hang around.  Perhaps he'll try some way to ingratiate himself - another sense of "suck around".  That seems to me the more important meaning for the plot, rather than he will lick the caramel off the floor.


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## You little ripper!

johngiovanni said:


> He wants to stay, to hang around.  Perhaps he'll try some way to ingratiate himself - another sense of "suck around".  That seems to me the more important meaning for the plot, rather than he will lick the caramel off the floor.


 The slang meaning was linked to in Post 11.

Edit: I've only just realized that elly had already provided a link to the slang meaning in the OP.


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## champagne3

Isn't the whole point of the joke that it is both literal and figurative? Otherwise, there is no joke. In other words, the joke is that it could be either literal (as in licking the caramel off the floor) or figurative (as in screw up). There is nothing funny about someone making a mistake, saying "Just let me hang around and screw up some more," and the other person responding "No way!" Also, presumably, the joke depends upon the specificity of spilling caramel rather than any other random screw up. What is funny is that, when the second guy says "No Way!" it is because he has taken the first guy literally. The second guy doesn't want him to lick the caramel off the floor. That is why he says "No way!" Unless the guy has some phobia about caramel on the floor, it doesn't make sense to react so vehemently to such a harmless mistake. As for how you would translate, that is a real problem!


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## You little ripper!

champagne3 said:


> Isn't the whole point of the joke that it is both literal and figurative?


Is it a joke, champagne? Maybe I'm missing something but I can't see anything in the OP to indicate that. Maybe we need a couple of lines just before and after to get a better idea of what's going on.


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## bibiga

MR1492 said:


> ("just let me suck around a bit") is definitely slang and, at least to me, does not mean he wants to "suck the caramel off the floor." That action is neither expressed nor implied in my opinion (reference my post #23).



I understand the slang meaning, I have come across it many times in the past but this time I think it has a literal meaning and possibly a double entrendre. The guy's reaction as champagne says, is too vehement!!
But I agree with YLR, maybe there is a need for more context


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## MR1492

Well, I still don't think there is a double entendre here but I read the thread to my wife and she thought it meant he wanted to lick the caramel off the floor.  So, I guess I was wrong and will accept my punishment by the group!    I hope it is something easy like forty lashes with a wet noodle!

Like, YLR, I really do wish we had more of the actual text to go by and some additional background.  Otherwise, the translation is a real shot in the dark.

Phil


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## champagne3

Quando Ellyjap ha scritto, per quanto riguarda contesto, "cartone," ho pensato che sia stato un scherzo, un cartone di una singola immagine. Forse mi sono sbagliato.


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## johngiovanni

I don't think "No way!" is too vehement, whether the slang/ figurative meaning is understood or the literal meaning. 
The point I was trying to make is that if it is not possible to render both meanings in Italian, as the English appears to do, then it would be better to use a form of words which indicated he wanted this bloke to go, since from the plot point of view that might be more important.


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## You little ripper!

MR1492 said:


> So, I guess I was wrong and will accept my punishment by the group!  I hope it is something easy like forty lashes with a wet noodle!


Phil, you're living in a fantasy world! You call forty lashes with a wet noodle punishment?!!!

This is punishment:


Spoiler


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## bibiga

johngiovanni said:


> The point I was trying to make is that if it is not possible to render both meanings in Italian, as the English appears to do, then it would be better to use a form of words which indicated he wanted this bloke to go, since from the plot point of view that might be more important.


Essendo un cartone a me pare più verosimile che ci si riferisca al leccare il caramello dal pavimento, quindi io mi concentrerei su quella di traduzione


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## tittiugo

Anche secondo me il leccare il caramello dal pav potrebbe essere la traduzione appropriata; l'immagine che si verrebbe a delineare sarebbe molto comica (immaginando il cartone simile a South Park)


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