How do you say "gate" in English?

[arkeo]

Oh, by "gate" I mean exactly the English word, and I was playing with the ambiguity... But it is better I explain what I am searching for.

One of the most common way to name a-not-too-performant bike in Italian is "cancello", in other words something like this:

http://www.mantovanelli.it/foto/cancelli/cancello%20in%20ferro%20a%202%20ante.jpg

The word is widely used among friends when joking - everything depends on the context, of course.

The dictionary gives me "gate", which has other meanings not too overlapping with those in Italian. Of course it is seldom possible to find an exact matching between the words in two languages and I was not searching for a literal translation. But I am curious about the English/NZ-English word conveying the same idea of an heap of wreckage to name such bikes. Which is the most descriptive word?

Last but not least, since I know very little of the bike jargon, I'd like to learn more. Does anyone know some online bike vocabulary?

thanks a lot!

A

[onearmedbandit]

We have a term here in NZ for a 'not too performing bike', although it originated in America. We call them 'Harley Davidsons'. Although another new term has come on the scene recently, once again not from our shores but this time from Korea. This term is 'Hyosung'.

No in all seriousness, I'm being serious.

Ok, straight up this time. Sometimes a crap bike will be referred to as a 'shed'. We also call slow bikes 'snails', that one's obvious. Sometimes we just get straight to the point, and this is 'piece-of-shit' or POS. 'Slug' is another, for obvious reasons again.

Crotch-Rocket - Sportsbike.
Squid - Rider who acts in a way most likely to cause death or injury through inexperience/stupidity, or one who wears shorts, t shirt and street shoes.
Power Ranger - sportsbike rider in matching/colourful leathers.
Mono -Wheelie
Endo - Stoppie
Backing it in - drifting the rear out entering a corner
WOT - Wide Open Throttle

So many more but time for bed.

[unstuck]

Shit bike= PIG.:yes:

[Usarka]

Tractor.

http://images2.layoutsparks.com/1/195810/red-farm-tractor-machine.jpg

[Berries]

Brick?
260296


Nail?
260297

Un pezzo di merda?
No picture for that one.

[Nzpure]

surely, Bucket of bolts or heap of shit or a combination "bucket of shit" would apply here?

[arkeo]

surely, Bucket of bolts or heap of shit or a combination "bucket of shit" would apply here? It rings a bit odd for the "natural sound" of English, but of course is very likely that I'm wrong :shutup:

[mashman]

Honda Rider = Gay fulla

http://www.ghanatoghana.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ghana-gay-men-at-tafo.jpg

[unstuck]

Hi Mashy.:love::love::love: Nah:motu:

[blue rider]

Etymology

From cancellī (“lattice, enclosure”), plural of cancellus (“diminutive; lattice, grating”), diminutive of cancer (“lattice”).

i would assume it refers to Grating (manhole cover) or Grater - as in cheese / nutmeg etc grater

[mashman]

i would assume it refers to Grating (manhole cover) or Grater - as in cheese / nutmeg etc grater

no pic for manhole cover?

[blue rider]

no pic for manhole cover?

the romans had some really nice ones....and frankly for someone who does not speak english as a first language....

Man Hole Cover can mean many many things....lol

same so with a Grater....its like the Gate.

[arkeo]

Etymology

From cancellī (“lattice, enclosure”), plural of cancellus (“diminutive; lattice, grating”), diminutive of cancer (“lattice”).

i would assume it refers to Grating (manhole cover) or Grater - as in cheese / nutmeg etc grater

I think that all this is getting a bit confusing because you searched for the etymology of "cancello" in English, whereas the same word exists in Italian also. I am not surprised that you found some similar words because of the historical development of both languages, much more connected than may seem. Both English and Italian share a surprisingly amount of words but the history and usage of each one is now rather different - false friends are one of the difficulties for an Italian or French when studying English. So, what a mess :blink: !

A.

[blue rider]

I think that all this is getting a bit confusing because you searched for the etymology of "cancello" in English, whereas the same word exists in Italian also. I am not surprised that you found some similar words because of the historical development of both languages, much more connected than may seem. Both English and Italian share a surprisingly amount of words but the history and usage of each one is now rather different - false friends are one of the difficulties for an Italian or French when studying English. So, what a mess :blink: !

A.

hence why i believe the closest would be the grating, as in not smooth, not fast and easy, but grating , slowly or as some said upstairs. a snail, slug.....

[george formby]

Any old dunga, car, bike etc is a "shed". I would guess because sheds do not move very fast...

As in " I went to see that GSBRX today, what a bloody shed. Hasn't been serviced in years & rust everywhere."

Gate could also be gait, the manner in which it moves... just a thought.

[arkeo]

hence why i believe the closest would be the grating, as in not smooth, not fast and easy, but grating , slowly or as some said upstairs. a snail, slug.....

OK, but would you use "grating" in everyday language when talking among friends about a crap bike? I am curious about the words conveying the same or similar ideas in both languages, and I don't expect necessarily they are similar. One of the reasons why I am not too present in the forum as writer is that many words are similar but have quite different meaning. Unless one knows enough the language, it is easy to write bullshit :sweatdrop Example: "morbido" in Italian means soft/smooth/etc, I let you imagine what may happen if one doesn't pay attention in words usage... :facepalm:

[george formby]

Morbido, how nice. Like "my new quick shifter is morbido"? Or, "I knocked up a morbido custard for pudding last night" Yum.

