Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
caballo grande, ande o no ande
English translation:
bigger is better
Added to glossary by
Jorge Gonza
Dec 6, 2004 13:31
19 yrs ago
Spanish term
caballo grande, ande o no ande
Spanish to English
Other
Folklore
proverbs, sayings
Talking about hollow boasts about the success of a trade fair, which was actually a massive disaster.
Evidentemente nadie quiere “caballo grande, ande o no ande”, pero tampoco “caballo escuálido que no monte jinete”.
Is there a proverb with a similar meaning in English? I can't think of any. They have obviously made up the second part, which means I will have to follow up on the theme in the first bit.
Evidentemente nadie quiere “caballo grande, ande o no ande”, pero tampoco “caballo escuálido que no monte jinete”.
Is there a proverb with a similar meaning in English? I can't think of any. They have obviously made up the second part, which means I will have to follow up on the theme in the first bit.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
4 hrs
Selected
While we won't make a case for "bigger IS better", people may not be appealed by "bony IS beautiful"
While we won't make a case for "bigger IS better", people may not be appealed by "bony IS beautiful", either.
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Trying to keep the meaning and American sayings and catching phrases.
I guess you will be able to word it better.
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Note added at 5 hrs 10 mins (2004-12-06 18:41:25 GMT)
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While we won\'t make a case for \"bigger is better\", \"tiny IS beautiful\" is as little as appealing.
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Note added at 5 hrs 24 mins (2004-12-06 18:56:01 GMT)
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Indeed, nobody\'s gonna make a case for \"bigger IS better\", but \"bony IS beautiful\" is not a viable option, either.
Nobody\'s saying that \"bigger IS better\", but \"tiny IS beautiful\" isn\'t a viable option, either.
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Note added at 5 hrs 40 mins (2004-12-06 19:11:17 GMT)
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Nobody\'s saying that \"bigger IS better\" but \"tiny IS beautiful\" is just as bad.
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Note added at 5 hrs 53 mins (2004-12-06 19:24:56 GMT)
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Nobody\'s saying that \"bigger IS better\" but \"tiny IS beautiful\" is just as bad.
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Trying to keep the meaning and American sayings and catching phrases.
I guess you will be able to word it better.
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Note added at 5 hrs 10 mins (2004-12-06 18:41:25 GMT)
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While we won\'t make a case for \"bigger is better\", \"tiny IS beautiful\" is as little as appealing.
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Note added at 5 hrs 24 mins (2004-12-06 18:56:01 GMT)
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Indeed, nobody\'s gonna make a case for \"bigger IS better\", but \"bony IS beautiful\" is not a viable option, either.
Nobody\'s saying that \"bigger IS better\", but \"tiny IS beautiful\" isn\'t a viable option, either.
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Note added at 5 hrs 40 mins (2004-12-06 19:11:17 GMT)
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Nobody\'s saying that \"bigger IS better\" but \"tiny IS beautiful\" is just as bad.
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Note added at 5 hrs 53 mins (2004-12-06 19:24:56 GMT)
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Nobody\'s saying that \"bigger IS better\" but \"tiny IS beautiful\" is just as bad.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This fits perfectly, thanks very much"
14 mins
white elephant
It doesn't dound like any traditional sayings that I know... this may do...
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Note added at 15 mins (2004-12-06 13:47:09 GMT)
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IMO they meam a big thing/event that doesn\'t work out, or the oppositem an underfunded or badly run event...
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Note added at 15 mins (2004-12-06 13:47:09 GMT)
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IMO they meam a big thing/event that doesn\'t work out, or the oppositem an underfunded or badly run event...
2 hrs
Neil Phillipson
Native in English
Quality,Legibility,ComprehensibilityFast
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, English, English to Spanish, and 1 more.
a lame duck, a loss leader... a white elephant -> an elephant that not even Hannibal could mount
I don't exactly follow your comment above, MJ, but here are some ideas.
a lame duck - (UNSUCCESSFUL) noun [C]
an unsuccessful person or thing
There is also another meaning in the US for 'lame duck', according to www.dictionary.com:
Entry: lame duck
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: elected official waiting to leave office
Synonyms: crumbling power, holdover, incumbent, loser, weak administration, weakling
Loss leader:
loss leader
n.
A commodity [product] offered especially by a retail store at cost or below cost to attract customers.
Finally, on the white elephant theme, if you choose to use this term, you could append something like, "an elephant that not even Hannibal could mount" for the, "caballo escuálido que no monte jinete" to balance the expressions.
I hope it helps,
Neil.
a lame duck - (UNSUCCESSFUL) noun [C]
an unsuccessful person or thing
There is also another meaning in the US for 'lame duck', according to www.dictionary.com:
Entry: lame duck
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: elected official waiting to leave office
Synonyms: crumbling power, holdover, incumbent, loser, weak administration, weakling
Loss leader:
loss leader
n.
A commodity [product] offered especially by a retail store at cost or below cost to attract customers.
Finally, on the white elephant theme, if you choose to use this term, you could append something like, "an elephant that not even Hannibal could mount" for the, "caballo escuálido que no monte jinete" to balance the expressions.
I hope it helps,
Neil.
3 hrs
John Rynne
Native in English
Experts in finance - Spain
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish
The bigger, the better
I have heard this a lot but have never sensed any "white elephant" idea. I believe it just means that the person in question is obsessed with size, regardless of other features
6 hrs
Nobody's saying that "bigger IS better", but "tiny/bony is beautiful" is just as bad
See above
Discussion