KudoZ home » French to English » Art/Literary

sapristi

English translation: For God's sake!; Good heavens!; Good Grief!; Wow!

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	sapristi
English translation:	For God's sake!; Good heavens!; Good Grief!; Wow!
Entered by:	Susana Galilea

Options:
- Contribute to this entry

02:50 Feb 26, 2003

French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary

French term or phrase: sapristi

It was made the subject of an e-mail sent to me

Sharon Taylor

For God's sake!

Explanation:
As best I know this is French...

... Glossary, •, "Allez vous-en! Sapristi!": French phrases meaning "Go
away! For God's sake!". •, Grand Isle: an island off the Louisiana ...
education.yahoo.com/college/student_life/ cliffsnotes/commentary/awakening.html - 21k - Cached - Similar pages

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-02-26 03:05:09 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.france-jeunes.net/article.php?artid=3718

Pour commencer, les \"vulgarités\" de mamies :
- gourde = cruche = idiote = crétine = imbécile = conne
- enfer et damnation = malédiction = sapristi = zut = merde
- fille de joie = fille de mauvaise vie = fille éhontée = pute
- allez au diable = débarassez le plancher = foutez le camp
- importain = emmerdeur
ça peut aussi servir pour comprendre le language de certains profs !

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-02-26 03:05:59 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A little stronger: \"Damn it!\"

Selected response from:

Susana Galilea
United States
Local time: 03:12

Grading comment

Thank you so much for your prompt attention, and kind help
Sharon Taylor
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +5

For God's sake!

Susana Galilea

4 +3

Good heavens!

William Stein

Zounds! Ye gods!

Bourth

4 +1

wow

JCEC

4 +1

Good Grief!

Jean-Luc Dumont

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

For God's sake!

Susana Galilea
United States
Local time: 03:12
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in pair: 319

Grading comment

Thank you so much for your prompt attention, and kind help
Sharon Taylor

49 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

Good heavens!

Explanation:
Heavens to mergotroid!
Gosh o'willikins!

This is an old exclamation that is only used ironically now. It is a deformation of "sacristi", in much the same way as "darn" or "dang" or "dagnabit" are deformations of "damn it!".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-02-26 04:20:19 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Other popular deformations: fudge, shoot, shucks, bowsheet (as a nautical term), gosh, jeez, gee whiz, cripes.
From the Elizabethan era (we old folks still remember it well!): zounds (God\'s wounds), zblood (God\'s blood).

William Stein
United States
Local time: 04:12
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 1737

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

wow

Explanation:
"sapristi" is an exclamation with a positive spin expressing surprise or satisfaction.

JCEC
Canada
Local time: 04:12
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in pair: 1417

4 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Good Grief!

Explanation:
Good Grief, Charlie Brown!
Selected Cartoons from "Good Grief, More Peanuts!" by Charles M. Schulz.

Jean-Luc Dumont
France
Local time: 10:12
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in pair: 1108

5 hrs confidence:

Zounds! Ye gods!

Explanation:
Not used these days as an expression of surpise etc., so I'm giving some Shakespearian equivalents.

If the person sending the email is British, it might be a reference to the 1950s/60s BBC radio comedy "The Goon Show" which had a number of catchcries, including "Sapristi knuckles", or something like that. I think it was the arch villain who said that.

Bourth
France
Local time: 10:12
Native speaker of: