twiddling our twinkies

Dutch translation: met onbenullige zaken bezighouden

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:twiddling our twinkies
Dutch translation:met onbenullige zaken bezighouden
Entered by: Jorim De Clercq

13:56 Feb 12, 2015
English to Dutch translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics
English term or phrase: twiddling our twinkies
- She was also a big help getting this testing completed and she just wanted some time to herself, that’s all.
- What are you trying to say?
- It’s just that, you make allowances for people to handle their personal lives, right?
- Yes, I do, but not for sick dogs, and not without notice. And it’s between me and her.
- But it’s not, it affects all of us. Sometimes it feels like you treat people differently. That’s all I’m saying.
- Okay. I will think about what you said, but right now we all have more important things to do than twiddling our twinkies.

This looks like an expression. Is there a good translation for this?
Thanks!
Jorim De Clercq
Ecuador
Local time: 11:22
met onbenullige zaken bezighouden
Explanation:
"Twiddle ones thumbs" is "met de duimen draaien". Je "twinky" is je pink, dus letter "met de pinken draaien": je met onbenulligheden bezighouden.

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Note added at 13 mins (2015-02-12 14:09:40 GMT)
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* "letterlijk"
Selected response from:

Bea Geenen
Grading comment
Bedankt!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5Omhangen/ niets doen/ niet productief zijn
jan en sas
3 +1met onbenullige zaken bezighouden
Bea Geenen
3ons over te geven aan filosofische bespiegelingen
Barend van Zadelhoff
3in context
Kitty Brussaard


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
met onbenullige zaken bezighouden


Explanation:
"Twiddle ones thumbs" is "met de duimen draaien". Je "twinky" is je pink, dus letter "met de pinken draaien": je met onbenulligheden bezighouden.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2015-02-12 14:09:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

* "letterlijk"

Bea Geenen
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Bedankt!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Linda Flebus
11 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
ons over te geven aan filosofische bespiegelingen


Explanation:
iets dergelijks

filosofische bespiegelingen - staat voor onpraktisch bezig zijn

Okay. I will think about what you said, but right now we all have more important things to do than twiddling our twinkies.

I will think about

our twinkies = what we are thinking

twiddle what we are thinking

twiddle - 'zich overgeven aan'

Barend van Zadelhoff
Netherlands
Local time: 17:22
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Omhangen/ niets doen/ niet productief zijn


Explanation:
Het verwijst naar passief zijn in diverse vormen

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Note added at 4 hrs (2015-02-12 18:03:20 GMT)
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Nederlandse vertaling is , duimen draaien.
While waiting for the phonecall, all I could do was twiddle my twinkies

Example sentence(s):
  • Terwijl jij bezig bent op de computer, kan ik niets doen
jan en sas
Netherlands
Local time: 17:22
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish
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1 day 23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
in context


Explanation:
De meest natuurlijke vertaling voor deze uitdrukking binnen de context van de gehele zin is wat mij betreft:
Ik zal erover nadenken maar op dit moment hebben we belangrijkere zaken aan ons hoofd.

Kitty Brussaard
Netherlands
Local time: 17:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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