https://www.proz.com/kudoz/dutch-to-english/general-conversation-greetings-letters/3990506-tuttebellen.html
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Glossary entry

Dutch term or phrase:

tuttebellen

English translation:

bellyachers

Added to glossary by burak sengir
Aug 24, 2010 21:40
13 yrs ago
Dutch term

tuttebellen

Dutch to English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
"...met een groot voorwerp beukte hij op het plafond. Tuttebellen in de grote stad, daar heb ik een hekel aan, koop dan een huis in Putten!..."
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 bellyachers
3 +1 to primp
3 Faffing about
3 frittering your time away
3 floozies
2 raising hell / raising Cain

Discussion

burak sengir (asker) Aug 25, 2010:
@ Barend it's quite allright, on the other hand within the context it's not that important who's snarling at who; tuttebellen was a difficult find though :) thank you
Barend van Zadelhoff Aug 25, 2010:
@ Burak I found out why we disagree because I believe the writer quotes his neighbour (speaks for his neigbour) while you and others believe he speaks for himself
hope it's allright with you I mention this
burak sengir (asker) Aug 25, 2010:
@ zeurpieten that's the one :) thanks
burak sengir (asker) Aug 25, 2010:
it's quite allright when you say it's a verb, what i was trying to tell was that "tuttebelen" is not refering to his piano playing or stopping this "getuttebel" on this piano; whatever it is the complaining one is the piano player, as for tuttebeller: "bellyachers" or even "squabbling fishwives" i do find them quiete agreeable, thank you all out there; much appreciated.
Frank van Thienen (X) Aug 25, 2010:
zeurpieten First person is the author, who played the piano, which resulted in the neighbour's bellyaching :-)
Zeurpieten!!
Barend van Zadelhoff Aug 25, 2010:
it is a verb the plural "tuttebellen" would not make sense here
he says you can tuttebel in Putten as much as you like but not in the city

it is not "tuttebellen" if YOU can't stand it then buy a house

no, stop tuttebelling *I* can't stand it, go and buy house in Putten

The writer speaks for his neighbour

I am not trying to defend my suggestion because this would be it bit too strong an expression in this context
burak sengir (asker) Aug 25, 2010:
@ Barend but the one who plays the piano refers to the neighbor(s) who can't stand him playing the piano "pianissimo" very lightly even in the early hours of the evening; then he snarls at the neighbor calling him (or in general them) Tuttebellen: if you can't stand it then just go and buy a house in Putten (obviously not a big city; all peace and quiet)
Barend van Zadelhoff Aug 25, 2010:
@ Burak I am quite sure, thanks to the new information, that "tuttebellen" refers to his playing the piano. Stop this "getuttebel" on this piano" If you want to "tuttebel" on the piano, then buy a house in Putten!
burak sengir (asker) Aug 24, 2010:
to enlighten the masses more context :) ...Wat een zegen in vergelijking met Amsterdam waar bijvoorbeeld mijn benedenbuurman in de Plantagebuurt over zijn toeren raakte als ik om 8 uur 's avonds pianissimo pianospeelde. Met een groot voorwerp beukte hij op het plafond. Tuttebellen in de grote stad, daar heb ik een hekel aan, koop dan een huis in Putten!..."
I should have added these two sentences before I have made the previous enrtry, my fault and yes I do think it's a noun.
Frank van Thienen (X) Aug 24, 2010:
the usual to resolve this, more context may enlighten the masses . . .
Michael Beijer Aug 24, 2010:
verb or noun? I think that 'tuttebellen' is being used as a noun here, rather than as a verb. Because of the preceding sentence about the noisy upstairs neighbours. That is, there are a number of 'tuttebellen' making noise upstairs, and the writer wishes they would stay in their small town and not come to his big city and disturb him (or her;).

Proposed translations

+2
2 hrs
Selected

bellyachers

Gezien de verhelderde context :-)
Peer comment(s):
agree Michael Beijer : 4 points for Frank! (zeurpieten/bellyachers)
7 hrs
Thanks, Michael!
agree Laura Morwood : Agree!
7 hrs
Thanks, Laura!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "4 points for Frank :) Thanks."
7 mins

Faffing about

No doubt there are many other possibilities!
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+1
7 mins

to primp

English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms)

primp prɪmp v. preen, prink, prettify, titivate or tittivate, plume, dress up, groom, Colloq doll up, get (all) dolled up, spruce up, put on one's best bib and tucker, Chiefly Brit tart up, get (all) tarted up, Slang deck out, trick out or up, put on one's glad rags, Brit fig out, US gussy up, get (all) gussied up, dude up: She was primping before the mirror, awaiting the arrival of her beau. primp
Peer comment(s):
agree Jack den Haan : Strictly speaking, this is indeed the meaning of the term. It doesn't seem te be used in this sense here, though.
8 hrs
Thank you Jack, you are right !
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39 mins

frittering your time away

also: "fooling around"
or more colloquial North American English: "farting around"
Example sentence:

fool around Informal > 1. To engage in idle or casual activity; putter: was fooling around with the old car in hopes of fixing it.

fart around > To fool around; fritter time away.

Reference:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fooling+around

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/farting+around

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50 mins

raising hell / raising Cain

Raising Cain in the city, is something I cannot tolerate, then go and buy a house in Putten

I am not at all sure but as I understand the situation he means by "tuttebellen" "herrie schoppen"of "rotzooi trappen"
his upstairs neighbours are a nuisance to him and now he pounds on the ceiling with a large object

"tuttebellen" could be a kind of understatement for "raising hell"
Peer comment(s):
neutral Michael Beijer : I think that maybe he actually means 'tuthola's'. See my comment above about it being a noun rather than a verb. Hmm, on second thought, maybe it is a verb. But it is just imaginatively used. How about 'stelletje klooio's' ;)
5 mins
exactly what I suppose, Michael, you could not have worded it better, an imaginative use of "tuttebellen": zitten emmeren, rotzooi trappen, klooien, de boel versjteren, "zich niet gedragen"/writer refers to this kind of behaviour in a general sense
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18 hrs

floozies

as a noun..
or Bimbo,
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