Old day

English translation: late in a day

08:46 Nov 19, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Photography/Imaging (& Graphic Arts)
English term or phrase: Old day
Old day
[no context - title of a picture, day in singular]
kgas (X)
Local time: 12:40
Selected answer:late in a day
Explanation:
could it be about the evening time, when the "day is old"? as this is the title of a picture could you infer something from the picture itself? without more context this is open to personal (or in this case, artistic)interpretation.
Selected response from:

Arcoiris
Local time: 11:40
Grading comment
Thank you very much!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4late in a day
Arcoiris
4 +1Re: poem
Tony M
4 +1some day, some good ol' day, when things return to the way they used to be
Refugio
2 +1a day long ago
Jonathan MacKerron
3 -1Olden days
jerrie
3 -2old day/retro (photography) technique/style
Alexander Demyanov


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
old day
a day long ago


Explanation:
without further context....

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Orla Ryan
4 mins
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
old day
Olden days


Explanation:
as an alternative title?

The olden days

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:40
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  humbird: Yes, without actual picture we only seek for suitable alternate. This sound most natural conclusion.
6 hrs

disagree  Tony M: Sorry, but it doesn't sound a bit natural to me! // Indeed, but all those examples need the plural, or it sounds odd :-)
11 hrs
  -> Oh, well... used like, the good old days, in the olden days, in days long past/gone ... etc - never mind!

disagree  Refugio: I think this would be a bit of a stretch
1 day 8 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
old day
late in a day


Explanation:
could it be about the evening time, when the "day is old"? as this is the title of a picture could you infer something from the picture itself? without more context this is open to personal (or in this case, artistic)interpretation.

Arcoiris
Local time: 11:40
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you very much!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Melanie Nassar: Without actually seeing the picture, it's hard to decide, but this is definitely a possibility.
45 mins

agree  Tony M: This would be my intuitive, ENS interpretation; we often talk about "the day (or night!) is but young" [= it's still early], so I think this means 'evening / twilight / eventide'
10 hrs

agree  DGK T-I: "“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives." Delai Lama - seems like a day nearing its end to me too,with or without other associations,but as everyone says,difficult to be cert.lacking pict
13 hrs

agree  Refugio: This is my take on it too
1 day 7 hrs
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -2
old day
old day/retro (photography) technique/style


Explanation:
Guessing from the indicated subject field (for lack of context).

Alexander Demyanov
Local time: 07:40
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: First, it's the title of the picture, not a description of it; and second, it just sounds plain wrong for 'olden days' or 'old-time' [as in dancing!] // Of course you're right, but I feel it is a much less likely probability, is all! No space for more!
5 hrs
  -> In the absence of any context you seem too confident assuming it couldn't be from a set of diff pictures arbitrary TITLED/NAMED by their styles. Or else you hold a license for exclusive use of "title" and defining it's subset of meanings.

disagree  Refugio: Dusty is right that this interpretation sounds wrong to native ears.// Let me rephrase that. One's national origin doesn't matter, but one's degree of familiarity with the English language does. It is simply not a plausible suggestion.
1 day 2 hrs
  -> Your national origin is of no consequence to the question at hand. I deem the suggestion perfectly plausible w/out any context.++"Simply not" provides for impeccable reasoning. Bravo! Also, how do you know you are more familiar w/English than, say, I am?
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
old day
Re: poem


Explanation:
In this instance, I think the meaning is quite different from your photo title.

Here, the poet is referring to 'some unspecified day' --- the 'old' does not (necessarily) refer to age, but is just a colloquial way of saying 'it doesn't matter / I don't know...'

You often hear 'any old thing': "Oh, just write any old thing, no-one's going to read it anyway!" "some old..." is perhaps rarer, but sounds right in the poetic context

"He did it just any old how"

Tony M
France
Local time: 12:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 15

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  DGK T-I: agree.Perhaps JethroTull's poem "A new Day, Yesterday" http://www.collecting-tull.com/Albums/Lyrics/RepeatTheBestOf... is another kind of"old day"for the picture title,although no way of knowing,so my bet is Apricitas' interpretation
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Doc!
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1 day 9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
some old day
some day, some good ol' day, when things return to the way they used to be


Explanation:
This is not in answer to your main question, but rather to the one posed in the notes.

Old (especially good old) is often used, at least in American English, to indicate a comfortable (or even wistful in the case of the poem you cite) familiarity, the way things "spoze" to be. Here's another example, obviously not referring to an elderly mother:

Good Old MOM!

Who is the one who combs my hair
And drives me almost anywhere?
Who makes me wear clean underwear?
Good old MOM!

Who is the one who hums a tune
When I'm home sick in the afternoon?
Who brings me milk and a macaroon?
Good old MOM!

Who tucks me into bed each night
And tells me things will be all right ?
Who yells at me, "Turn out that light!?"
Good old MOM!

Who cares for me each live long day?
Well, I love her more than words can say
And I wish her Happy Mother's Day!
Good old MOM!

When I was 26 and my son was five, home sick from school one day, he sat in my lap and patted me on the back, saying: "My mother. My old, old, old, old, old, old mother." Needless to say, I took no offense.


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Note added at 1 day 10 hrs 30 mins (2004-11-20 19:16:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Note to Alexander: The way we become very familiar with a language (even our own)is to read and listen and write and learn a lot for many decades. Then and only then can we confidently trust our ear.

Refugio
Local time: 04:40
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Oh yes, RUTH!!! So many of those old decades... I speak from bitter (and long!) experience :-) // Oh dear, please excuse that name slip! Put it down to rapidly-approaching senility :-(
2 days 3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Dusty, me too, but ... my name is Ruth.
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