I don't want to be a good old boy

[cosmasad]

Good morning everyone. The expression "A good old boy" is an expression used in the United States to imply someone who looks the other way when shortcuts are taken or the law is broken. It could, for example, be a corrupt police captain who looks the other way when someone does something illegal. It is definitely negative. Is there anything remotely like it in Greek? If there is, how would one say "I don't want to be a good old boy."

Thank you.

 

[pontios]

Good evening from down under.

I'm wondering if ... "δεν ειμαι πια παιδί της παλιάς κλίκας" would suffice here? (probably not?)

edit .. or "δεν ειμαι πια (παιδι) της παλιας κλικας"; = I'm no longer part of the old clique (I've moved on)
(I can't think of a standard phrase)

 

[anepipsogos]

Προτάσεις:
"δεν θέλω να κάνω τα στραβά μάτια"
"δεν θέλω να είμαι ένα από κείνα τα "καλόπαιδα"

 

[pontios]

Αντλώντας έμπνευση από τα παραπάνω ...

Δεν θέλω να είμαι ένα απο κείνα τα "καλά" παλιόπαιδα ... της/μιας σιωπηλής κλίκας αλληλοβοήθειας;

... ή του/ενός σιωπηλού δικτύου αλληλοβοήθειας;

 

[cosmasad]

Thank you, all:



Building on "δεν θέλω να κάνω τα στραβά μάτια" I am wondering if these variations would be valid:



O _____ κάνει το στραβό μάτι

Ο _____ ρίχνει το στραβό μάτι

Ο _____ του δίνει το στραβό μάτι



Do any of these work?



What I am trying to articulate is that someone (in my case the police captain of a small town) is looking the other way, and not enforcing the law.



Thank you!

 

[dharvatis]

I don't these variations would be correct; the phrase is always "κάνω τα στραβά μάτια".
I've often wondered myself how we would say "good old boys" in Greek and I can't think of anything better than this. There's a few other phrases, like "έχουν φτιάξει κύκλωμα" or "τα 'χουν κάνει πλακάκια" or "τα 'χουν μιλημένα", but those would refer to specific arrangements for a specific purpose, not a general attitude.

 

[dharvatis]

 

[cosmasad]

Oh, wow dharvatis. Could you tell me the meaning of these?

"έχουν φτιάξει κύκλωμα"
"τα 'χουν κάνει πλακάκια"
"τα 'χουν μιλημένα"

 

[cosmasad]

Also, how would one simply ask "Is there anyone enforcing the law, here or does anything go?"

Thank you.

 

[dharvatis]

"κύκλωμα" in this case would be a clique of corrupt officers working with criminals or other people for illegal gain; the other two phrases simply mean "they have an arrangement", usually with criminal or simply selfish purposes.

 

[dharvatis]

Also, how would one simply ask "Is there anyone enforcing the law, here or does anything go?"

Thank you.

I'd say "Υπάρχει εδώ αστυνομία [or: κράτος], ή είναι ξέφραγο αμπέλι / είναι μπάτε σκύλοι αλέστε;».

 

[cosmasad]

Thank you dhavatis. This is really helpful!

 

[m_a_a_]

ή είναι ξέφραγο αμπέλι / είναι μπάτε σκύλοι αλέστε;

ή όλα επιτρέπονται / επιτρέπονται τα πάντα;
ή κάνει ο καθένας ό,τι θέλει / ό,τι γουστάρει / ό,τι του καπνίσει;

A few more suggestions for the second part of the sentence...

 

[m_a_a_]

ή επικρατεί [πλήρης] ανομία;

(if the speaker's feeling eloquent)