English equivalent of "pilit'"

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Tim Beasley wrote:

> "Saw (away)" sounds fine to me.  I've used it to refer to over-pressured
> and under-gifted kids in the past.  "He kept sawing away (on his fiddle)
> all day long", with "on his fiddle" being ellipted if sufficiently
> licensed by content.
>
> "He sawed and sawed all day" soundsliteral--I expect sawdust--and "sawed
> and sawed away" or "sawed away and sawed away" are both infelicitous.

I would have the same reaction and offer the same advice for "scrape,"
though in both cases I find the version with "away" more effective for a
repetitive action.

In both cases, the verb denotes an activity devoid of skill or art.

--
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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