Silliest French word I learnt so far

[tones]

Oh there's an English immortel -- I forget who, a poet who writes in French.

Sir Michael Edwards.

 

[mansr]

Haha! They all need putting out to grass. Or be told to go and get a proper job etc.

Send them to Coventry. (How would you say that in French?)

 

[richardg]

Send them to Coventry. (How would you say that in French?)

Je t'envoie sur les roses....maybe?

 

[tones]

Send them to Coventry. (How would you say that in French?)

Mettre quelqu'un en quarantaine? (Very topical)

 

[mandryka]

Or maybe laisser quelqu'un dans son coin.

 

[mandryka]

Sir Michael Edwards.

Two versions of a poem he wrote called Villon -- one English, one French -- certainly not literal translations.

 

[KrisW]

Tell him about Cholmondeley, Barnoldswick or Milngavie

There’s a small scene in Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror And The Light where Eustace Chapuys, the French-native ambassador from the Spanish Imperial Court complains jokingly to Cromwell that the latter’s elevation to the Lords had merely exchanged one name that he could never pronounce properly (Cromwell) for another (Wimbledon).

 

[chartz]

Send them to Coventry. (How would you say that in French?)

Tu les envoie promener, or balader, or paître.

 

[stevec67]

Tu les envoie promener, or balader, or paître.

That's as close as I could get too. However "envoie balader" doesn't quite capture that you will ignore them completely and make a point of not speaking to them under any circumstances.

 

[stevec67]

There’s a small scene in Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror And The Light where Eustace Chapuys, the French-native ambassador from the Spanish Imperial Court complains jokingly to Cromwell that the latter’s elevation to the Lords had merely exchanged one name that he could never pronounce properly (Cromwell) for another (Wimbledon).

I used to work with a young French woman who couldn't say "squirrel" . It used to come out "squoow". We had a piece of equipment called a "squirrel logger" that we both used, if she was forced to ask me where it was I'd have hours of fun. "The what, Claire? What's that? " Only when I was in fits of giggles would she snap and reply "L' enregistreur de temperature, merde!"

 

[mandryka]

Tu les envoie promener, or balader, or paître.

That’s to send someone packing, tell them to bugger off. Send to Coventry is just to not talk to them. To really capture it you probably have to spell it out - ne plus parler à quelqu’un or something like that,

 

[chartz]

That’s to send someone away, tell them to bugger off. Send to Coventry is just to not talk to them.

There is no real equivalent. But envoyer paître is pretty close.

 

[mandryka]

I love paître - the French are a pastoral people!

 

[stevec67]

I didn't know paître, I had to look it up. I imagine that's what "pâturages" comes from. Interestingly "to put someone out to grass" In English is to force them to retire .

 

[stevec67]

That’s to send someone packing, tell them to bugger off. Send to Coventry is just to not talk to them. To really capture it you probably have to spell it out - ne plus parler à quelqu’un or something like that,

"Ostraciser" is in the French dikko.

 

[Marchbanks]

Send them to Coventry. (How would you say that in French?)

Send them here maybe.

Strange how most of the village signs seem to be missing from the posts.

 

[Mullardman]

I couldn't be arsed reading all of this...

Have we had fauteuil yet...?

 

[NeilR]

Late to this thread. Has been a good read.

 

[chartz]

I couldn't be arsed reading all of this...

Have we had fauteuil yet...?

No, how’s that silly?

 

[RJohan]

AngliCism or Anglicisation, Johan, but you meant Swedishisation (Sverige.....?). I'm surprised that globally known model names, let alone those which have been used for anything generically similar, would bother anyone, let alone the logically thinking natives of Sweden.

You are probably right, it should be called 'Swedishisation' (the Swedish word is 'försvenskning'). The original subject of this thread has a name, it seems:

Franglais.