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  3. Automotive / Cars & Trucks

on les caresse visiblement dans le sens du poil

English translation: where they are shamelessly buttered up

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:on les caresse visiblement dans le sens du poil
English translation:where they are shamelessly buttered up
Entered by: Allan Jeffs

18:11 Aug 3, 2004
French to English translations [PRO]
Automotive / Cars & Trucks
French term or phrase: on les caresse visiblement dans le sens du poil
La toute première fois, j’avais pas de voiture, donc il m’en fallait une et c’était le seul garage qui se trouvait en ville… J’ai acheté une revue et tout le monde disait… Bon, je me faisais pas de grande illusion, mais je remarque que quand les journalistes essaient une voiture, ils l’essaient jamais à Bordeaux ; ils l’essaient en Amérique Latine, dans les pays exotiques où on les caresse visiblement dans le sens du poil.
Gary Raymond Bokobza
Spain
Local time: 13:08
where they are buttered up
Explanation:
This expression is just as colloquial!
Selected response from:

Allan Jeffs
France
Local time: 13:08
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +8where they are buttered up
Allan Jeffs
3 +3where they get the royal treatment
Sara Freitas
5where they are openly patted on the head
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
4 +1where it's clear they are stroked the right way
translatol
4 +1they're openly pandered to.
Dylan Edwards
4they try to get on their good side
sarahl (X)
1 +3where they will be positively received
Jonathan MacKerron
3 +1where they receive special treatment
Michael McCain (X)
4where they get all the right strokes
Brian Gaffney


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
they try to get on their good side


Explanation:
***

sarahl (X)
Local time: 04:08
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Sara Freitas: they/their a bit confusing since we don't know who "on" is here.
2 mins
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1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +3
where they will be positively received


Explanation:
or "uncritically reviewed"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 mins (2004-08-03 18:14:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"where they will be rubbed the right way\" = Harrap\'s

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 10

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sara Freitas: not "uncritically reviewed" b/c "they" are not the cars, here IMO, but the other two suggestions sound good to me.
4 mins
  -> you are right, the "they" refers to the journalists, thanks
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
5 mins
  -> thx
agree  Elena Petelos: ...harrap's?? :-)
1 hr
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3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
where they get the royal treatment


Explanation:
or where they get the red carpet rolled out for them...

In context, it's UNE voiture and LES journalistes, so its the journalists that get the good treatment, not the cars, IMO.

Sara Freitas
France
Local time: 13:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): of course
27 mins
agree  Brigith Guimarães: more in this sense, yes, Sara,and informal
1 hr
agree  Rachel Vanarsdall: sounds most natural to me
2 hrs
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
where they are buttered up


Explanation:
This expression is just as colloquial!

Allan Jeffs
France
Local time: 13:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 253
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sara Freitas: tone is just right...I'm starving for dinner, though, so don't mention butter or any other food right now!
1 min
  -> : ) Thanks Sara
agree  Michel A.
19 mins
  -> Merci Michel
agree  GILLES MEUNIER
26 mins
  -> Merci Gilles : )
agree  sarahl (X)
34 mins
  -> Super merci
neutral  translatol: Can 'buttered up' be applied to inanimate obects. To me, it's something one does to people.
1 hr
  -> You're dead right translatol - we're talking about people here: journalists!
agree  Dylan Edwards: Nice. Would "shamelessly" be too strong for the adverb?
1 hr
  -> No, not too strong at all. That is superb I think as a translation for "visiblement". Spot on Dylan! : )
agree  Graham macLachlan: first thing that sprang to my mind
1 hr
  -> Thanks Mactrad
agree  Elena Petelos
1 hr
  -> Thanks Elena
agree  Brigith Guimarães: also very good way-out, Allan :;)
1 hr
  -> Thanks Brigith
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
where they receive special treatment


Explanation:
or according to Harrap's:
caresser quelqu'un dans le sens du poil: to rub somebody up the right way

Cambridge:
rub sb up the wrong way British & Australian, American rub sb the wrong way

to annoy someone without intending to
It's not her fault - she just rubs me up the wrong way.
Whenever they meet, they always manage to rub each other the wrong way.

Alternatively: "...where they are wooed by manufacturers."

Cambridge:
woo [Show phonetics]
verb [T] wooing, wooed, wooed
1 to try to persuade someone to support you or to use your business:
The party has been trying to woo the voters with promises of electoral reform.
The airline has been offering discounted tickets to woo passengers away from their competitors.


    Reference: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=wrong*10+0&di...
    Reference: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=91133&dict=CA...
Michael McCain (X)
France
Local time: 13:08
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Elena Petelos
1 hr
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
where they are openly patted on the head


Explanation:
:)

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 75

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Allan Jeffs: très imagé : )
3 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
where it's clear they are stroked the right way


Explanation:
The metaphor alludes to stroking a cat. Cats purr if stroked 'dans le sens du poil' but don't like it if they're stroked the wrong way. 'It's clear' is for 'visiblement'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 18 mins (2004-08-03 19:29:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or better: Where it\'s clear people know how to stroke them the right way.

translatol
Local time: 12:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Claire Chapman
1 day 5 mins
  -> Thank you. Perhaps we are both cat owners (or owned by cats).
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
they're openly pandered to.


Explanation:
given the VIP treatment

Dylan Edwards
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  PB Trans
17 hrs
  -> Thank you
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21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
where they get all the right strokes


Explanation:
I think it's important to keep the idiomatic feel of the original.

Brian Gaffney
Ireland
Local time: 12:08
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 1
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