"pilots pull off quite a coo"

French translation: roucoulement

06:04 Aug 5, 2001
English to French translations [Non-PRO]
English term or phrase: "pilots pull off quite a coo"
"In the spirit of the homing pigeon, I guess you could say that pilots pull off quite a “coo” in how they manage to do this safely"

Any idea of how to deal with this "pull off quite a coo"?
Thanks in advance
Olivier
Olivier
French translation:roucoulement
Explanation:
In the spirit of the homing pigeon, I guess you could say that pilots pull off quite a “coo” in how they manage to do this safely

coo: roucouler, roucoulement: murmure tendre et monotone qui est le cri du pigeon, de la tourterelle; chanter langoureusement; tenir des propos tendres.

Littéralement, ça donnerait "(...) on pourrait dire que les pilotes font un (simple) roucoulement de la façon dont ils manoeuvrent pour faire ça en toute sécurité"

ou: (...) je suppose qu'on peut dire que les pilotes roucoulent cette manoeuvre en toute sécurité...

Il me semble y avoir une notion de facilité ("simple comme une chanson"), mais comme l'image tient aux pigeons, il m'apparaît difficile d'amener une métaphore qui ne contienne pas "roucoulement". Reste à voir si nos confrères et consoeurs auront davantage d'inspiration...
Selected response from:

Germaine
Canada
Local time: 04:15
Grading comment
Inspired!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
na +1roucoulement
Germaine
naun exploit prouesse
Kateabc
nales pilots ont réussi leur coup
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
na -1un exploit prouesse
Kateabc


  

Answers


21 mins peer agreement (net): -1
un exploit prouesse


Explanation:
It would seem that the word coo here is used as a homonym for the word feat, so I would use "un exploit prouesse".



Kateabc
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Germaine: exploit = prouesse et il me semble qu'il y a une image de facilité ici
1 hr
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23 mins
un exploit prouesse


Explanation:
Oops - certainly not a homonym. I should say a synonym!!!

Kateabc
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 36
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1 hr peer agreement (net): +1
roucoulement


Explanation:
In the spirit of the homing pigeon, I guess you could say that pilots pull off quite a “coo” in how they manage to do this safely

coo: roucouler, roucoulement: murmure tendre et monotone qui est le cri du pigeon, de la tourterelle; chanter langoureusement; tenir des propos tendres.

Littéralement, ça donnerait "(...) on pourrait dire que les pilotes font un (simple) roucoulement de la façon dont ils manoeuvrent pour faire ça en toute sécurité"

ou: (...) je suppose qu'on peut dire que les pilotes roucoulent cette manoeuvre en toute sécurité...

Il me semble y avoir une notion de facilité ("simple comme une chanson"), mais comme l'image tient aux pigeons, il m'apparaît difficile d'amener une métaphore qui ne contienne pas "roucoulement". Reste à voir si nos confrères et consoeurs auront davantage d'inspiration...


Germaine
Canada
Local time: 04:15
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in pair: 4059
Grading comment
Inspired!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: but only half the story. There is a play on words here!
2 hrs
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4 hrs
les pilots ont réussi leur coup


Explanation:
It is of course a play on words. The answer selected is moving in the right direction, but the other half of the story remaisn to be told...

A "corrected" version would be "pilots pulls off quite a coup", the English having borrowed from the French. Le jeu est sur "coup"/"coo", bien entendu.

"pull off a coup", "pull something off" = "réussir son coup". The word "coup" is often used in this way in English.

"coo" recoulement, bruit que fait un pigeon, par exemple, ici un pigeon voyageur (homing pigeon).

The style is that of a newpaper article headline, shortened with words 'missing'. A full verison might read : "The pilots pulled off quite a coup". The use of the present indicative, here used to describe a past event but to make it more immediate, more alive, is a common journalistic technique, although very common in French.

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

Main Entry: 2coup
Pronunciation: 'kü
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural coups /'küz/
Etymology: French, blow, stroke -- more at COPE
Date: 1791
1 : a brilliant, sudden, and usually highly successful stroke or act
2 : COUP D'état

Main Entry: coo
Pronunciation: 'kü
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: imitative
Date: 1670
1 : to make the low soft cry of a dove or pigeon or a similar sound
2 : to talk fondly, amorously, or appreciatively <an album that will be cooed over by condescending classical music critics -- Ellen Sander> <the family cooed over the baby pictures>
- coo noun

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 09:15
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 882
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