szenes

LeBro

LeBro

Senior Member
Turkey
Turkish
Jó napot kívánok!

I would like to ask for your help to clarfiy, i.e. to what szenes here refers to in the following sentence:

E némajátékkal kölcsönösen elmondtuk egymásnak, hogy az ügyletet nyélbe ütöttük, most már csak a forma kedvéért akadékoskodott a szenes.

As far as I know it means "coaly". So does it refer to the man with whom the protagonist "nyélbe ütött az ügyletet" and who now pro forma "akadékoskodik" with the protagonist?

That is, does it mean "szenes ember" (the man covered with coal dust)?

Original from I. Örkény, Néhány Perc Külpolitika.

Köszönöm szépen a válaszókat!
 
    • LeBro said:
    That is, does it mean "szenes ember" (the man covered with coal dust)?
    Click to expand...
    Szenes or szenes ember could mean also the person that delivers or supplies coal to the customers (that use the coal for heating the house).

    (From the linguistical point of wiev, szenes is an adjective from szén (coal), so it can have various meanings according to the context ....)
     
    Last edited:
    francisgranada said:
    Szenes or szenes ember could mean also the person that delivers or supplies coal to the customers (that use the coal for heating the house).
    Click to expand...

    Yes, I couldn't think of it :rolleyes:: the coal dealer :thumbsup:

    The protagonist finds him in a külvárosi pincében. Maybe that's where he (szenes) seemingly deals with selling coals but no more detail is given in the story as to what kind of a pince it is.

    Thank you, @francisgranada!

    (From the linguistical point of wiev, szenes is an adjective from szén (coal), so it can have various meanings according to the context ....)
    Click to expand...

    Unfortunately, the context doesn't provide much clue, at least to me :oops:
     
    LeBro said:
    Maybe that's where he (szenes) seemingly deals with selling coals but no more detail is given in the story as to what kind of a pince it is.
    Click to expand...
    It's obvious if you have the right cultural background. ;)
    The first paragraph of the story is about "tüzelés", which means "coal/wood heating", so it's a "szenespince" (coal cellar) without a doubt.
     
    AndrasBP said:
    The first paragraph of the story is about "tüzelés", which means "coal/wood heating", so it's a "szenespince" (coal cellar) without a doubt.
    Click to expand...

    :eek: You are right! There already was a clue about the pince even in the very first sentence which I seemed to have forgotten about, i.e. "Már végigjártam a környék tüzelőtelepeit..." I should have thought of it :mad:. Thanks for drawing my attenion to it.
     
    I don't think that keeping coal/wood in a 'cellar' (or shed) is a Hungarian specificity. Anywhere (in Europe, at least) where people have to store material for heating in the winter, it is a usual the place. ;)
     
    Last edited:
    Agreeing with francisgranada: szenes = szenet hozó ember, szénkereskedö, "akinek a szén a biznisze". Similar: jeges, kocsis, szekeres, betonos, etc.
     
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