"Nice and" expression question.

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "zanooda2" <zanooda2 at ...> wrote:
>
> Hi guys! I have another question for the English-speaking listees. Is
> it true that in the expression "nice and" with the following adjective
> (for example, "nice and warm" sweater) the word "nice" doesn't have
> it's own meaning, but just intensifies the second adjective? Some
> dictionaries explain it like this, but there is no detailed
> explanations with many examples, so I'm not sure. 
> 
> The "nice and" expression is used a few times in the HP books, for
> instance, Ollivander likes to use it while describing wands. So what,
> for example, "nice and supple" (Harry's wand) means? Is it "very
> supple", or "pleasantly supple", or "supple enough", or something
> else? How do you guys understand it when you read it? How would you
> translate it into another language? I would appreciate any advice,
> off-list is OK. Thanks!

Geoff:
This is one of those idiomatic [or perhaps idiotic? :-) ] bits of English 
which are so difficult to translate.

For example, if you describe Harry's wand as "nice and supple" this 
would probably need a different translation to a phrase such as "turn 
the control nice and gently" or "push down the accelerator pedal nice 
and steadily".

As a native English speaker, I find it difficult to get a "one size fits all" 
result. However, my trusty Readers' Digest Word Power Dictionary does 
say this under 'nice':

3 (nice and -) satisfactory in terms of the quality described.

Make of that what you will.

Zanooda, I'm afraid that your personal English adviser has possibly hit the 
buffers.
:-(