hacer palo
I'm translating a 16th Century Spanish/Mayan language dictionary into English, and came across an entry "hacer palo." Does anyone know what it means'
6 Answers
Hi JSR,
I don't know the meaning of "hacer palo" but probably can get a translation from a master linguist, for whom I work. This linguist is, in fact, looking for just the dictionary you are using to translate. Do you know how I can get a copy? Is there a bookseller in the U.S. who sells this dictionary? Any help you can give would be appreciated.
Really, I'm not sure. I think the Ch'olti' forms are "teelez" and "telauel" (it's hard to tell from the original hand whether it is teclez or teelez), which would be "te'" 'wood' and a causative (the other form is passive). That would mean literally 'to make wood,' which could likely mean 'to produce twiglets for brooms'--if that really was the idiom to express that idea back then. "Straws" for brooms back in colonial times were (and still are today in places) made of twigs tied around a handle. I'm not certain I'll ever be 100% certain on this one. So, if there really was an idiom "make wood [for brooms]" ....
JSR,
So, what was your conclusion? Does "making broom bristles" fit your context? While that may indeed be the meaning, it sounds pretty obscure to me. How were you able to confirm that that is the correct meaning?
Please don't leave us hanging.
Thanks!
JSR
Quentin said:
I have no idea, but it would help to have the context that it was used in.
Googled online and saw several machine for sale that hacer palo for brooms. Apparently the palos are the straw or nowadays synthetic fibers that makes up the broom.
<http://clasificados.grippo.com.ar/cgi-local/mercaderias.pl'read=138454>
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Quentin is right, because palo has many different meanings.
And, by the way, my hat is off to you for being able to undertake such a daunting translation task. Where did you acquire your knowledge of 16th-century Spanish and Mayan'
I have no idea, but it would help to have the context that it was used in.
Googled online and saw several machine for sale that hacer palo for brooms. Apparently the palos are the straw or nowadays synthetic fibers that makes up the broom.
<http://clasificados.grippo.com.ar/cgi-local/mercaderias.pl'read=138454>
