Thread: хвататься за халтуру

Can you use the verb "snatch" in a figurative sense? Is the sentence correct:
I snatch at every piece of potboiler.

Or should it be "I take up every piece of potboiler." ?
Or without "piece of"?

Thanks.

Maybe it's more English, but I don't think I've ever heard the word potboiler outside of the circles that would use that word. I don't know how often the Russian equivalent is used, but potboiler is not used much. You are more likely to hear hack or pulp fiction. Or pure crap (depending on context )

Snatch has many meanings - many slang meaning, that is...

I'm not sure what you mean by figurative. It's literal meaning is "to suddenly take."

I would say "I snatched up every potboiler novel/book/film/movie/whatever." But I've never really heard or used that word in a sentence like this.

Also, "take up" sounds awful in this case. That phrase is used to mean take up a hobby/sport etc.

He was very unhappy, so he took up stamp collecting.

Well, I see the word "potboiler" doesn't fit here, and that's why you've understood my sentence wrong... (your variants mean "I'm looking forward for any new book like those and I read them greedily", don't they?)

Халтура in Russian means some job which gives you easy and quick money made on the side. Халтура also means just "a bad/careless work", "a work made anyhow".
If a writer writes a bad book just for earning money, it's халтура (both the book and the process of its writing). If workers lay a parquet floor (in some old woman's flat) badly, anyhow, just to get money from her - it's a халтура. If a serious pianist plays the piano at a restaurant, anyhow, just to earn money, it's халтура.
So when I used "to take up", I meant "браться (за какую-то работу), заниматься (какой-то работой)". Examples from Lingvo:
to take up photography — заняться фотографией
to take up arms — взяться за оружие

So the sentence which I'm looking for should mean something like this:
~[I'm looking for any extra work and] I never refuse any... халтура. (for example when they ask me to play at a restaurant although I know that nobody is an expert on music there).
~I take up any extra work which could be made anyhow and which provides me quick money.

In Russian it's: "Я хватаюсь за всякую халтуру".

But maybe the idea of халтура itself is too Russian?...

Я точно понимаю слово халтура. I can't think of an exact English translation...As you can see, lingvo's translations are mainly complete sentences.

I don't know about the rest of the English speaking world, but in America we say a few different things:

When building a house, construction companies will cut corners. That means not everything is up to code - maybe the foundation is not as strong as it should be. Example: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. You'll hear this a lot in gangster (mafia/mob) movies.

You will also hear "selling their soul (to the devil)." As in your example, "So-and-so is an amazing pianist - so why is he selling his soul to work in this cheap dive? (dive = slang for club)

MORE COMMONLY, this is used as "sell out." I think that is the best translation of халтура in terms of show business. Musicians are warned not to sell out to appeal to the masses (that is, a band has a distinct sound and than becomes blander so more people will like them aka become more vanilla...).

"Sell out" literally means "to sell until it is gone." Signs often say "Item Sold Out." For example, Tickets to THE DARK KNIGHT sold out weeks in advance. And there's no negative connotation there (unless you couldn't get tickets ).

Here's more from lingvo: http://lingvo.yandex.ru/en?text=sell%20 ... ranslate=1

We also have get rich quick schemes. This is a single phrase used quite often.

The concept is definitely not Russian. If anything, it's capitalist.

Well... Then... Is "I take up any extra work" more or less ok?
Or also "I take up any work on the side" ?

I'd say, "I do work on the side."

Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli

I'd say, "I do work on the side."

Then the sense of "всякая" is lost. ~Any work they offer me, any work like that I can find.

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli

I'd say, "I do work on the side."

Then the sense of "всякая" is lost. ~Any work they offer me, any work like that I can find.

I agree that the desperation is missing in that. I think something like " I will do any work I can on the side" or "I will do any work I am offered to make a few bucks" would keep the meaning better.

Instead of the phrase 'take up', substitute the word 'accept', as in "I accept work on the side".

Perhaps another substitute for a musician or other artist would be "I do freelance work on the side", freelance meaning that it is outside of your regular job and working hours. Freelance does not have the negative connatation however.

Another common verb to use in this context is "pick up".

"I try to pick up any extra jobs/work I can." Here "pick up" means "accept".

We also have the term "odd jobs" which means small varied jobs, usually physical. Could be a little driving, fixing things, cleaning, cutting grass, or anything not too technical.

"I've been doing some odd jobs lately" means "I've been doing a little work here and there but I don't have a regular, full-time job."

I'll do anything you have to offer. I just need a job.

Если используется слово хвататься, то обычно говорят Хвататься за любую халтуру.

Originally Posted by Lampada

Если используется слово хвататься, то обычно говорят Хвататься за любую халтуру.

Это зависит от контекста. А вообще-то слова "любой" и "всякий" часто взаимозаменяемы.

what about the noun - Snatch? As in, "check out the prime Canadian snatch" ??

Don't google (image) it, между прочим...

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by Lampada

Если используется слово хвататься, то обычно говорят Хвататься за любую халтуру.

Это зависит от контекста. А вообще-то слова "любой" и "всякий" часто взаимозаменяемы.

Не уверена, что часто, когда в контексте отчаянная ситуация. Любой - это абсолютно каждый, а всякий - это просто разный, разнообразный.

Originally Posted by Lampada

Не уверена, что часто, когда в контексте отчаянная ситуация. Любой - это абсолютно каждый, а всякий - это просто разный, разнообразный.

Вот у меня в контексте как раз не отчаянная ситуация... Мне надо сказать "хватаюсь за всякую разнообразную халтуру, какая подвернется".

Originally Posted by Оля

Мне надо сказать "хватаюсь за всякую разнообразную халтуру, какая подвернется".

What about something like: "I jump on any side job that happens to come along?"