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Can you help me finding a good translation for the German idiom Aus dem Nähkästchen erzählen/plaudern.

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Good? Maybe what the internet tells us – Em1 Apr 16 '12 at 20:31
Voted for close..., the same translation is also given on wiktionary. – Em1 Apr 16 '12 at 20:32
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Not all of these translations are "good" - before we close we should ask for a context. – Takkat♦ Apr 16 '12 at 20:35
@Takkat Was für nen Kontext? Seit wann können denn Redensarten ihre Bedeutung ändern? Und für die Übersetzung ist das auch nicht ausschlaggebend. Entw. gibt es ein Idiom, dass die selbe Aussage hat oder - wie in diesem Fall - man formuliert es mit einfachen englischen Wörter. Und ob du jetzt das innere einer Story erzählst oder doch Geheimnisse verrätst, da ist der Kontext schnuppe, es ist nur noch eine Frage des persönlichen Stils und des Mögen oder auch Nicht-Mögen. – Em1 Apr 16 '12 at 20:57

1 Answer

up vote 5 down vote accepted

If you do "aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern" then you could tell an inside story, give away secrets, spill the beans about something, or tell tales out of school. Maybe its only just gossiping or you really shot the bull.

Whichever of these translations, or even another one may be "good" entirely depends on the context.

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+1 I like the tell tales out of school – knut Apr 17 '12 at 9:43
"shooting the bull"? You can shoot the breeze but that's not really aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern. (It's more like, "Da stehnse widder am Wasserhäusche un räsonniere" <g>.) Or maybe you are thinking of a typical "bull session" in a college dorm? The others, however, including "telling tales out of school", are good. – Eugene Seidel Apr 20 '12 at 12:19
Your first and second references are word-for-word identical. "Shoot the bull" sounds wrong to me (I would attempt to correct anyone who says it) but if enough people say it then ... – Eugene Seidel Apr 20 '12 at 12:40

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