Μα πού εκείνο!

[Theseus]

The context is one recently mentioned but it involves one little phrase: the above. Again it is a short, compact idiom, like είναι να.
Here is the phrase in context:-

'The elder brother, four or five years old, is racing round the horse on a tricycle. Το μικρότερο, δυο-τριών χρόνων, καθισμένο κι αυτό στο αλογάκι του που κουνιούνταν πάνω στα τόξα του χωρίς να προχωρεί βήμα, το χτυπούσε αλύπητα με μια βέργα για να το κάνει να τρέξει σαν το ποδήλατο. Μα πού εκείνο! Και όσο το εβλέπε ο μικρος καβαλλάρης ακούνητο στη θέση του, ενώ ο μεγαλύτερος αλώνιζε το σπίτι, τόσο ζήλευε, τόσο θύμωνε, και κοκκίνιζε, και τα έβαζε με το οκνό αλογάκι, και το βίαζε με βεργιές και με φωνές.

Does it mean something like 'but see him go!':devil:

 

[Inachus]

I would say it means that the toy horse wouldn't move, it stayed still.

 

[drsiebenmal]

The (accented, as it must be here) πού is not only a questioning word. It can also emphasize a negation, as here, where you could translate «μα πού εκείνο» with something like "No way!" or "But it wouldn't" or something along those lines. In ΛΚΝ, we have:

πού [...] 2. ισοδυναμεί με ισχυρή άρνηση: ~ να ήξερε τι θα ακολουθήσει!, δεν ήξερε. ~ λεφτά για ταξίδια!, δεν υπάρχουν λεφτά. ~ καιρός για βόλτες! ~ μυαλό για διάβασμα! ~ μου ΄μεινε μυαλό να σκεφτώ! Ήρθαν; -~ να ΄ρθουν τόσο γρήγορα!, δεν είναι δυνατόν να έρθουν τόσο γρήγορα. (έκφρ.) αλλά ~, ισοδυναμεί με την αρνητική εκφορά της προηγούμενης καταφατικής πρότασης: Προσπάθησε να κοιμηθεί· αλλά ~!, αλλά δεν μπόρεσε να κοιμηθεί. Προσπάθησε να τον μεταπείσει· αλλά ~ αυτός!

 

[Theseus]

Thanks for this, both of you. Another small word that can cause trouble. These little words have to be seen in context to see how they work; of course with expert help....

 

[drsiebenmal]

These little words have to be seen in context to see how they work; of course with expert help....

And not only that; in idiomatic use or when reading literature of various periods you have to be aware that the "small words" have/had sometimes different or, let's say so, "non-standard" meanings.

The Κοινή Νέα Ελληνική (KNE) is a language that has not yet settled down structurally, 30+ years after its "official description and legal ascension to public use" and teχt written or spoken in KNE is still under various idiosyncratic influences. Just think that its new, big dictionaries are only 20-25 years old...

 

[Earion]

Πού μυαλό η κυρία!

Αδερφέ Θησέα, μια συμβουλή κι από εμένα: παράτα τον Κρυστάλλη και διάβασε αυτό: http://karpetshow.gr/blog/aderfe-mprant-se-katalavaino. :inno: Δεν σου το συστήνω μόνο για το περιεχόμενο (αντρικές κουβέντες, as one man to another), αλλά και για τη γλώσσα («Πού να καταλάβει ότι της άνοιξες την τελευταία κάρτα»). There's a couple of allusions to popular songs, which you may not get, but you know, all you have to do is ask here.

 

[sarant]

Μπα, χίλιες φορές καλύτερη η λογοτεχνία -κυρίως για το περιεχόμενο αλλά και για τη γλώσσα.

 

[Theseus]

Thanks, Earion! But I'm stuck again on 'πού μυαλό η κυρία' & 'πού να καταλάβει ότι της άνοιξες την τελευταία κάρτα'. Could I have a translation of these sentences?

 

[Theseus]

Do these sentences mean 'where is the woman's intelligence!' & 'has she the understanding that you had opened her last (birthday?) card'?

 

[drsiebenmal]

Spot on for the first, Th. For the second, I think that the writer (one of the top Greek sportscasters) means something like the yellow card used at many sports (but I could be wrong in this) -- so, probably, "did she understand that you had shown her the yellow card?"

 

[Earion]

A word-to-word translation would run like this: “Where would she find the brains/ the intellect?” Implied answer: nowhere, because she has none.
Same for the second phrase: “Could she ever have the intelligence to understand that you had opened [your] last card?” Contrary to my dear friend, the Doctor, I think the allusion here is not to the referee dealing the yellow card («δείχνω κίτρινη κάρτα») but to a game of cards, where the better player (or the one with the better hand) instead of playing his card, and thus gain a sure victory, to the detriment of the adversary, magnanimously opens the card for the other player to see, understand she's in a disadvantage and step back.

 

[pontios]

I think the allusion here is not to the referee dealing the yellow card («δείχνω κίτρινη κάρτα») but to a game of cards, where the better player (or the one with the better hand) instead of playing his card, and thus gain a sure victory, to the detriment of the adversary, magnanimously opens the card for the other player to see, understand she's in a disadvantage and step back.

Δεν είμαι σίγουρος αν αυτό αντιστοιχεί κάπως με το ιδιωματικό "to throw someone a bone"?
He threw her a bone. But we're talking about a small concession/gesture/favour here (not magnanimous from his point of view - because he might be doing well - and so the implication might be that she should be grateful for whatever assistance comes her way - because she's struggling).

throw someone a bone
phrase
informal

Do something to appease someone, typically by making a minor concession or helping them in a small way.
‘the finance minister also threw first-time buyers a bone’