enserrée...comme noisette entre des mâchoires de plomb - see context

English translation: -

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	-
English translation:	-
Entered by:	Florence Bremond

16:07 Mar 11, 2001

French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary

French term or phrase: enserrée...comme noisette entre des mâchoires de plomb - see context

Historical Moroccan city of Essaouira - the author is speaking of it's economic future: "Elle ne veut jamais tre enserre entre les villes de Safi et de Marrakech, comme noisette entre des mchoires de plomb, sans compartimentage particulariste." The problem is not the literal translation; I'm hoping someone might have an equivalent phrase in English-instead of the somewhat awkward (and not entirely literal), "pressed like an almond in the jaws of a nutcracker"-which portrays the sense of the expression. Without resorting to "between a rock and a hard place" ;-))Any ideas? My synapses are not firing on this one. Thanks!

Tamara Salvio KudoZ activity Questions: 214 (none open) (12 closed without grading) Answers: 154 United States
Local time: 09:58

it refuses to be wedged in between Safi and Marrakech

Explanation:
as it refers to economic future - although Parrot and Fuad's metaphors sound well - this kind of vocabulary might fit in a better way. I would as well suggest "it denies the idea of becoming an enclave.....

Selected response from:

ashiq mangel
Pakistan
Local time: 21:58

Grading comment

Thanks to all of you who provided excellent - and colorful - simile's, Fuad's were especially vivid! Thank you to anami for getting my thinking going in the direction you suggest with your ideas. I can think of a few others - does not want to be a parenthesis, or afterthought...something along those lines.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

trapped like a walnut between the jaws of Safi and

Parrot

caught like a lamb between the axe and the alter

Fuad Yahya

it refuses to be wedged in between Safi and Marrakech

ashiq mangel

caught... between Scylla and Charybdis

Nigel Patterson

Answers

1 hr

trapped like a walnut between the jaws of Safi and

Explanation:
Marrakesh... ("almond" is a bit too soft for a nutcracker).
or: trapped between the demon and the deep blue sea (which is the idiomatic expression) of Safi and Marrakesh.

I personally prefer the first.

Parrot
Spain
Local time: 18:58
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 1861

2 hrs

caught like a lamb between the axe and the alter

Explanation:
Other options:

Lodged like a gazelle’s neck in a lion’s jaws

stuck like a red hot iron between a hammer and an anvil

Fuad

Al-Yaziji

Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of:

Arabic,

English
PRO pts in pair: 167

3 hrs

it refuses to be wedged in between Safi and Marrakech

ashiq mangel
Pakistan
Local time: 21:58
PRO pts in pair: 30

Grading comment

18 hrs

caught... between Scylla and Charybdis

Explanation:
The expression comes from Greek mythology: Scylla and Charybdis were two sea monsters on the Straits of Messina who threatened the crew of Odysseus as he sailed back to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

Own knowledge.

Nigel Patterson
United States
Local time: 11:58
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 24

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