Translation Article 637, “cross swords, chip of the old block.” Definitions, origins, translations to Spanish and Portuguese
Michael D. Powers, Ph.D., USCCI
US Certified Court Interpreter 1980 / Ph.D. Spanish Portuguese 1981 / 24 years university professor / Estimates: 12,000+ depositions, hearings, etc. / 850 trials / 3000 documents / Conference Interpreter 650 conferences
Translation Article 637, “cross swords, chip of the old block.” Definitions, origins, translations to Spanish and Portuguese
1) cross swords
Definition
As an idiom, “cross swords” means either to fight with somebody or to violently argue with somebody.
Origin
This idiom, “cross swords,” dates back to medieval times when knights would physically cross their swords and fight each other, often to death over different disagreements. With the passage of time, its meaning expanded to it figurative usage of “locking horns” or violently arguing or fighting others and is now commonly used in the twenty-first century.
Translations
Spanish
1) cruzar espadas
2) medir las armas
3) quebrar lanzas
4) contrariar (persona)
5) ir contra (persona)
6) desbaratar (plan)
Portuguese
1) desentnderse com alguém
2) entrar en lutas
3) cruzar espadas
4) enfrentar-se
5) protagonizar um duelo
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2) chip off the old block
Definition
Some of the senses this idiom convey are: to have an accident or suffer disaster. the failure of something, to experience misfortune or failure, to end in disaster, to be destroyed and ruined, to foretell tragedy.
Origin
In at attempt to understand the origin of this idiom, many believe its impact started to be felt in the 16th century in English. Some believe this expression came from horse racing to describe a horse as it fell while racing on the racetrack, and thus coming to grief or meeting with disaster. Other feel that it originated in nautical terminology such as the grounding of a ship on rocks or reefs causing destruction and ruin.
Historically, this idea of meeting with disaster or coming to grief has been around at least since the middle ages in Greek mythology regarding the goddess Nemesis “responsible for bringing about retribution and punishment for those who had committed hubris …”
Translations
Spanish
1) cual el cuervo, tal su huevo
2) cuando el tronco sale bueno, las astillas son de ley
3) de tal palo, tal alstilla
4) (Spain, informal) de casta le viene el galgo
5) (Spain, informal) de gatos padres, hijos mechinos
6) (Argentina, informal) hijo ‘e tigre
Portuguese
1) tal pai, tal filho
Sources
WordReference English-Portuguese Dictionary app, 2024
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary app, 2024
Word Magic Complete and Unabridged English-Spanish Dictionary 8.8.0 2020 by Word Magic Software Ltda.
López Fuentes, Sinda. Oxford Portuguese Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2015.