09:52 Feb 1 

Ide, I've got my hands on the Flemish edition, and the original is 'my teapot', which makes more sense to me, not least because there is actually tea-drinking elsewhere in the text (and no vases). Thank you all for your help! Robin, I quite like 'the man in the moon', too.

09:41 Feb 1 

If it's a Belgian novel translated into French, chances are the original is in Flemish. So I would be curious to see the Flemish dialogue.

13:57 Jan 31 

Maybe "the coffee machine" but without the rest. I don't know why...

13:55 Jan 31 

No, according to Asker's response (second Discussion entry) to Tony's question (first Discussion entry).

13:42 Jan 31 

Was a vase the subject of a previous conversation in the text?

12:27 Jan 31 

Maybe something like "the man in the moon".

11:50 Jan 31 

"The coffee machine, Mr Decaffeinato"!

11:44 Jan 31 

Yes, your scenario is the best way to go, but noting
SHE says that she wants to keep it, and he responds, 'L'enfant?', to which she retorts, 'Non, le vase, imbecile!'.

10:52 Jan 31 

Asker, we have only a snippet of text. Does the lady in question use "polite" words as a rule?

08:33 Jan 31 

If this (very good) piece of humour is not readily understandable in English, it could be a case of humour related cultural difference. You might want to consider "domestication" and forget the referential meaning.
What about someting along the lines of:
"Do you want to keep it?
- What, the child?
- What else, you dumbass?"

22:28 Jan 30 

Just a note to say that I enjoyed reading the snippet of dialogue that you posted (even if it is a translation from the Dutch original). :-))

21:35 Jan 30 

Will check against the Dutch-language original too... translating from a translation, don't get me started! Many thanks.

21:33 Jan 30 

...it may just be a Pinter-esque non sequitur — the fact that we are not talking about a vase... nothing unusual about that sort of thing in litty-rature ;-)

21:31 Jan 30 

That was my first instinct, but there isn't another vase in the whole text...

21:29 Jan 30 

Presumably, some kind of vase has been mentioned before in their relationship or conversation; I don't think you need to look any further than that: "Of course I'm talking about the flipping baby, I wouldn't be talking about that hideous vase your mother gave me, now would I?"