Yeah - it could work

[Pierre ZFP]

please don't read further if easily offended - not that I can imagine that any of you lot would be.

I work with a French guy whose English is excellent so much so that he comes up with idioms and phrases that usually only a native Brit would use but this time he surpassed himself.

He was bemoaning the fact that the project he was working on had more and more people assigned to it so that they really didn't know where they were or what they were doing any more.

'It is a case of too many cocks spoiling the brothel' he said

After I had recovered I thought, yeah, it could work

 

[Gastines]

I used to have a German lady who used to buy in  our Antique/general shop quite regularly and she had similar gems, translated from German to English.

eg. I am not liking this man, he is like a pair of open trousers!

He is as cold as a dog's nose!

I used to tell her English ones but not quite correctly.

Don't count your chickens untill they have crossed the bridge.

I won't put the others on.

Regards. 5 mins St.Malo.

[Dick Smith]

It wasn't Acorn Antiques, by any chance?

(What was the name of Julie Walters' character?)

[YCCMB]

The wonderful Mrs Overall[:D]. People say I look like her, you know.

[Dick Smith]

Ah, that's it. Thank you, a bit of a senior moment there.

[Miki]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]The wonderful Mrs Overall[:D]. People say I look like her, you know.[/quote]

Yeh, you wish          [;-)]

[TWINKLE]

I often use english idioms literally translated in my every day french.  You get some very funny results and some very funny looks too[:)]

eg.  "Like water off a ducks back" turns into "Comme de l'eau sur le dos d'un canard"

 

[YCCMB]

[quote user="Miki"][quote user="You can call me Betty"]The wonderful Mrs Overall[:D]. People say I look like her, you know.[/quote]

Yeh, you wish          [;-)]


[/quote]

 

Stop it now, you're breaking my feet.[:P] Anyway, you're only being nasty because I've dumped your mate Cassis for a man with a merguez.

[Will]

Only a merguez? What's wrong with an andouille? (apart from the smell of course).

I knew a German who, not knowing the word for the TV remote control, referred to the 'long distance knob job'. That was one of his more repeatable efforts with the English language.

[Cassis]

At aperos with a neighbour our host said that he had not slept much because of problems with his waterworks the previous night.

Jude asked me to translate to him "You must have been up and down like a fiddler's elbow".

I did so and he said with a wink that he was a bit too old for that.

I think something was lost in translation along the way.

[Dick Smith]

Ummm, no - certainly I would have raised my eyebrows...

The more ususal version is 'in and out like a fiddler's elbow'

[Miki]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]

[quote user="Miki"][quote user="You can call me Betty"]The wonderful Mrs Overall[:D]. People say I look like her, you know.[/quote]

Yeh, you wish          [;-)]

[/quote]

 

Stop it now, you're breaking my feet.[:P] Anyway, you're only being nasty because I've dumped your mate Cassis for a man with a merguez.

[/quote]

This mergie chap, is he a big or little squirt ?

[Cassis]

Up and down, in and out - maybe it's a regional thing.  Did I mention my father in law is Stephan Grapelli?  If I did, I was lying.

Would in and out have been better in translation?  [blink]

[Cassis]

[quote user="Miki"] [quote user="You can call me Betty"] 

Stop it now, you're breaking my feet.[:P] Anyway, you're only being nasty because I've dumped your mate Cassis for a man with a merguez.

[/quote]

This mergie chap, is he a big or little squirt ?

[/quote]

I live in hope that I can win my love back.  We only lasted about 5 minutes the last time but I hope to do better in the future.

[JSA Aude]

My norwegian sister in law has come out with a couple of gems : - (really looking forward to something) I'm so exciting!  (enough to eat) I'm so fed up!

[Pip]

"You must have been up and down like a fiddler's elbow". By Cassis

Coming from the Westcountry we say 'Up and down like a Weston donkey'  I wonder how that would have translated little sausage ? !! [:-))]

[Cassis]

I my incomparable franglais that would come out as:

"Tu auras dû monter et descendre sans cesse, comme un âne de Weston-sur-mer".

No doubt with similar results to the original version.  [:D]

[SaligoBay]

I have solitary Finnbarr Saunders moments in my Arabic class.   How sad is that?

For example, when my hyperventilating brain lets me connect with the outside world, I hear that the Arabic for monkey sounds very like "el turd".

But then we did words beginning with the letter D, and she said "il y a, par exemple, le mot 'dik'.  En français, ça veut dire 'coq'."

Two in one sentence, and no-one to share it with.   It's lonely down here!  [:D]

 

[Cassis]

Fnaar, fnaar!  Snigger!

[Pip]

Dear sausage what is that you are smoking in that 'ol pipe ??  There's only one thing that I can think of that would make you snigger !! [:-))]

[Pip]

SB. Wish I could join your class, I'd never stop giggling !! [:D]

[Cassis]

Nothing illicit, Pip.  Snort!  Snnngghhh!

Just lending SB some double-e support au Finbar.

PPhhhhhh!

[Pip]

Glad to hear it's all just bubble and squeaky clean then hotdog !

[TWINKLE]

When I first moved here my french was appaling but 10 out of 10 for effort and all that.

We were eating supper with my then future in-laws and when my hubbys mum asked me if I wanted a second helping I replied "Non merci madame - je suis pleine"   Litterally translated this means  "No thank-you madam - I am full"  

In french however it means  "I am pregnant"  but also that I am maybe a cat or a dog or a cow[:)]

[Cassis]

So what did they take it to mean, Twinks?  [blink] 

Did they congratulate you or call the vet? [:D]