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wash through

English translation: wash through

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:wash through
Selected answer:wash through
Entered by: Yasutomo Kanazawa

04:14 Mar 21, 2020
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Journalism / President's speech
English term or phrase: wash through
This is about Donald Trump talking about the Corona Virus. The whole sentence is "COVID-19 could ‘wash through' by July or August". This phrase has been translated into my native language Japanese, but it seems that the phrase "wash through" has been translated in at least two different ways. The first interpretation is that the virus would be totally contained in July or August. The second interpretation is that the virus would continue to spread until July or August. My first instinct and after giving a thought to how "wash through" is really meant to be, I choose the latter, but I would like to hear some native speakers' viewpoints.
Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 01:03
wash through
Explanation:
When translating anything President Trump says, it is important to understand his intention in what he is saying. Many of the sweeping statements he makes are not true, but he wants the listeners to believe him.
\to wash through\ does mean \to go away, to disappear, to be nearly finished\ but data shows that what he says is not true in fact.
Your choice of "continue to spread until July or August" is incorrect because you used the word \until\ to explain it. \Until\ means that something will stop at a point of time in the future. It is important, in journalism, for sure, to present truth.

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Note added at 1 day 19 hrs (2020-03-22 23:46:40 GMT)
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Yes, you're right about the word you want to emphasize. That's the trouble, and it is possibly why he used that phrase. He is a salesman, after all. English speakers who want to hide the truth often use phrases that have almost opposite meanings but fit in the sentence in the same way.
That's why I wrote an example sentence begins with Ignoring....

Through IS similar in the purpose of showing the end point of a time event.
Selected response from:

Rosemary Schmid
Local time: 12:03
Grading comment
Thank you Rosemary, for your detailed explanations.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +2gradually fade away
Kiet Bach
3 +2have come and gone
Petra Molenaar
5wash through
Rosemary Schmid
3 +1the most deadly portion of the pandemic is expected to be finished/gone (by then)
mike23


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


57 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
gradually fade away


Explanation:
Watch president Trump said: "wash through":
https://youtu.be/OPIghcKw9lI

His hand motion seems to suggest a relatively flat bell-shaped curve:
https://cdn.slidemodel.com/wp-content/uploads/20445-01-coron...

Kiet Bach
United States
Local time: 09:03
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Veronica Andresini
6 hrs
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): The worst/peak will be over.
11 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
have come and gone


Explanation:
ceased to be effective according to this source. I am not a native speaker, but this is my take on it


    Reference: http://https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/49724-quot...
Petra Molenaar
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Dutch

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alice Yang (X):
6 hrs
agree  Leora Kamornick
22 days
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the most deadly portion of the pandemic is expected to be finished/gone (by then)


Explanation:
President Donald Trump has said that coronavirus will “wash through” in July and August, meaning Trump expects the most deadly portion of this pandemic to be finished by the summer.
https://www.thepostmillennial.com/breaking-president-trump-s...

On March 16, in the White House briefing room, warning that the outbreak would “wash” away this summer: “So it could be right in that period of time where it, I say, wash — it washes through. Other people don’t like that term. But where it washes through.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/us/politics/trump-coronav...

Some of the doctors say it will wash through, it will flow through. Interesting terms and very accurate. I think you’re going to find in a number of weeks it’s going to be a very accurate term.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-pres...



mike23
Poland
Local time: 18:03
Native speaker of: Native in PolishPolish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Helene Carrasco-Nabih
2 hrs
  -> Thanks.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
wash through


Explanation:
When translating anything President Trump says, it is important to understand his intention in what he is saying. Many of the sweeping statements he makes are not true, but he wants the listeners to believe him.
\to wash through\ does mean \to go away, to disappear, to be nearly finished\ but data shows that what he says is not true in fact.
Your choice of "continue to spread until July or August" is incorrect because you used the word \until\ to explain it. \Until\ means that something will stop at a point of time in the future. It is important, in journalism, for sure, to present truth.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 19 hrs (2020-03-22 23:46:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Yes, you're right about the word you want to emphasize. That's the trouble, and it is possibly why he used that phrase. He is a salesman, after all. English speakers who want to hide the truth often use phrases that have almost opposite meanings but fit in the sentence in the same way.
That's why I wrote an example sentence begins with Ignoring....

Through IS similar in the purpose of showing the end point of a time event.

Example sentence(s):
  • Ignoring all data and current information from medical experts, President Trump said that COVID-19 could wash through by July or August.
Rosemary Schmid
Local time: 12:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you Rosemary, for your detailed explanations.
Notes to answerer
Asker: @Rosemary, Thank you very much for your contribution and the explanation. Doesn't it depend on which word you emphasize? If I emphasize the word "wash", yes it means to go away and disappear, but if I emphasize the latter part of the phrase, "through", this word has the meaning of being finished or ended, like "I'm through with my homework". But what caught my attention was the word through, which has a similar meaning to until. For example, "Closing sale through April", which means that there will be a closing sale until the end of April. Am I not right? Source: The FreeDictionary, definition 8, stating 'Up to and including'.

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