Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Dutch term or phrase:
door het oog van de naald
English translation:
A narrow escape or
Added to glossary by
Pieter_H
Dec 5, 2001 07:36
22 yrs ago
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Dutch term
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Native in: English 
Works in: Dutch to English, Flemish to English
door het oog van de naald
Dutch to English
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I've tried translating this literally, but it doesn't seem to add anything to the sentence:
'X stelt dat het maar goed is dat Y is opgepakt: Y is door het oog van de naald gekropen'.
'X stelt dat het maar goed is dat Y is opgepakt: Y is door het oog van de naald gekropen'.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 -2 | A narrow escape or "a close shave" |
Pieter_H
|
| 5 | through the eye of the needle |
Sven Petersson
|
| 4 +1 | "has proved to be very elusive" |
Dave Greatrix
|
| 5 | close call |
Leo van Zanten
|
Proposed translations
-2
4 hrs
Selected
A narrow escape or "a close shave"
Hi lucy I'm not quite sure whether Svein's answer fits into you context, and I'm not sure whether you blindly can translate it - it's an idiom.
But meaning of it s that "Y" had a very narrow escape, or "a very close shave".
Perhaps other expressions are possible.
Regards,
Pieter_H
Ref.
But meaning of it s that "Y" had a very narrow escape, or "a very close shave".
Perhaps other expressions are possible.
Regards,
Pieter_H
Ref.
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Well, I hate to disagree with so many of you, but when I looked under 'oog' in the Van Dale (rather than under 'naald'), it gave me 'narrow escape' or '...by the skin of one's teeth'. Basically, what they're saying is that if he hadn't been caught when he was he have ended up committing a worse crime."
3 hrs
Sven Petersson
Sweden
Sweden
Native in English
Sweden
Medical Translator
Native in: Swedish , English
Works in: English to Swedish, Danish to Swedish, German to Swedish, and 13 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
through the eye of the needle
From the Bible. See reference!
+1
17 hrs
Dave Greatrix
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Dutch to English Technical Translator
Native in: English
Works in: Dutch to English, Flemish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
27
"has proved to be very elusive"
Hi Lucy,
Do you not think it is in the sentence?
X is saying that it is just as well that y has been caught, because he has been difficult to get in the past.
Do you not think it is in the sentence?
X is saying that it is just as well that y has been caught, because he has been difficult to get in the past.
1 day 8 hrs
Leo van Zanten
United States
United States
Native in Dutch
United States
Agribusiness......serious business !!
Native in: Dutch 
Works in: Dutch, Spanish to Dutch, English to Dutch
close call
barely escape from something bad/disaster.
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