[arkeo]

Morbido, how nice. Like "my new quick shifter is morbido"? Or, "I knocked up a morbido custard for pudding last night" Yum.

OK but... would you eat a morbid pudding? Would you allow your girlfriend use a bike with a morbid shifter? :laugh:

OK, I am afraid that I am stretching the tiny wings of my English; it is difficult to figure out which kind of impression can produce this kind of puns... :laugh:

[george formby]

OK but... would you eat a morbid pudding? Would you allow your girlfriend use a bike with a morbid shifter? :laugh:

OK, I am afraid that I am stretching the tiny wings of my English; it is difficult to figure out which kind of impression can produce this kind of puns... :laugh:

Yup, I see the connection & admit to having had morbid girlfriends & morbido ones, none of whom would have had a clue what a quick shifter was. I've even succumbed to the midnight charms of a shed.... But when you say it, morbido, particularly if you really pout on the O at the end sounds much, much betterer than morbid. It's going to be my word of the day, cheers.

[Madness]

I've never heard the Shed thing before. I'd personally use words like Lemon, Dog, Lifan & Pig to describe an under-performing bike.

[george formby]

I've never heard the Shed thing before. I'd personally use words like Lemon, Dog, Lifan & Pig to describe an under-performing bike.

It's an Engrish word, like chav or cooncil. Cooncil means cheap & nasty.

Dog sums it up pretty well though, as would minger or if it had crash damage it could be a munter. Where's Steven Fry when you need him, ay?

[Fast Eddie]

Honda Rider = Gay fulla

Quoted Embedded Image Removed

haha aw i threw up a little bit in my mouth..

.. still wont make me give up the fireblade.. might just peel the honda sticker off tho...:innocent:

[george formby]

haha aw i threw up a little bit in my mouth..

.. still wont make me give up the fireblade.. might just peel the honda sticker off tho...:innocent:

Aw, you know what they say about black......:shutup:

[Fast Eddie]

Any old dunga, car, bike etc is a "shed". I would guess because sheds do not move very fast...

lol, call em sheds cause thats where they spend all their time not going

[george formby]

lol, call em sheds cause thats where they spend all their time not going

Good call, off too urban dictionary we go..... hi ho.



15. Shed 4 up, 4 down

Brit. slang for a crappy car, usually a hatchback, driven by a "Barry Boy".

A popular choice of the acned teen as their first "wheels", sheds are often "done up" with bits of nasty body kit, aftermarket exhausts and - in urban settings - a thumping uprated music system.

Shed owners often can't afford to put petrol in their cars so are commonly spotted on Friday nights meeting other non-driving shed owners in supermarket car parks to exchange advice on the best make of gaffer tape to stop bits of chrome and trim falling off their creations.

See also acronym SOTW (Shed of the Week), a popular spot on the Barry Boys web site.
Gav: "Wotcha got?"
Kev: "58 plate Saxo." "Tmoz I'm gunna slam it and install a sub the size of your sista's ass".
Gav: "Too sweet, I thought you were gunna get a Shed like a 106 ... needin an air dam for the front though"
Kev: "Already ordered, as well as some pimpin side rails".
Gav: "OMG ... your ride FTW"

Ok, I was only two wheels out.

Who would have thought their were so many meanings,

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shed

[Fast Eddie]

Aw, you know what they say about black.....

you never go back? :sick:

[george formby]

you never go back? :sick:

Best we stop there & stay on topic me thinks......:sweatdrop

[ellipsis]

....where I am, the word gate could be construed to have grown a little...I seldom hear the word 'gate'...it's usually "your turn to open the 'fucking gate'..." "close the 'fucking gate'..." "who didn't close the 'fucking gate?'..." "get the 'fucking gate'..." "there's the 'fucking gate', now fuck off..."

...there is english and then there's colloquial kiwi english...and never the twain shall meet...it would be a little bit like pushing shit through a 'fucking gate' with a pointy fucking stick...

[merv]

A slow bike, guys my vintage say its a bit of a slug. Can't say I've used shed in my life to refer to a bike, nor gate for that matter.

Slugs are slow like snails.

[Berries]

Shithouse is a good one.

[avgas]

Some good ones I have heard recently are:

Brick - Non-functioning, yet fully assembled equipment ("I was going to sort out that CB750, but 20 years ago I bricked her instead")
Flex-Job - A frame with something missing. ("She was a total flex job around the corners, then I found a swingarm bolt missing!")
Basket/Beer Box Case - A completely disassembled bike, that has not run in 20 years. Usually small parts (engine etc) are held in baskets (pre-70's), beer swappa crates (70's-90's), fish bins (90's) or the current trend is old chemical or fertiliser containers.
Shervin'd - In relation to Shervin Rezaiy (a.k.a. ShervinRRR), basically a bike that has been modified beyond repair. Google him, he is awesome. Shervin knows all about flex jobs.

[arkeo]

Thanks to everyone! My personal list had a good feed of new words :yes: