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Darlehensbelassungserklärung

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

eierlegende Wollmilchsau

English translation:

egg-laying jackrabbit mule

Added to glossary by Nancy Arrowsmith
Jan 15, 2003 20:24
21 yrs ago
19 viewers *
German term

eierlegende Wollmilchsau

German to English Art/Literary Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
This German expression is used to desribe something (a process or a thing) that can do, provide, etc. everything, which rarely applies, however. The literal translation would be an egg-laying wolly dairy pig. Does anyone know of something equivalent in English ? Thanks a million in advance.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 egg-laying jackrabbit mule
4 +4 jack of all trades
4 +3 all-singing, all-dancing
3 +3 and makes the coffee as well!
4 +1 the goose that lays golden eggs
5 multi-mode performer; multi-talented person or machine
4 all-in-one widget (or whatever)
4 factotum
3 multifunctional
Change log

May 12, 2012 09:24: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "(none)" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"

Proposed translations

+3
3 hrs
Selected

egg-laying jackrabbit mule

is such a mythical creature. By the way, the expression comes from Marco Polo who brought Silkie chickens back from China, and then tried to convince Europeans that they were egg-laying angora rabbits.

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Note added at 2003-01-16 03:23:53 (GMT)
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A Wollschwein is actually a real beast, an an endangered breed from Hungary with curly dark hair - rather cute, I kept some of them once.



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Note added at 2003-01-16 17:29:17 (GMT)
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The more I think about it, it may have been an egg-laying mule-eared jackrabbit. This was from a book of American tall tales I read many years ago.
Peer comment(s):
agree Edith Kelly : Love it.
7 hrs
agree Nicole Tata
8 hrs
agree Gillian Scheibelein : that whistles the National Anthem whilst standing on its head
10 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thx a million for your help and comment."
+4
2 mins

jack of all trades

That's the only expression I can think of.
Peer comment(s):
agree Klaus Dorn (X) : but how can we apply this phrase to a process? (which is what the German means too...)
4 mins
agree sylvie malich (X) : take a look at this!: http://www.leo.org/dict/archiv/20011110172602e_en.html
18 mins
agree HansBecker : and master of none!
28 mins
agree Ellen Zittinger
1 hr
neutral Dirgis (X) : The eierlegende Wollmilchsau is an impossible, non-existing being, a jack of all trades may exist
4 hrs
True, what would you suggest?
neutral Hilary Davies Shelby : This has some negative connotations in English - the rest of the phrase is "and master of none"!
3358 days
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+3
5 mins

and makes the coffee as well!

that's what we used to say in the UK - "something (or someone) could do this, this, this and that and make the coffee as well!"

also "and it makes the coffee too!"

Peer comment(s):
agree Elisabeth Ghysels : nice
23 mins
agree Nicole Tata : or tea, of course.
47 mins
agree Anca Nitu
2 hrs
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25 mins

multifunctional

would be the meaning, though it doesn't have the same ring to it...

Do you have a sentence this appears in or is this a general question?
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53 mins

all-in-one widget (or whatever)

It slices, it dices, it cleans up after itself!

But wait! There's more, order yours in the next 15 minutes, and we will add this knife sharpener together with a set of 6, count 'em, 6 self-sharpening steak knives.

So, don't delay, operators are standing by .....

OK, too much caffeine.
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+3
1 hr

all-singing, all-dancing

A multifunctional device is commonly said to be all-singing, all-dancing. Some examples:

What Mobile September 2000. "… transforms it into an all singing, all dancing, all connected device. In other ...
www.ubinetics.com/press/articles-ga100.asp - 19k

Then there's the clothing line, the cosmetics and fragrances. The woman is truly an all-singing, all-dancing phenomenon. She ...
www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/ biographies/jennifer_lopez_biog.html - 30k

Robot Alarm Clock. £20.00, Age: 6-15 yrs. If this all-singing, all-dancing Robot doesn't get them up in the morning, nothing will! ...
www.egodparent.co.uk/Parents_shop/ shop.cfm?sb_Id=23&ct_Id=1 - 40k

hope it helps
Peer comment(s):
agree Trudy Peters : Must be a UK thing, never heard that in the US
25 mins
although it has US origins, see http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/meanings/28200.html
agree TonyTK : (But back off with the J-Lo/Eiermilchsau comparisons.)
1 hr
you boys just can't help yourselves, can you?
agree Petra Dr. Schmidt-Sarbutt
3 hrs
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+1
2 hrs

the goose that lays golden eggs


Just another funny animal.
Peer comment(s):
agree Pee Eff (X)
20 mins
danke Patrick
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6 hrs

multi-mode performer; multi-talented person or machine

It appears that you are not going to find anything as colorful as an egg-laying, whole milk producing sow.
Actually the literal translation makes great sense in English. No one would fail to get the meaning.
By the wat, it does not translate as a wooly dairy pig. The W should be a V.
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12 hrs

factotum

another possibility

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Note added at 2003-01-16 09:27:08 (GMT)
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although that doesn\'t catch the ability to do things that are rarely necessary
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