quiso que se lo tragara la tierra

Question

I am reading "El Código da Vinci" , highlighting unfamiliar words and phrases as I go along. Most I can sort out through the translator function here. There are some that don't translate well, so I am asking for your help. I will probably post a lot of questions here as I make my way (slowly) through the book.

Here is a phrase that must be idiomatic, so if anyone can help with the translation, I would appreciate it. The scene is where Langdon is about to give a speech on symbolology, and the person introducing him has shared with the audience an embarassing article about him. The line that follows is "Langdon quiso que se lo tragara la tierra." One translation here that does fit the scene is "he wanted to crawl under the table". Is this an accurate substitution for this phrase in Spanish? I know it isn't the literal translation, which would have to do with "swallowing the earth".

Ideas??

Answer 1

Actually, it translates to Langdon wanted the Earth to swallow him. You can tell this because the direct object pronoun lo is masculine while la tierra is feminine, so the verb must be directed at Langdon. That leaves the Earth to be acting out the verb.

So yes, it sounds like wanting to hide from his shame.

Thanks - DR1960, Nov 5, 2009

Answer 2

Langdon felt like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.

Thanks - DR1960, Nov 5, 2009

Answer 3

Is there a reason that you can't find an online English eBook to compare translations with. I'm pretty sure that when I read it (in English) that I read a (free) eBook version.

I'll check it out. - DR1960, Nov 5, 2009