tänja

Inherited from Old Swedish þænia, from Old Norse þenja, from Proto-Germanic *þanjaną.

tänja (present tänjer, preterite tänjde, supine tänjt, imperative tänj)

1. (often with ut (“out”)) to stretch (make longer or more spacious (by pulling or stretching))

   Synonym: töja

2. (reflexive, sometimes with ut (“out”)) to stretch (become longer or more spacious (by being pulled or stretched))

   Synonym: töja

3. (by extension) to stretch (something more abstract)

   Filmen försöker tänja ut ett enda skämt över två timmar

   The movie tries to stretch out a single joke over two hours

   Tänj ut ledigheten genom att ta semester kring helgdagar

   Extend ("stretch out") your time off by going on vacation around holidays

4. (figuratively) to stretch, to bend (rules or the like)

   tänja på reglerna

   bend the rules

5. (figuratively, idiomatic, in "tänja på gränserna" (stretch the boundaries)) to push the boundaries, to push the limit, to push the envelope (skirt (and extend) established boundaries, in a positive or negative sense)

• tänjbar
• tänjbarhet
• tänjning

• tänja in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• tänja in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• tänja in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• tänja in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

• jänta, tjäna