A Sharpei, A Cat, and The Mightiest Vessel of its Time

[akirlu]

Aw. A Get Fuzzy strip just for me:

Vad fan, jävlar!


From my comment to Jay Lake, source of all links:

Though, to be punctilious about it, the Wasa wasn't 'ruined' 15 minutes later -- it was rather remarkably intact, even 300 years later -- it just sank. I'd say when it was ruined was even as it was built: too tall in cross-section relative to its keel, with gun decks too low relative to a properly balasted draft. Thus it blew over sideways in the first stiff cross-breeze, and began shipping water through the gun ports. Sank like a stone.

But the dog swearing in Swedish is still funny.

Comments

[wild-patience.livejournal.com]

Thank you for explaining that. I saw it in this morning's paper and didn't get that it was Swedish.

[replyhazy.livejournal.com]

Two questions:

1. What's the Swedish curse mean?

2. People make fudge in humid climates? :-D

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Happy to help. :)

[mihai-lado.livejournal.com]

"devils" - a lot of cursing in Swedish involves the devil, such as "javlan ta du!" which means "the devil take you."

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

1. Literally: Devils! More loosely: Oh Hell! or Dammit!

2. I don't know. So far, I have not succeeded. Both the fudge shop in the Public Market, and Jane Hawkins, claim to be making the fudge they serve, but I have not witnessed these alleged fudge-makings in person, so I only have their word. But I believe they make fudge in the Sigh-Outh, so perhaps it really is possible.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I dunno where you're getting your colloquial Swedish grammar and spelling, but they need a bit of work. YM 'dig' for instance. And 'Djävulen'. And I've never in my life heard a Swede say "Djävulen ta dig!". Now, "Dra åt helvete," that is pretty common. And yes, hell, devils, and damnation do feature prominently in Swedish profanity.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I have seen Jane Hawkins make fudge. Moreover, Jane taught my granddaughter the One True Way to make fudge, and said granddaughter has made fudge according to this method over and over, even going so far as to teach the other granddaughter how to make it in Portland, where it is even more wet.

[mihai-lado.livejournal.com]

Just a memory from my Scandinavian professor over 30 years ago. Thanks for the update and correction.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Sounds like I should petition Jane for lessons. My fudge recipe consistently fails to work ever since we moved to Seattle. All I get is granular goo.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Ah, well, yes, you can get a lot of language drift (and memory drift) in 30 years...

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

My grandmother who lived in Seattle used this recipe:


Million Dollar Fudge

Place in mixing bowl:

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bits
12 oz. Hershey bars
1 pint marshmallow cream
1 cup nuts

Put in saucepan:

4.5 cups granulated sugar
1 tall can condensed milk
1 Tbls. butter

Boil 5-6 minutes at full rolling boil. Stir constantly.
Pour syrup over mixture in bowl and stir until melted.
Pour into large greased pan. Let cool.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'll try it.

[jophan.livejournal.com]

"Fan ta dig" is idiomatically correct, though.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

So it is. And sort of amusing, if you read 'fan' as an English word...

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

For that matter, the more common (IME) expression, "Ta mig fan" becomes mildly titilating as well.

(For Anglophones still following along at home, the phrases being bandied here mean, literally, "Hell/Damnation take you," and "Hell/Damnation take me." (The latter might more loosely translated as "I'll be damned.") I'm just thinking that "Fan take you/me" either turns fans into a sort of monstrous boogeyman, or indicates a sort of fannish erotomania.)