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hallu

English translation: crazy, unbelievable


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:hallu
English translation:crazy, unbelievable
Entered by: indian_summer
Options:
- Contribute to this entry
- Include in personal glossary

10:13 May 17, 2011
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Langage très familier
French term or phrase: hallu
" Le week-end dernier mon grand-père et ma grand-mère avaient leurs noces d’or. Je voulais absolument pas y aller mais je pouvais pas leur faire ça alors j’y suis allé. C’était l’hallu totale : tous mes cousins portaient un costume. On ne me fera jamais mettre un truc pareil. Moi j’étais dans mes vêtements à moi, mes fringues normales ..."
indian_summer
Local time: 16:15
crazy, unbelievable
Explanation:
It was completely crazy, unbelievable or
I couldn't believe my eyes...

hallu = hallucination
Selected response from:

Jeux de Mots
Germany
Local time: 15:15
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4crazy, unbelievable
Jeux de Mots
4 +3like a (bad) trip
LaraBarnett
3 +2a bad trip
LauretteT
4total freak show
Philippa
3(totally) awesomepolyglot45
3total shock
YP - idiomatica
3it was totally weird
LauretteT


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
total shock


Explanation:
hallu=hallucination, I believe. The person gets a shock when he/she goes and sees everybody dressed up in those costumes.

YP - idiomatica
Local time: 15:15
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
crazy, unbelievable


Explanation:
It was completely crazy, unbelievable or
I couldn't believe my eyes...

hallu = hallucination

Jeux de Mots
Germany
Local time: 15:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marian Vieyra: Was just about to post, totally crazy. Yes to hallucination as 'totale' agrees with it.
1 min
  -> Thanks Marian
agree  Catharine Cellier-Smart
5 mins
  -> Thank you Catharine
agree  kashew
11 mins
  -> Thanks kashew
agree  Lori Cirefice: unbelievable
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Lori
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
a bad trip


Explanation:
'Hallu'
very contemporary language register

LauretteT
Local time: 15:15
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kashew: bad trip for him/her.
6 mins
neutral  Catharine Cellier-Smart: "bad trip" has negative connotations in English that IMO are not present in the French
23 mins
  -> well the speaker doesn't seem too delighted with the scene
agree  Colin Rowe: Sounds about right - and the speaker is most certainly not well pleased!
1 hr
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58 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
(totally) awesome


Explanation:
or again....

polyglot45
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 48
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
it was totally weird


Explanation:
keeping with the type of language register, but this looses the idea of hallucination as in ' bad trip' and trip without bad is very positive...

LauretteT
Local time: 15:15
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
like a (bad) trip


Explanation:
Following discussions on the 'hallucination' theme, I would use this more familiar\colloquial way of expressing the idea. Where I am from anyway (London), saying 'hallucination' straight out in this context would sound a bit too prim and wooden. This expression is commonly understood amongst English speakers and comes directly from the 'hallucination' idea, based obviously on one caused by LCD.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2011-05-17 12:50:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Essential Note to my suggestion:

I did not explain when posting answer, but maybe I should have, that I have used brackets [(...)] around the word "bad" with the idea that this could possibly be replaced with "weird" "colourful" "bizarre" or whatever other adjective may be appropriate to context.

LaraBarnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:15
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kashew: Why not, like(!)?
2 mins
neutral  Catharine Cellier-Smart: "bad trip" has negative connotations in English that IMO are not present in the French
17 mins
  -> Yes good observation. And that explains the reason behind the "(...)" around the word "bad". i.e. the adjective which is normally there in said expression could be replaced!
agree  Colin Rowe: I didn't realize, though, that watching flat-screen TV (LCD) could give you a bad trip! Do plasma screens have the same effect? ;-)
1 hr
  -> Thanks for agree - I actually meant LSD and similar substances.
agree  Dieezah
1 day21 hrs
  -> thank you.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
total freak show


Explanation:
As in, "It was a total freak show", which gets across the idea of the speaker finding his cousins freaky-looking in their dressed-up clothes that he would never wear himself.

Or alternatively, "it was freak city"

Another option anyhow, to add to the many good suggestions.

Philippa
Local time: 15:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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