Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
vor der Hacke ist es dunkel
English translation:
dig at your own peril /no one knows where the pickaxe might lead
Added to glossary by
Jonathan MacKerron
Nov 17, 2008 19:39
15 yrs ago
German term
vor der Hacke ist es dunkel
German to English
Tech/Engineering
Mining & Minerals / Gems
...is a German saying in mining which implies that there is always a geolical risk - you do not exactly know what will expect you when you dig into the earth. ("There is darkness under the pickaxe")
Does anybody know a similar saying in English?
Does anybody know a similar saying in English?
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 | dig at your own peril |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
| 3 | Life's like a box of chocolates... |
Semafoor
|
Change log
Nov 28, 2008 07:53: Jonathan MacKerron Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
8 days
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
24
Selected
dig at your own peril
submitted as requested
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Note added at 8 days (2008-11-26 09:50:08 GMT)
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no one knows where the pickaxe might lead
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Note added at 8 days (2008-11-26 09:50:08 GMT)
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no one knows where the pickaxe might lead
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Most helpful is "no one knows where the pickaxe may lead" - thank you again, Jonathan"
1 hr
Life's like a box of chocolates...
I'm pretty sure tons of people remember this sentence from Forrest Gump:
"Life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get"
Ok, no miners involved here, but it covers the same ground more or less, doesn't it?
"Life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get"
Ok, no miners involved here, but it covers the same ground more or less, doesn't it?
Note from asker:
| Wonderful phrase, though for my purposes (non-figurative sense) the proposal of Jonathan fits better. Thanks for your help, and always the best sorts of chocolates... |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Ken Cox
: depends on what sort of ground the asker is standing on ;-)
29 mins
|
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true enough :)
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| neutral |
Johanna Timm, PhD
: or: ...you could strike gold anytime?
2 hrs
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Discussion