heaps praise

[Lorena1970]

Hi all,

I don't understand the meaning of "heaps praise" in the following sentence (hence the general meaning of the whole...is it ironic? Is it favorable...?)


‘Images like this… speak of time before Prince Charles re-emerged as an architectural taste-maker’ RM heaps praise on WA’s hotel scheme.'

"Immagini come queste...parlano dei tempi precedenti a quelli in cui Prince Charles è tornato alla ribalta per stabilire (dirigere, influenzare) il gusto in architettura" RM "heaps praise" in merito al progetto di hotel di WA.

Here the link to the original sentence (bottom of the page)

Thank you!

 

[Murphy]

to heap praise on something - to praise something a lot / lodare molto ?

I think the irony of this sentence is contained in the description of Prince Charles as an "architectural taste-maker". It would appear the person speaking doesn't subscribe to that opinion and he is being complimentary about the hotel project by associating it with a time when people didn't have that opinion..

 

[You little ripper!]

Heap (definition 6)

 

[Lorena1970]

Thank you both! Very helpful.
@Murphy: Hi! in effect what was not clear at all was if RM was praising the hotel or if he was blaming it...So now it's clear that he praise the hotel as an example of architecture not influenced by HRH's taste.
@Charles: Hallo Charles! Thank you. The probelm was that looking in the Dictionary I wasn't able to catch the meaning of "heaps" - which is a verb in this case, and that's why the S, as Murphy suggested. To heap praise can be translated also with "cantare le lodi" (= lodare molto, encomiare)...?

 

[You little ripper!]

Lo, CdS translates it:

Heap
4 (fig) colmare, coprire, riempire: to heap praise on so. coprire qcu. di lodi.

'Canatare le lodi' would be the equivalent of 'sing the praises of'. We usually 'sing the praises of' to someone else, not directly with the person concerned. Is that the same in Italian, or can you 'cantare le lodi' directly with that person?

 

[Lorena1970]

Hi Charles! You are right as (almost ) always...! It is the same in Italian.
Mine was probably a too free translation, even if I still think that in my case it can be freely translated with tha expression "cantare le lodi".
Anyway your observation is right.