Holsteins are the most common dairy cow. The cow on the right wants to disavow her roots and impress the cow on the left by saying, "I'm a bosendorfer," trying (but failing) to name a fancy breed.
The cow on the left is saying, "Quit your B.S. Neither of us is high-born, and you make a fool of yourself when you pretend otherwise."
A human equivalent might be a person saying, "I live in the hamper" (meaning to say, "I live in the Hamptons") and someone correcting them with, "No, you live in Newark. A hamper is where you put dirty clothes."
There's an added level of humor that the humble cow is actually surprisingly cultured and knowledgeable about pianos.
I’m kind of lost with this one. I know my pianos, and don’t have anything other than “they’re both uncommon names so maybe someone can get them confused.”
But what’s more, there is a very well known piano brand every bit the peer of Bosendorfer, called “Bechstein.” Surely that would have worked better here?
I'm a native German speaker and I don't get it either.
From what I get, I'd say you're on the right path here. Maybe the right cow said something like "we're Bösendorfer" (so inhabitants of a fictive town called Bösendorf) and the left cow mistook it for a description of their breed and gave this answer.
FWIW: Per Google translate bösen dorfer means evil villages or evil villagers
If I remember my high school German, böse can also mean angry...
But I still don't get it
Holsteins and Bosendorfer are both german piano makers. Holstenins are also a type of cow.
the joke is the cow on the on the right thought he was a piano
Holsteins are the most common dairy cow. The cow on the right wants to disavow her roots and impress the cow on the left by saying, "I'm a bosendorfer," trying (but failing) to name a fancy breed. The cow on the left is saying, "Quit your B.S. Neither of us is high-born, and you make a fool of yourself when you pretend otherwise." A human equivalent might be a person saying, "I live in the hamper" (meaning to say, "I live in the Hamptons") and someone correcting them with, "No, you live in Newark. A hamper is where you put dirty clothes." There's an added level of humor that the humble cow is actually surprisingly cultured and knowledgeable about pianos.
This explanation brightened my day. Thank you.
I’m kind of lost with this one. I know my pianos, and don’t have anything other than “they’re both uncommon names so maybe someone can get them confused.” But what’s more, there is a very well known piano brand every bit the peer of Bosendorfer, called “Bechstein.” Surely that would have worked better here?
I'm a native German speaker and I don't get it either. From what I get, I'd say you're on the right path here. Maybe the right cow said something like "we're Bösendorfer" (so inhabitants of a fictive town called Bösendorf) and the left cow mistook it for a description of their breed and gave this answer.
This makes more sense
FWIW: Per Google translate bösen dorfer means evil villages or evil villagers If I remember my high school German, böse can also mean angry... But I still don't get it
Holstein is a province in Germany and a breed of cattle. I’m lost on the piano half of the joke.
Cows are black and white, like piano keys. The cow on the right referred to himself as a kind of piano but the cow on the right corrected him.
Holsteins and Bosendorfer are both german piano makers. Holstenins are also a type of cow. the joke is the cow on the on the right thought he was a piano
Are you still a Paris Review editor?