Vooral aan de kleding van de man hapert momenteel wel het een en ander

English translation: Particularly the man's clothing is looking the worse for wear

20:48 Feb 21, 2016

Dutch to English translations [Non-PRO]
History / Description of a poverty case

Dutch term or phrase: Vooral aan de kleding van de man hapert momenteel wel het een en ander

Comes directly after a sentence stating that the man cannot afford food or other necessities

John Decker KudoZ activity Questions: 17 (5 open) (1 without valid answers) Answers: 2
Local time: 18:30

English translation:Particularly the man's clothing is looking the worse for wear

Explanation:
The sentence actually implies the man's clothes have been "eaten". However, I'm sure it just means his clothes are in a bit of a mess - as in flea-bitten - moth-eaten.

Selected response from:

Dave Greatrix
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:30

Grading comment

Thanks - this solution won out by only a small margin, all the responses showed a lot of expertise and willingness to delve into the query and help. I am very grateful!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +6

Particularly the man's clothing is looking the worse for wear

Dave Greatrix

Especialy the man's clothing is indicative of a lack of many things

Verginia Ophof

Summary of reference entries provided

worse for wear

Barend van Zadelhoff

Discussion entries: 8

Answers

12 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

Particularly the man's clothing is looking the worse for wear

Explanation:
The sentence actually implies the man's clothes have been "eaten". However, I'm sure it just means his clothes are in a bit of a mess - as in flea-bitten - moth-eaten.

Dave Greatrix
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:30
Native speaker of: English

Grading comment

Thanks - this solution won out by only a small margin, all the responses showed a lot of expertise and willingness to delve into the query and help. I am very grateful!

2 hrs confidence:

Especialy the man's clothing is indicative of a lack of many things

Explanation:
The man's clothing show a shortcoming of many things

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 16:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English

Reference comments

1 day 21 hrs

Reference: worse for wear

Reference information:
worse for wear

Shabby or worn through use; drunk.

Origin

The expression 'worse for wear' is something of a linguistic oddity in that it has endured a variety of different meanings, versions and spellings during its lifetime. Let's start with the spelling indignities. 'Worse for wear' or 'worst for wear'? Both of these are found in print but, of course, the phrase is 'worse for wear', the alternative being a simple but sadly commonplace muddling of 'worse' and 'worst'. 'Worse for ware' and 'worse for where' are also sometimes seen, again occasionally using 'worst' rather than 'worse', and there's little better explanation for them other than that some people can't spell 'wear'.

Anyone familiar with etymology will have come across the redoubtable John Heywood's glossary A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue. 'Worse for wear' is one of the older phrases in the language and Heywood included it in the book's first edition in 1546:

Al thyng is the wors for the wearyng.

The meaning there is clear - 'as things are used they deteriorate'. As it became established in the language 'worse for wear' developed into a synonym for 'worn out'. At this stage the variant 'none the worse for wear' was coined, meaning 'used but not worn out' and also dragging along its misspelled 'worst/ware/where' versions. The English poet Charles Churchill used that expression, in a rather backhand compliment to his wife, in the poem The Ghost, 1794:

Some, in my place, to gain their ends,
Would give relations up and friends;
Would lend a wife, who, they might swear
Safely, was none the worse for wear.

Into the 20th century and the phrase took on another meaning, that is, 'drunk'. This was taken up by the UK tabloid press in the 1960s and has now superseded 'tired and emotional' as the euphemism of choice when describing some young wag falling out of a taxi at 3am.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/worse-for-wear.html

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Note added at 1 day21 hrs (2016-02-23 18:18:59 GMT)
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the worse for wear

› tired or in poor condition because of a lot of work or use:

After a month of journeying over rough roads, the drivers and their trucks were looking the worse for wear.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/the-worse...

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Note added at 1 day21 hrs (2016-02-23 18:31:54 GMT)
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worse for wear

Also, the worse for the wear. In poor physical condition owing to long use; also, drunk. For example, This television set is really worse for the wear; we'll have to replace it, or He'd better not drive home; he's definitely the worse for the wear. [c. a.d. 1000 ]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/worse-for-wear

Barend van Zadelhoff
Netherlands
Native speaker of:

Dutch
PRO pts in category: 17

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Vooral aan de kleding van de man hapert momenteel wel het een en ander

English translation: Particularly the man's clothing is looking the worse for wear

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Vooral aan de kleding van de man hapert momenteel wel het een en ander

English translation: Particularly the man's clothing is looking the worse for wear

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