an etwas gelegen sein

English translation: to be opposed to

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	an etwas nicht gelegen sein
English translation:	to be opposed to
Entered by:	LP Schumacher

05:24 Feb 7, 2008

German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

German term or phrase: an etwas gelegen sein

The phrase is: Den Briten war an einer weiteren Ausdehnung der burischen Macht ohnehin nicht gelegen

and it's part of the larger paragraph:

Als in den Jahren nach 1860 das Reich der Basuto am Rand des Untergangs stand, bat Moshoeshoe I. die englische Kolonialmacht um Schutz. Den Briten war an einer weiteren Ausdehnung der burischen Macht ohnehin nicht gelegen und sie erklärten das Reich Moshoeshoes I. 1868 zum Protektorat Basutoland.

I'm just a little bit unsure how to translate this phrase. I know "liegen an" means "due to/caused by"...but the dative use of Den Briten at the start is confusing me a bit. Does it mean the British had never been fussy on the Boer power spreading? I'd be very grateful if someone could just put me on the right track.

Many thanks in advance!

Emily Plank KudoZ activity Questions: 105 (none open) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 2 Australia
Local time: 19:09

were opposed to

Explanation:
My first instinct was actually to go with Edith's definition (which I do still agree with).

However, considering Andries' description of the context, I would suggest using the verb "to be opposed to" -- which is a bit more "active" in the political context, as described in the text.

The British were opposed to the further expansion of...

Selected response from:

LP Schumacher
Germany
Local time: 13:09

Grading comment

Thanks for this. Yes, in this case I think "opposed to" fitted slightly better than "not interested in", but everyone's answers helped me understand the gist, so thanks to all!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +13

they were not interested in

Edith Kelly

4 +1

were opposed to

LP Schumacher

to be dissatisfied, annoyed with

Andries Conradie

that did not matter to them, that was not important for them

babli

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +13

liegen an (this context) they were not interested in

Explanation:
the dative is fine here ... The British were not interested in a ... It did not suit the British ...

this is the meaning, maybe someone can come up with a snappier wording

Edith Kelly
Switzerland
Local time: 13:09
Native speaker of:

German,

English
PRO pts in category: 39

2 hrs confidence:

liegen an (this context) to be dissatisfied, annoyed with

Explanation:
I know the historical context a little bit! To say that the British had no interest is quite an understatement, because they were chasing the Boers, who had left the Cape Colony, and annexed every territory they claimed as theirs, i.e. the Free State, Transvaal, Natal. So, in this context the Basuto king played his last card: he didn't want to lose his independence to either the Boers or the British, but found him in a desperate situation and knowing that the British were doing everything in their power to annex Boer territory he decided to become a Proctetorate BECAUSE THE BRITISH MADE UP THEIR MIND TO PREVEND BOER INDEPENDENCE

Andries Conradie
Local time: 13:09
Native speaker of:

English

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

liegen an (this context)

were opposed to

LP Schumacher
Germany
Local time: 13:09
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thanks for this. Yes, in this case I think "opposed to" fitted slightly better than "not interested in", but everyone's answers helped me understand the gist, so thanks to all!

4 hrs confidence:

liegen an (this context) that did not matter to them, that was not important for them

Explanation:

es liegt mir viel daran. an etw. liegen - to be down to something

Reference: http://www.riverso.net

babli
Local time: 16:39
Native speaker of:

Hindi

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English translation: to be opposed to

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English translation: to be opposed to

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