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dirtbag

French translation: petit merdeux

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:teenage dirtbag
French translation:petit merdeux
Entered by: RCE

09:11 Sep 6, 2001
English to French translations [PRO]
English term or phrase: dirtbag
My colleagues have asked me about "teenage dirtbag". (My French is definitely not up to this!)
RCE
Local time: 12:58
un petit merdeux
Explanation:
or 'un sale petit con'

these are the colloquial expressions in French to define teenage dirtbag. You need not add 'ado' or adolescent because it is that age group anyway



Selected response from:

Bram Poldervaart
Local time: 12:58
Grading comment
Thanks to all who tried to help. This answer seemed the best because it seemed to match the level of speech of "dirtbag".
Still, the concept doesn't seem to be the same on both sides of the Atlantic. "Teenage dirtbag" seems to be a snide almost "autocritique", or at least a critique of someone else in the same age group. Can't imagine an adult saying "teenage dirtbag" in the same way I have heard adults saying "petit merdeux".
2 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
na +3un petit merdeux
Bram Poldervaart
na +1quelle espèce d'adolescent(e) minable / méprisable !
Connie Leipholz
nasac à ragots
Maya Jurt
napetit con d'ado
mckinnc
nasalaud!
Lucien Marcelet


  

Answers


14 mins
sac à ragots


Explanation:
if it is someone bad-mouthed, spreading rumors, using oscene or dirty language

Maya Jurt
Switzerland
Local time: 12:58
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 491
Grading comment
"dirtbag" in my view is not mainly about bag language
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The asker has declined this answer
Comment: "dirtbag" in my view is not mainly about bag language

31 mins
petit con d'ado


Explanation:
... I'm trying not to be too foul-mouthed. Obviously it's not the most flattering of expressions.

mckinnc
Local time: 12:58
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 371
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40 mins peer agreement (net): +1
quelle espèce d'adolescent(e) minable / méprisable !


Explanation:
Dirtbag or dirtball :

WWWII armed forces, a garbage collector;
by 1970, a dispicable person, a filthy lout;
medical by 1990, a dirty, smelly patient brought into the emergency room off the street

Source : Dictionary of American Slang, Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D. with Barbara Ann Kipfer, PH.D.

***

Dictionnaire bilingue de l'argot d'aujourd'hui, Langues pour tous

dirtbag : individu méprisable, fumier, ordure, raclure

J'espère que cela vous éclairera là-dessus sans équivoque !



Connie Leipholz
Canada
Local time: 07:58
PRO pts in pair: 644
Grading comment
way too elegant

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sonia Murray: I like "fumier" a lot for dirtbag.
9 hrs
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The asker has declined this answer
Comment: way too elegant

59 mins peer agreement (net): +3
un petit merdeux


Explanation:
or 'un sale petit con'

these are the colloquial expressions in French to define teenage dirtbag. You need not add 'ado' or adolescent because it is that age group anyway





Bram Poldervaart
Local time: 12:58
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 89
Grading comment
Thanks to all who tried to help. This answer seemed the best because it seemed to match the level of speech of "dirtbag".
Still, the concept doesn't seem to be the same on both sides of the Atlantic. "Teenage dirtbag" seems to be a snide almost "autocritique", or at least a critique of someone else in the same age group. Can't imagine an adult saying "teenage dirtbag" in the same way I have heard adults saying "petit merdeux".

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Hélène Lévesque: J'aime bien "sale petit con". C'est très vivant et très illustratif comme expression.
6 hrs

agree  Sonia Murray: d'accord avec les deux propositions.
9 hrs

agree  Alexandra Hague
18 hrs
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4 hrs
salaud!


Explanation:
The only REALLY good translation in this case.
Collins Robert French Dictionary

Lucien Marcelet
PRO pts in pair: 4
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