Inverted (or reversed) epithet and its translation

An unusual structural variety of epithet is the so-called inverted or reversed epithet. This kind of epithet is composed of two nouns linked in an of-phrase: the giant of a man, a devil of a job, the hook of a nose where the modified word stands in the position of the modifier. The change in the position gives the modified noun high emotional colour­ing. Such epithets are, in a way, compressed similes or metaphorical epithets, and are easily transformed into similes or epithets of a more habitual structure where there is no logical-syntactical contradiction. C.f.: the giant of a man - a gigantic man or a man like a giant, a devil of a job - a devilish job, the hook of a nose – a nose like a hook or hook-like nose.

When meeting an inverted epithet do not mix it up with an ordinary of-phrase. E.g.: “the toy of the girl” (the toy belonging to the girl) and “the toy of a girl” (a small, toylike girl); or “the kitten of the woman” (the cat belonging to the woman) and “the kitten of a woman” (a kittenlike woman).

The inverted epithet is very expressive and should be rendered into Ukrainian by an appropriate expressive means or stylistic device. To translate the inverted epithets into Ukrainian, one should transform the phrase with an epithet to obtain an ordinary combination, and then apply a more appropriate for the context device in translation. Types of translating inverted epithets:

1. Substitution of trope: an inverted epithet is usually rendered in translation with simile, e.g.: the hook of a nose – ніс, як гачок, or metaphor, e.g.: the crow of a woman – ворона (про жінку).

2. Translation with a structurally simple epithet, e.g.: the giant of a man – велетенський чоловік; the scarecrow of a house – облізла будівля. The translation may involve an additional element, e.g.: the devil of a woman — неймовірно хитра (розумна, надзвичайна тощо) жінка;

3. Translation with the other expressive device, e.g.: What scarlet horror of a boat. (H. Wouk) – Яке жахіття цей червоний човен!

4. Omission of an epithet or neutralization, e.g.: The ghost of a smile appeared on his face. – На його обличчі промайнула посмішка. Omission of the epithet is compensated with the expressive verb “промайнула”.

Task 1: In each of the following sentences replace the inverted epithets by non-figurative adjectives, and then by similes or simple epithets (for example, the toy of a girl – a nice girl, the girl like a toy. Translate the sentences into Ukrainian and comment on the method you applied to translate them.

1. She turned her eyes slowly back to him, her dry lips curved in a shadow of a smile.

2. It was October weather; the stone-grey sky was full of larks, the leaden mirror of the Thames brightened with autumnal foliage.

3. A small snake of irritation curled sharply up his throat and bit the back of his mouth.

4. Calgary's first impression of Leo Argyle was that he was so attenuated, so transparent, as hardly to be there at all. A wraith of a man!

5. Gerald Weise is a smiling, blue-eyed giant of a man.

6. The energy in the square seemed to grow like a cresting wave, and all at once the Swiss Guard barriers gave way. The masses streamed toward the basilica in a euphoric torrent of humanity. The onslaught rushed forward—people crying, singing, media cameras flashing. Pandemonium. As the people flooded in around the front of the basilica, the chaos intensified, until it seemed nothing could stop it.

7. At his full height he was only up to her shoulder, a little dried-up pippin of a man.

8. A breeze blew curtains in and out like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling.

9. Can’t think how he married that glass of sour milk.

10. The late afternoon sky bloomed in the window for a moment like the blue honey of the Mediterranean--then the shrill voice of Mrs. McKee called me back into the room.

11. An ugly gingerbread brute of a boy with a revolting grin and as far as I was able to ascertain, no redeeming qualities of any sort.

12. He rose and stared down at the jeweler Eden was an adept at bargaining, but somehow all his cunning left him as he faced this Gibraltar of a man.

13. Duncan was a rather short, broad, dark-skinned taciturn Hamlet of a fellow with straight black hair.

14. So he saw and heard her the moment before the train appeared and paused, throwing up a Babylonian tower of smoke into the rain, and oppressing men's hearts with the scream of her whistle.

Task 2: In each sentences point out epithet and define its type and structure. Translate the sentences and comment on the ways you rendered epithets. Epithets of what structure lost their figurativeness in Ukrainian translation?

1.Lo recalled that scarecrow of a house, the solitude, the soggy old pastures, the wind, the bloated wilderness, with energy of disgust that distorted her mouth and fattened her half-revealed tongue.

2.He was deeply fond of the dog. It was so old and understanding and sagacious. He knew it was also a special favourite of his master's, a giantlimbed, violent-tempered brute of a man, and for that reason he was always watchful and careful of it, never letting it stray from sight.

3.And the "You be damned" spirit in her blood revolted. The impudence of it! Shadowing her! No! She was not going to leave Miss Fleur triumphant.

4.Then he turned down the lane and stood leaning on the orchard gate – grey skeleton of a gate.

5.Her brother was – and no doubt still is a prominent, pasty-faced, suspenders-and-painted-tie-wearing politician, major and booster of his ballplaying, Bible-reading, grain-handling home town.

6.Unfortunately, it never seemed to be chocolate cake and silver teapot day when Lady Montdore came.

7.…a thick old crow of a woman in a black dress put her nose out and regarded me suspiciously before letting me in.

8.During the past few weeks she had become most sharply conscious of the smiling interest of Hauptwanger. His straight lithe body – his quick, aggressive manner – his assertive, seeking eyes.

9. The heron’s legs were like stilts under its clumsy body. It’s dusky feathers hung shaggy, ungroomed. It was perfectly motionless. Its long beak pointed down from a head both unnoble and unbeautiful. The beak aimed down into the still, dark water. The heron occupied its own insignificant corner of the landscape in a timeless, long-legged solitude.

10. He (a son of a Harlan County miner) would sit on the railless porch with the men when the long, tired, dirty-faced evening rolled down the narrow valley, thankfully blotting out the streets of shacks, and listen to the talk.

11. Only once did McMurdo see him, a shy, little, gray-headed rat of a man.

12. Apart from variations of expression he really had three faces: the young, open, boyish one, which I saw most often in love and loved best; the petulant, explosive, tormented one, without patience and without malice, which was rooted in his paintings, his work, his drive to create, and the narrow, cautious one, eye-on-the-door, whisper-behind-your-hand, money envious, the one most rarely seen-at least by me.

13. A spasm of high-voltage nervousness ran through him.

14. They tramped gaily along, over decaying logs, through tangled underbrush, among solemn monarchs of the forest, hung from their crowns to the ground with drooping regalia of grapevines.

15. He crossed Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street, walking without any particular object, except to take the air. It was not until he was under its shadow and saw the vast bulk of London University insulting the autumnal sky that he remembered that here was the Ministry of Information.

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