what it means
Before it was money, a windfall was fruit. The wind shakes the tree, the apples come down, and they belong to whoever is standing there — nobody climbed, nobody picked. That is the whole word: value delivered by weather. A bonus you did not know was coming, a refund, a legacy from an aunt you met twice. Two things follow from the picture. It is always unearned, so a raise you fought a year for is not a windfall. And fruit on the ground does not keep. The drawing knows it: the coins pour in until they bury a man, and then somebody quietly vacuums them all away again.
Antes que dinero, un windfall era fruta. El viento sacude el árbol, caen las manzanas y son de quien esté debajo: nadie subió, nadie las cogió. Eso es la palabra entera: valor que trae el clima. Siempre inmerecido, así que un aumento que peleaste durante un año no lo es. Y la fruta caída no se conserva: en el dibujo, alguien aspira las monedas.
Antes de ser dinheiro, um windfall era fruta. O vento sacode a árvore, as maçãs caem e são de quem estiver embaixo: ninguém subiu, ninguém colheu. É a palavra inteira: valor trazido pelo tempo. Sempre imerecido — um aumento pelo qual você brigou um ano não é. E fruta no chão não dura: no desenho, alguém aspira as moedas.
Avant l'argent, un windfall était un fruit. Le vent secoue l'arbre, les pommes tombent, et elles sont à qui se trouve là : personne n'a grimpé, personne n'a cueilli. Voilà le mot entier : une valeur apportée par le temps qu'il fait. Toujours non méritée — une augmentation arrachée en un an n'en est pas une. Et les fruits à terre ne se gardent pas.
Sebelum berarti uang, windfall adalah buah. Angin mengguncang pohon, apel berjatuhan, dan menjadi milik siapa pun yang berdiri di sana: tak ada yang memanjat, tak ada yang memetik. Itulah seluruh katanya: nilai yang diantar cuaca. Selalu tanpa jerih payah. Dan buah jatuh tidak awet — di gambar, koinnya disedot habis lagi.
Windfall, paradan önce meyveydi. Rüzgâr ağacı sallar, elmalar düşer ve orada duran kim varsa onun olur: kimse tırmanmadı, kimse toplamadı. Kelimenin tamamı bu — havanın getirdiği değer. Her zaman hak edilmemiştir; bir yıl uğraşıp aldığınız zam buna girmez. Yere düşen meyve de dayanmaz.
windfall はお金の前に、まず果物でした。風が木を揺らし、林檎が落ち、そこに立っていた人のものになる。登った人も摘んだ人もいません。この語のすべてがそこにあります。天気が運んできた価値。だから必ず不労のもので、一年かけて勝ち取った昇給は windfall ではありません。そして落ちた果実は日持ちしない。絵でも、硬貨はやがて吸い取られていきます。
noun
money that arrives unearned and unexpected
“The settlement was a windfall they had stopped hoping for.”
noun
fruit brought down by the wind, the older sense
“The children could keep any windfall they found under the trees.”
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Before it meant money, a windfall was:
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