French: Avoir les reins solidesEnglish translation: To be on a firm footing 
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| GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) | | French term or phrase: | Avoir les reins solides | | English translation: | To be on a firm footing | | Entered by: | Karen Stokes |
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French to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters | | French term or phrase: Avoir les reins solides | Hi
A guy talking about the business he has just set up:
"Les premières années, il faut avoir les reins solides financièrement parlant."
One of those "know what it means but need a snappy way to say it" questions!
PS Those of you in France during the Minitel era may remember a dreadful ad for a 3615 service showing a bikini-clad woman stepping out of the sea with the line "A-t-elle les reins solides? Vérifiez la solidité de votre entreprise." All in the best possible taste! |
| | | Selected response from:
 Karen Stokes
United Kingdom
| Note from asker to answererSo many possibilities! This is my favourite, something along the lines of "you need to start out on a firm financial footing." Thank you Karen and everyone for your time and ideas.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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5 mins confidence:   peer agreement (net): +1 |
| (here) pretty solid backing
Explanation:
... in which case you could wangle in 'fiancial(ly) as suits you.
not a brilliant uggestion, but in backing there's 'back'...
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9 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1 |
| you need to have strong nerves, financially speaking that is
Explanation:
I may be several km wide of the mark, but I have always understood this expression to mean roughly this.
i.e. in Sandra's example, it's not so much the actual level of financial backing that her entrepeneur has, but his faith in the project that is being described.
| Marc Glinert
France
Works in field
Native speaker of:  English
PRO pts in category: 8
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11 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +9 |
| to be on a firm footing, financially speaking
Explanation:
Change of body part!
| Karen Stokes
United Kingdom
Works in field
Native speaker of:  English
PRO pts in category: 8
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| Note from asker to answerer| So many possibilities! This is my favourite, something along the lines of "you need to start out on a firm financial footing." Thank you Karen and everyone for your time and ideas. |
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The translation workplace 
