συμφωνώ και επαυξάνω → absolutely, agreed and agreed, back at you, couldn't agree more, double agreed, goes double for me, hear, hear hear, I can echo that, I could not agree more with you, I couldn't agree more, I couldn't agree with you more, I emphatically concur, I fully support that, I second that, I'll second that, I'm all for it, let me double down on that, right on, roger that, seconded and thirded, spot on, totally and utterly, two very enthusiastic thumbs up, with bells on, with knobs on, dead right, that goes without saying, welcome to the club, my words exactly

spiros · 17 · 9474



spiros

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user3

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Η ιδιωματικότητα δεν βρίσκεται στο "I agree with bells on" αλλά στο
with bells on σκέτο, το οποίο έχει αρκετές εμφανίσεις -και άλλωστε:
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20000519

Τώρα γιατί σας ενοχλεί το "συμφωνώ απόλυτα" δεν ξέρω. Αν και δεν
νομίζω ότι χωράει μία απόδοση η φράση. Αλλιώς θα το αποδώσεις
άμα είναι "απάντηση" κι αλλιώς άμα παίζει μπάλα μόνο του.
Προφανώς το "συμφωνώ και επαυξάνω" δεν ταιριάζει αν δεν
έχει προηγουμένως αναφερθεί το πράγμα με το οποίο συμφωνείς.
Κι αν έχει, πάλι δεν ταιριάζει πάντοτε.







user3

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Η ιδιωματικότητα δεν βρίσκεται στο "I agree with bells on" αλλά στο
with bells on σκέτο, το οποίο έχει αρκετές εμφανίσεις -και άλλωστε:
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20000519

Νίκο, δεν θά' λεγα ότι 147 εμφανίσεις είναι άπειρες...
Σπύρο, άπειρα είναι μόνο τα δεκαδικά ψηφία του πι, αλλά εγώ μίλησα για αρκετές και όχι
για άπειρες, και μίλησα για το with bells on, που στο δικό μου το γκουγκλ
βγάζει κάπου 288.000 εμφανίσεις.



spiros

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banned8

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Dear Word Detective: You can make me look really smart if you know the origin of the phrase "with bells on." I know, why should you care about making me look smart? Still, it would be great to impress my friends. -- Michael Rafferty, via the internet.

We'll do our best. With his question Mr. Rafferty included an e-mail concerning a get-together of friends, one of whom encouraged the others to "be there with bells on." And indeed this phrase is used almost exclusively in the context of a social invitation, where the assurance that "I'll be there with bells on" means that one's attendance will be eager, enthusiastic and energetic.

The question, of course, is what bells have to do with showing up for a party or dinner date. The phrase "with bells on" seems to have first appeared in this sense in the early 20th century, and there are two theories about the bells. One is that the reference is to the costume of a court jester, including a fool's cap festooned with bells, thus perhaps alluding to the speaker's intention to appear "dressed to the nines" and ready to boogie. The other theory harks back to the days of horse-drawn carriages, when on special occasions the horse's harness might be decorated with festive bells.

Interesting enough, although "with bells on" is primarily heard today in the US, the British have a venerable equivalent in the expression "with knobs on," also meaning more generally "with embellishments" or simply expressing emphasis. So while you might hear a British friend agree to show up at your party "with knobs on," it's also not uncommon for someone who has borne the brunt of an insult to reply, "Same to you, with knobs on."






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I have never heard anybody in England, and certainly not in America, ever say "I agree with bells on."  The Word Detective bit cited by Nick is just about right.  There's also the phrase "with all the bells and whistles", meaning "with all the best gadgety features".  And of course there's the famous rhyme,

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse.
With bells on her fingers and rings on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.

(Banbury is between Stratford & Oxford.  In Shakespeare's time it was known for a certain kind of cheese, which they sliced very thin [one of his skinny characters is called a "Banbury Cheese"] though that's totally forgotten today, and now they're known for a special cake they do, called, not surprisingly, a Banbury cake.)

As for "with knobs on" (or even "with brass knobs on"), that is idiomatic English, though a bit old-fashioned.  It puts me at least in mind of the great comic writer P.G. Wodehouse.  (A website of his fans advertises a get-together including "sermons, quizzes and games that are truly oojah-cum-spiff with knobs on".)  It's mostly used though, including by Wodehouse [pronounced, by the way, "Woodhouse"] in the sense also cited, as in "same to you, with knobs on."  It's just a bit of classic oneupsmanship.

You should be careful about using it though, as knob (or rather nob) is nowadays British slang (known somewhat in America) for "penis".  So that if you say "I'll be there with knobs on" (or, better yet, "with a knob on"!!).....well, let's just say that chuckles will not go unheard.


But as for the original expression at issue, «συμφωνῶ καὶ ἐπαυξάνω», saying "I couldn't agree more" is, as the English say, "spot on"; though of course you can also just say "absolutely!"  "I absolutely agree" and "I agree wholeheartedly" are good, or "you're absolutely right" &c.
More colloquial possibilities (among many) include "amen!" and "I hear you" (which in Black English is "I feel ya").  A bit hippyish but quite common is "right on".  To go back to Wodehouse, if you want to sound like Bertie Wooster, you can just answer "quite" or (better, and more emphatic) "rather" (pronounced more or less spondaically).  Though you have to have the right tone of voice to pull it off...and to let people know that you're saying it as a joke.

As for Epetelos' "I second this motion", this comes from governmental protocol:  if one office-holder has a motion (=proposal) he'd like to put forward, the rules may require that it be seconded, meaning that at least one other member agree to proceed.  You might say "I propose that [bla-bla-bla]" and the Speaker will ask "does anyone second the motion?" 
A famous song contains a play on this expression:  http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_temptations_with_the_supremes/i_second_that_emotion.html  (And, speaking of hippies, this song was covered by that legendary group the Εὐγνώμονες Νεκροί.)


....So, there you go, far more information than you were looking for!





P.S.  My adopted grandmother in Λυγουριό (in the Argolid) says «ἔλα ντέ» to express emphatic agreement.  A friend of mine from Thessalonica, when I used it similarly, said that I was misusing it, but a Μοραΐτισσα friend of mine said that that was correct, but limited to the Peloponnese.

Ὅταν κάνω λάθος, παρακαλῶ νὰ με διορθώνετε, ἢ στὸ νῆμα γιὰ νὰ μάθουν κι ἄλλοι ἢ μὲ προσωπικὸ μήνυμα.
Ὅσο πιὸ σκληρὸς εἶστε, τόσο περισσότερο θὰ σᾶς ἀγαπήσω. 
Εὐχαριστῶ!


 

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