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nicht von schlechten Eltern

English translation: quite something

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:nicht von schlechten Eltern
English translation:quite something
Entered by: Timoshka

01:58 May 9, 2023
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase: nicht von schlechten Eltern
In a letter from 1961, written in Tel Aviv, Israel, to an addressee in New York: "Bei uns sind die alljährlichen Hundstage. Da nach Erzählungen bei uns ähnliche klimatische Verhältnisse als in New York herrschen, so können wir Euch nichts vorlamentieren. Anfangs August hatten wir in Tel Aviv 94% Humidity und 35° Celsius = 95 Fahrenheit; nicht von schlechten Eltern. Um einen solchen Sommer besser durchstehen zu können, machen wir schon seit Jahren zu Ende des Frühlings einen einwöchigen Urlaub."

I'm totally confused by the phrase "not of bad parents" in a discussion of climate/weather. Any suggestions?
Timoshka
Local time: 16:39
quite something
Explanation:
... 95 Fahrenheit; quite something.

You could also say it's 'pretty impressive', but that wouldn't sound much like 1961.
Selected response from:

Steve Robbie
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:39
Grading comment
Thank you! I think several of the suggested translations work, but went with this one.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6quite something
Steve Robbie
4 +3not to be sneezed at
Justin Verceles
5extremely warm.
Dr. Jens Burgert
4 +1packs (quite) a punch
Bernhard Sulzer
4by no means inconsiderable
Lancashireman
4not bad
AllegroTrans


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
not to be sneezed at


Explanation:
The DWDS gives "ziemlich gut, von bemerkenswerter Qualität" or "heftig sein; sich erheblich, massiv, drastisch auswirken." The English idiom "not to be sneezed at" is used in a essentially equivalent way, though nowadays it's more commonly formulated as "nothing to sneeze at": https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=not to be snee...

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Note added at 1 hr (2023-05-09 03:05:20 GMT)
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For an explanation of the German idiom: https://www.redensarten-index.de/suche.php?suchbegriff=nicht...

Justin Verceles
United States
Local time: 17:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ramey Rieger (X): Got my vote.
2 hrs
agree  Peter Dahm Robertson
3 hrs
agree  philgoddard: Yes, it's the second of your two DWDS definitions, not the first.
11 hrs
neutral  Lancashireman: Could be mistaken as a reference to hay fever.
11 hrs
neutral  Bernhard Sulzer: wouldn't use this in this context; we're talking about heat and humidity ... think about it ... it gets confusing, is it about allergies? See Lancashireman's comment. Sounds silly too.
14 hrs
neutral  Amy Billing: I disagree with the comments that this could be related to allergies as it's simply a set phrase but don't quite think it works in this context.
1 day 6 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
extremely warm.


Explanation:
I am a native German speaker and know that "nicht von schlechten Eltern" can't be translated literally. It is said to emphasize that something is particularly good/bad/warm/cold/ or whatsoever. In this example, it just means that it was particularly warm or extremely warm.

Dr. Jens Burgert
Germany
Local time: 23:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: Whilst that is true (extremely warm) I think an expression on the lines of good/not bad etc. (value judgement/comment) is much more appropriate here
8 hrs
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
by no means inconsiderable


Explanation:
https://ludwig.guru/s/by no means inconsiderable

Any reference to sneezing could be mistaken for an implied side-effect of the weather.
'Extremely warm' is the implied meaning but goes beyond the phrasing of the source.
'Not bad at all' is a value judgement expressing approval of the prevailing weather, which is not the case here.
'By no means inconsiderable' is value neutral.

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Note added at 11 hrs (2023-05-09 13:21:30 GMT)
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Hundstage... vorlamentieren... Um einen solchen Sommer besser durchstehen zu können...
The writer is not favourably impressed by the 'klimatische Verhältnisse'.

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Note added at 12 hrs (2023-05-09 14:32:23 GMT)
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philgoddard: "I agree, but this sounds a bit awkward and formal."
by no means average
https://genius.com/Blackstreet-no-diggity-lyrics


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Note added at 13 hrs (2023-05-09 15:00:48 GMT)
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not your average sort of weather
https://www.google.com/search?q="not your average sort of"&o...

Lancashireman
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 160

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: I agree, but this sounds a bit awkward and formal.
1 hr
neutral  AllegroTrans: by no means cold?; "not your average sort of weather" sounds nice but we have to remember that the British and Irish probably have more expressions to describe talk and complain about the weather than any other nationality -e.g. "is it hot enough for you?
3 hrs
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13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
quite something


Explanation:
... 95 Fahrenheit; quite something.

You could also say it's 'pretty impressive', but that wouldn't sound much like 1961.

Steve Robbie
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you! I think several of the suggested translations work, but went with this one.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Lancashireman: Yes. A pity, though, to omit the 'nicht' (almost a double negative) in the original. // PS: Just noticed that the asker already suggested this phrase at 15:40 (see Discussion Box)
59 mins
  -> So they did; hadn't noticed that.
agree  AllegroTrans
1 hr
agree  Bernhard Sulzer: I'd phrase it as "that is quite something/unusual." Packs a punch.
2 hrs
agree  philgoddard: Not "unusual" though.
3 hrs
agree  Darin Fitzpatrick: Seems most natural to me.
6 hrs
agree  Amy Billing: I find this the most natural option too
18 hrs
agree  Michele Fauble
1 day 6 hrs
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
packs (quite) a punch


Explanation:
packs quite a punch -- closer to the "strength" expressed in the German phrase

https://whyy.org/articles/extreme-heat-packs-humid-punch-in-...

Extreme heat packs humid punch in highest heat index of summer




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Note added at 16 hrs (2023-05-09 18:38:04 GMT)
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variation of asker's suggestion: that is quite something

Bernhard Sulzer
United States
Local time: 17:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: I don't really associate this expression with the weather
9 mins
  -> I do. My wife does too. ;-)
agree  Darin Fitzpatrick: I like this one, too. It’s a metaphor, as is the original, and captures the meaning well.
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Darin!
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1 day 18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
not bad


Explanation:
A commonplace way of saying "good"



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Note added at 1 day 18 hrs (2023-05-10 20:26:30 GMT)
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What does it mean to say not bad?
Informal. good; fairly good; not unsatisfactory. : also not half bad, not so bad.

Not bad definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com
https://www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › not-bad
Search for: What does it mean to say not bad?
What does not bad mean in the UK?
Chart shows 'what the British say, what they really mean, and ...
And rather than realising that when British people murmur, "That's not bad" - and really mean "That's good" - non-Brits think they've done a terrible job.11 Nov 2015

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Lancashireman: It would be a pity if this late contribution went unacknowledged, if only by a random neutral.
15 hrs
  -> By no means an incosiderable commendation as they say in Wigan
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