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Hello, I need help with an expression. What do you call a person (most often a child) who is a small and powerful person? Kind of explosive that is. In Sweden we call it "krutdurk" which is a combination of the words "krut" for gunpowder and "durk" which is the floor of a boat. (Don't ask me why we use the boat-floor in this context). I guess you could also combine the words "krut" and "tunna", where the latter one is equivalent to barrel.

Is there an or are there any expressions for this in English?

Cheers in adv.

- Ante

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hello, I need help with an expression. What do you call a person (most often a child) who is a ... where the latter one is equivalent to barrel. Is there an or are there any expressions for this in English?[/nq]
Small and powerful only? Without the implication of mischief?

English uses the French phrase 'enfant terrible' which means a child whose inopportune remarks cause embarrassment or a person known for shocking remarks or outrageous behavior It is also used to refer to a young and successful person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, or avant-garde

There's also the colloquialism "he's a pistol" meaning a forceful, uncontrollable person you'd better beware of, but that has no connotation of size or youth.

Then there's the German expression 'wunderkind' often used in English (ours is a magpie language)

There's 'hotshot', meaning a person who is conspicuously talented or successful, but that has no connotation of size or youth either.

Usenet · Answer

"John Ings" (Email Removed) skrev i meddelandet news:(Email Removed)...
[nq:2]Hello, I need help with an expression. What do you ... an or are there any expressions for this in English?[/nq]
[nq:1]Small and powerful only? Without the implication of mischief? English uses the French phrase 'enfant terrible' which means a child ... That sounds sensible, but can you use that to a person and say "You are little powder magazine, aren't you?"[/nq]
Also: Thanks John. I learned a few new expression for the future anyway ("He's a pistol" and that ýou used "Wunderkind".

//A.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]use Small and powerful only? Without the implication of mischief? ... but that has no connotation of size or youth either.[/nq]
[nq:1]Sorry John (and everybody else), my explanation wasn't relly good. I saw that when I read my own message right now. I did not mean that the word or expression I am looking for has to be small.[/nq]
I didn't take that to be your meaning.
[nq:1]You can say it to a person who weighs 320 lbs if you would like to. It is, however, more ... That sounds sensible, but can you use that to a person and say "You are little powder magazine, aren't you?"[/nq]
No, that wouldn't be clear. "You're a real pistol aren't you?" would come closest in North Americam but I'm not sure that would be meaningful in England.

Einde? What do you think?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Sorry John (and everybody else), my explanation wasn't relly good. ... or expression I am looking for has to be small.[/nq]
[nq:1]I didn't take that to be your meaning.[/nq]
[nq:2]You can say it to a person who weighs 320 ... person and say "You are little powder magazine, aren't you?"[/nq]
[nq:1]No, that wouldn't be clear. "You're a real pistol aren't you?" would come closest in North Americam but I'm not ... you!" This would seem to fit the context, but I'm not 100% certain that it's not a peculiarly Irish phrase.[/nq]
Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I wouldn't know what this phrase meant. But it occurs to me that I remember people in my childhood saying ... seem to fit the context, but I'm not 100% certain that it's not a peculiarly Irish phrase. Regards, Einde O'Callaghan[/nq]
How about: "You little osama bin laden, you!", which would be a more up-to-date version of the saying from years ago?

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