red retahíla

English translation: old saw/old saying/old story

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:red retahíla
English translation:old saw/old saying/old story
Entered by: Wendy Gosselin

19:29 Apr 4, 2022
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Spanish term or phrase: red retahíla
An interview with a Venezuelan artist. She is talking about her childhood:

O sea, yo era como la oveja negra de mi familia porque era como la loca, como la que: “Ay, ¿qué vas a hacer tú con el arte? Los artistas no pueden vivir”. Tú sabes, esa red retahíla que, hasta el día de hoy, nos aplican a los seres en la familia que somos un poco distintos a los demás.
Wendy Gosselin
Argentina
Local time: 04:08
old saw/old saying/old story
Explanation:
In this context, I see it more as a story than a label. I prefer 'old saw' because it parallels the register of the original. It also emphasizes that the adage/warning (artists don't make enough money to live on) is old and often repeated. Some colleagues may not have heard of it, but the same seems to be true of the Spanish source phrase.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Saw_(saying)
What is an old saw?
A saw is an old saying or commonly repeated phrase or idea; a conventional wisdom. While "old saw" is a common phrase for "saw", some consider it a tautology.

Examples:

Unicorns: People Not Companies - Horton International
https://www.hortoninternational.com › news › unicorns...
Feb 1, 2022 — **That old saw – hire for attitude, train for skills – often hits the right spot**

Don't Say “Change Is Hard” When You're Asking People to ...
https://hbr.org › tip › 2018/01 › dont-say-change-is-har...
Jan 3, 2018 — But **that old saw can become a self-fulfilling prophecy**. Momentary setbacks or delays can be viewed as the dead canary in the coal mine, ...

Working Less Is a Matter of Life and Death - The New York Times...
https://www.nytimes.com › opinion › work-hours-us-health
May 29, 2021 — ... time on the job, **going all the way back to that old saw first recorded in the 17th century, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.**

Universities shouldn't be exempt from DC property taxes
https://www.washingtonpost.com › 2016/08/19
Aug 19, 2016 — **THAT OLD saw about death and taxes does not apply to not-for-profit institutions** such as colleges and universities, which may not be ...
Selected response from:

Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 00:08
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2old saw/old saying/old story
Muriel Vasconcellos
3tag /tagline/label
neilmac


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
tag /tagline/label


Explanation:
Or maybe "sobriquet"... ( a nickname)...
None of these are direct dictionary translations, but I think they could work in the context, with a bit of tweaking.

neilmac
Spain
Local time: 09:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 82
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
old saw/old saying/old story


Explanation:
In this context, I see it more as a story than a label. I prefer 'old saw' because it parallels the register of the original. It also emphasizes that the adage/warning (artists don't make enough money to live on) is old and often repeated. Some colleagues may not have heard of it, but the same seems to be true of the Spanish source phrase.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Saw_(saying)
What is an old saw?
A saw is an old saying or commonly repeated phrase or idea; a conventional wisdom. While "old saw" is a common phrase for "saw", some consider it a tautology.

Examples:

Unicorns: People Not Companies - Horton International
https://www.hortoninternational.com › news › unicorns...
Feb 1, 2022 — **That old saw – hire for attitude, train for skills – often hits the right spot**

Don't Say “Change Is Hard” When You're Asking People to ...
https://hbr.org › tip › 2018/01 › dont-say-change-is-har...
Jan 3, 2018 — But **that old saw can become a self-fulfilling prophecy**. Momentary setbacks or delays can be viewed as the dead canary in the coal mine, ...

Working Less Is a Matter of Life and Death - The New York Times...
https://www.nytimes.com › opinion › work-hours-us-health
May 29, 2021 — ... time on the job, **going all the way back to that old saw first recorded in the 17th century, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.**

Universities shouldn't be exempt from DC property taxes
https://www.washingtonpost.com › 2016/08/19
Aug 19, 2016 — **THAT OLD saw about death and taxes does not apply to not-for-profit institutions** such as colleges and universities, which may not be ...


Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 00:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 80

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer Levey
1 hr
  -> Thank you, Jennifer!

agree  neilmac: I like "adage", and keep my saws for cutting up firewood :-)
17 hrs
  -> Thank you, Neil! I'm not surprised by your preference. I expected my answer to fall like a lead balloon. I picked it because it's rare and the Spanish term is rare as well.
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