Glossary entry

Russian term or phrase:

Или мы рылом не вышли?

English translation:

Or we\'re not up to snuff?

Added to glossary by chap
Oct 2, 2009 20:57
14 yrs ago
Russian term

Или мы рылом не вышли?

Russian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature Fiction, an idiom.
This is an informal Russian idiom. My version is "Are we any worse?" But I find it not colorful enough.

Discussion

chap (asker) Oct 3, 2009:
Или мы рылом не вышли? A woman from a Russian province is turned out of a hard currency store for foreigners in Russia. Feeling indignant, she utters this phrase.
a05 Oct 2, 2009:
actually means "not eligible" but very informally
GaryG Oct 2, 2009:
Can you give us more context? My dictionary of idioms gives possible meanings like, "...had no business doing...", "...isn't good enough...."

Proposed translations

1 hr
Selected

Or we're not up to snuff?

not good enough
not up to scratch
not up to the mark

But I like "snuff" because of the snout allusion, even if the reader won't be aware of it.


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Note added at 13 hrs (2009-10-03 10:31:22 GMT)
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After you supplied the context:

Don't use snuff/scratch/mark for this woman. "Not good enough" would be fine, and if you want it to be more colorful, embellish it. For example:

"So we're not good enough to polish their boots, huh?"

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Note added at 12 days (2009-10-15 12:50:07 GMT) Post-grading
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Post-grading note:

I don't know which of the various things I wrote you're taking, but please note what I wrote after you revealed that the speaker is a country woman. I don't think such a person should say "up to snuff," but simply "not good enough".
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Very good. Fits fine. "
27 mins

Or [do they think that] our snoots are not as goods as theirs?

свежо и оригинально :)

и думаю вполне понятно будет :)

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Note added at 30 mins (2009-10-02 21:27:59 GMT)
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вот ещё вариант -

Or [do they think that] our money are not as goods as theirs?

Уж этот вариант 100 % будет понятен, но не всегда подойдёт по контексту
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+1
47 mins

Or don't we cut the mustard?

Peer comment(s):

agree Artifex : смысл передает
14 hrs
Thank you.
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+1
47 mins

What are we, chopped liver?

depending on your context, of course. I could give you a dozen more, if I didn't have to leave the office in the next 10 mins. :)
Peer comment(s):

agree Jim Tucker (X) : Superb.
17 hrs
Thanks Jim!
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1 hr

..Or do they think we ain't good enough (for)...?

This it way too colloquial and rude in Russian. Can be conveyed also by means of 'We ain't not for the likes of ...'
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