παίζω στα γόνατα

altan

Member
Good evening!
Is it an idiom?
Thanks in advance.

"Αυτή, η Παριζιάνα, η τσαχπίνα, η μπιρμπιλομάτα, που έπαιξε στα γόνατά της τις τέσσερις Μεγάλες Δυνάμεις και που τη χαιρετούσαν τέσσερις μεγάλοι στόλοι!" (Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά)
 

daeman

Administrator
Staff member
...
she had her own way with them, she did with them as she pleased

from the image of an adult having a baby on their knees and playing with it, hence treating someone like a puppet
 
Good evening!
Is it an idiom?
Thanks in advance.

"Αυτή, η Παριζιάνα, η τσαχπίνα, η μπιρμπιλομάτα, που έπαιξε στα γόνατά της τις τέσσερις Μεγάλες Δυνάμεις και πού τη χαιρετούσαν τέσσερις μεγάλοι στόλοι!" (Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFRQQ-foL1g
 

altan

Member
...
she had her own way with them, she did with them as she pleased

from the image of an adult having a baby on their knees and playing with it, hence treating someone like a puppet

It looks like in Turkish one: parmağında oynatmak (to play someone on finger).
 

daeman

Administrator
Staff member
It looks like in Turkish one: parmağında oynatmak (to play someone on finger).

That one in Greek is παίζω κάποιον στα δάχτυλα.
But when not referring to a person, it means to be adept at something, e.g. τα φορουμικά τα παίζω στα δάχτυλα.
 

nickel

Administrator
Staff member
Και, με την ευκαιρία, εδώ τη σωστή μετάφραση την έχει ο Γουάιλντμαν:

This elegant Parisienne, this tantalising woman men could not resist and who, in her time, had bounced the four great Powers on her knee, and had been saluted by four naval squadrons!

Ο Πίτερ Μπιν κάνει λάθος:

all the troubles of the Parisienne, the roguish-eyed coquette who frolicked on the knees of four Great Powers and received salutes from four great fleets.
 

Palavra

Mod Almighty
Staff member
The literal translation is bir bebek dizinin üstünde oynatmak. Usually people do this with their children, have them on their lap and move their knees up and down so that the baby kind of dances. The metaphorical translation is what Daeman said.
 

hellex

New member
Συναφές με το είναι του χεριού μου / τον έχω του χεριού μου, τον επηρεάζω απόλυτα, ώστε να ενεργεί όπως θέλω εγώ.

Υπάρχει σχέση για την έκφραση αυτή, με την ευκολία για την εκτέλεση μαθηματικών πράξεων από τους μαθητές, στην αριθμητική τής πρώτης δημοτικού;
 
Υπάρχει σχέση για την έκφραση αυτή, με την ευκολία για την εκτέλεση μαθηματικών πράξεων από τους μαθητές, στην αριθμητική τής πρώτης δημοτικού;

Με το "τα παίζουν στα δάχτυλα" μού ταιριάζει
 

Inachus

Member
Εκτός από τα προηγούμενα, υπάρχει ίσως συνυποδήλωση για την ερωτική ζωή της.
 

nickel

Administrator
Staff member
Εκτός από τα προηγούμενα, υπάρχει ίσως συνυποδήλωση για την ερωτική ζωή της.

Αν αναφέρεσαι στην «Παριζιάνα, την τσαχπίνα, την μπιρμπιλομάτα», γιατί «ίσως»; :-)
 

pontios

Well-known member
...
she had her own way with them, she did with them as she pleased

from the image of an adult having a baby on their knees and playing with it, hence treating someone like a puppet

Ναι! She "played them like a fiddle"

Verb
play someone like a fiddle
(idiomatic) To play (manipulate) (a person) skillfully.

Perhaps also ... "she toyed with them" (... with their hearts/minds/emotions)... which fits the bill of an irresistible and "tantalising" (unattainable and teasing) woman.

verb
Toy means to play with or tease.
An example of toy is when a woman flirts with someone she has no intention of going any further with; toy with someone.
 

pontios

Well-known member
Also, perhaps ...
she "had them eating out of her hand" or "had them in the palm of her hand".
hand/knee/fingers/guile/charms ... it's all the same - she "played them" and "led them on" having first "charmed the pants off them".
 
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