zweverig

11:30 Aug 14, 2014
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other

Dutch to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
Dutch term or phrase: zweverig
De zin is: 'niet om nu al te zweverig te doen, want dat ben ik helemaal niet'
Het komt uit een verzoek voor financiering voor een film. De regisseur beschrijft haar visie voor het verhaal.

Taalvariant: Nederlands (Nederland)

Woolly en sentimental dekken naar mijn idee niet echt de lading...
Suggesties?
EmendoEditing
Netherlands
Local time: 10:00


Summary of answers provided
4 +1woolly
Michael Beijer
3 +2my head in the clouds
Tina Vonhof (X)
3 +1airy-fairy
freekfluweel
3 +1wishy-washy
Verginia Ophof
4hippy-dippy
Michael Beijer
4philosophical
telraam
3wishy washy
katerina turevich
3blue-sky thinking
Barend van Zadelhoff
3New-Agey
Verginia Ophof
4 -1high-flown / uppity-duppity
Alexander Schleber (X)


Discussion entries: 36





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
airy-fairy


Explanation:
http://www.likeasponge.nl/floating-on-a-cloud-of-airy-fairy-...

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Note added at 13 min (2014-08-14 11:44:02 GMT)
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of iets anders uit de ref...

freekfluweel
Netherlands
Local time: 10:00
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michael Beijer: Not bad Herr Fluweel.
25 mins
  -> Danke schön, Herr Bayer.
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
woolly


Explanation:
‘woolly generalizations about economic growth’
‘My latest academic post here is another one of my attacks on the woolly thinking that is so characteristic of academic psychology.’
‘woolly thinking’
‘To me, at least, the arguments have always seemed too woolly to be entirely convincing.’
‘Lest that sound altogether woolly, I'll try and explain what I mean by this.’

(Oxforddictionaries.com)

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Note added at 19 mins (2014-08-14 11:49:49 GMT)
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‘woolly’ is defined as ‘Vague or confused in expression or character’ (Oxforddictionaries.com)

Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:00
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  katerina turevich: wooly wooly
38 mins
  -> Thanks Katerina!
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
wishy-washy


Explanation:
suggestion


    Reference: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wishy-washy-stock-market-ends-...
Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 03:00
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Michael Beijer: I think this has a slightly different meaning. / hmm, on second thought, maybe not. this might work
8 mins

agree  katerina turevich: sorry, it took me that long to get my daughter out the door
17 mins
  -> Thank you Katerina !
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55 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
wishy washy


Explanation:
a wishy washy liberal

but it can be a wishy washy faith healer too, in that this faith healer has wishy washy ideas
your sentence: "not to appear too wishy washy, ....."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wishy washy

or perhaps change the sentence and make it : "not to beat around the bush, I don't like to do that, but i got to mention that"
or
if you are moving in the direction of 'touchy" :
i would do "not to be overly/too sensetive" but this, as well as "touchy" has a connotation of being offended

the context is extremely important here

katerina turevich
Netherlands
Local time: 10:00
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
hippy-dippy


Explanation:
See e.g.:

https://www.google.com/search?q=faith healers, psychics hipp... (Google search for: faith healers, psychics hippy-dippy)

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-08-14 12:38:21 GMT)
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‘Instead, faith healers, psychics and all that hippy-dippy bullshit manages to get a word in and people start to listen to them, as opposed to ..’ (http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/artemis-fowl.266041/p... )

‘There are plenty of Psychics here in Beverly Hills who are circus clowns, delusional, hippy-dippy, new age frauds.’ (http://www.psychic90210.com/beverlyhillspsychic.html )

‘So you actually believe that so many of the faith healers do have god ..... a pretty normal group, but inside A^2, they were pretty hippy-dippy.’ (http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtop... )

Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:00
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  freekfluweel: http://tinyurl.com/n65h5e4
2 mins
  -> airy-fairy vs hippy-dippy :-)
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
my head in the clouds


Explanation:
To get away from a literal, word-for-word translation: 'I don't want to sound like I have my head in the clouds because I have my feet firmly on the ground.'

The language should not be too informal when you're making an application for funding.


Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 03:00
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Natasha Ziada (X): This is what I would use
2 mins
  -> Thank you Natasha.

agree  Michael Beijer: Nice solution.
29 mins
  -> Thanks Michael.

neutral  philgoddard: This means to daydream or be unaware of what is going on around you, which is not the same as zweverig, meaning vague.
2 hrs
  -> You could be right, more context might help.
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
blue-sky thinking


Explanation:
I don't know whether 'blue-sky thinking' fits within your context, but in case it does.

Niet om nu al te zweverig te doen, want dat ben ik helemaal niet.

This may sound like blue-sky thinking to you, but I am not like that at all.

blue-sky

concerned with thinking of new and interesting ideas, without worrying about whether they are practical or not

onrealistisch, te hoog gegrepen, fantasmagorisch, zweverig

Barend van Zadelhoff
Netherlands
Local time: 10:00
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
New-Agey


Explanation:
another suggestion with spiritual/psychic connotation


    Reference: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/New-Agey
Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 03:00
Native speaker of: English
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
philosophical


Explanation:
A philosophical discussion: metaphysical, abstract, theoretical.
Translation here would be: I don't want to get all philosophical...

telraam
Local time: 10:00
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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4 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
high-flown / uppity-duppity


Explanation:
I do not agree with any of the previous answers within the context.

zweven - to float -> fly -> do grand





Alexander Schleber (X)
Belgium
Local time: 10:00
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Michael Beijer: This is definitely not what is meant by ‘zweverig’ here (see Asker's first Discussion entry), if anywhere. Maybe in German, but not in Dutch. / ‘high-flown’ means: ‘(Especially of language or ideas) extravagant and grand-sounding’ (Oxforddictionaries.com)
54 mins
  -> You may be right for "uppity duppity" - but high-flown could be in the direction of spiritual.
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