Translation question / native speaker

[Aurelio]

Hi,

there is the following dialog and I find the sentence from Xoti a bit odd.

 

Player: "What can you tell me about that creature?"

Vatnir: "I don't know what to tell you. It's a dragon. Or looks like one. And rotten enough that linking it to the god of decay seemed reasonable."

Xoti: "You were full of horse apples, you mean." She puffs out her cheeks.

Vatnir: "This place is holy to him, so perhaps I'm not wrong."

 

What does she mean with full of horse apples?

[Kvellen]

It's a variation on the common English saying "full of ****", but changed to take into account Xoti's upbringing on a farm, and in a culture that doesn't like swearing. So where she grew up people might have likely used the term "horse apples"* to refer to "horse excrement" and as such use that in place of the swear word in the saying.

Basically Xoti is dismissing Vatnir's previous theory and explanation of the dragon as a harbinger of Rymergand as lies. And strongly implying that he really doesn't know what he is talking about.

 *it would seem there is actually a type of fruit that is sometimes referred to as a "Horse Apple". It grows on a very throny bush that was used as type of natural fence around some farms. The fruit itself isn't edible, so would be seen as pretty useless. So it is possible something being "full of horse apples" (which are basically useless) might be a part of what she is saying as well?

Edited February 13, 2022 by Kvellen
googled "Horse Apple"

[Aurelio]

Thanks you for the explaination. Still thinking about, if I should alter the translation a bit. In german the original translation does not make much sense.

Maybe somethink like: Yeah, right, you can't even tell horse apples from potatoes (also called earth apples in german) .

[Kvellen]

That sounds like it could work.

Though having looked up some more context for the conversation, I think the main point of the line is to show Xoti's frustration with Vatnir for lying to everyone at Harbingers' Watch, and for trying to defend that lie now.

I'm not a German speaker so don't know if this would make sense but maybe something like:

• "You were trying to sell people horse apples/droppings as potatoes, you mean."

or:

• "You were talking out of your butt this whole time. Just admit it."

 

Otherwise it might be a case of just replacing that line with a German saying along the lines of calling someone a liar.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Kvellen