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Girardin Act Financing
Nov 20, 2004 19:06
19 yrs ago
English term

Let's not pull up stumps

Homework / test English to French Social Sciences Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
Let's not pull up stumps and just say "We've done enough, the rest is down to biology"

Racking my brains to think of an equivalent phrase in French.
Proposed translations (French)
3 +2 N'en restons pas là
4 +2 ne baissons pas les bras
4 +1 jeter l'éponge
4 +1 Accomplissons notre travail jusqu'à la fin
3 On arrête les frais et on laisse faire la nature...
3 -1 Ne coupons pas les cheveux en quatre

Discussion

Non-ProZ.com Nov 21, 2004:
More context? Kingsley Brown and Rosalind Arden have engaged in a debate commisioned by the magazine Prospect on the theme "work and the sexes" through and exchange of letters. This is the fourth of six letters in which R.A replies to the previous letter.........

In recent decades Britain and the US have made great strides towards greater equality in the workplace. Let's not pull up stumps and say "we've done enough, the rest is down to biology". This is neither sense nor science.

Perhaps just simply
Ne finissons pas par les mots....

Proposed translations

+2
13 hrs
Selected

N'en restons pas là

une autre suggestion...
Peer comment(s):
agree manouche : oui, je pense que l'expression est juste et pertinente ici puisqu'elle implique une reconnaissance de ce qui a été fait et laisse la porte ouverte à autre chose.
2 hrs
agree Sophie Raimondo
9 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I thought this was an interesting phrase and this seems most appropriate to me. Thankyou!!"
5 mins

On arrête les frais et on laisse faire la nature...

Une possiblilité...

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Note added at 6 mins (2004-11-20 19:12:57 GMT)
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ou \"arrêtons de couper les cheveux en quatre\"... mais j\'ai peur de m\'éloigner

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Note added at 6 mins (2004-11-20 19:13:19 GMT)
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ça aiderait d\'avoir davantage de contexte
Peer comment(s):
neutral Richard Benham : It just means to stop.
8 mins
donc, la phrase voudrait dire "let's not stop"
neutral Dr Sue Levy (X) : As Richard says - stumps=piquets in cricket - when you pull them up the game is over
44 mins
ditto
agree sarahl (X)
45 mins
merci Sarah
disagree manouche : je pense que "couper les cheveux en quatre" n'est pas vraiment l'idée
15 hrs
effectivement
Something went wrong...
-1
34 mins

Ne coupons pas les cheveux en quatre

-
Peer comment(s):
neutral Richard Benham : I don't see the commection.
1 hr
In the absence of context, I understood Let's not try to put in useless efforts...
disagree manouche : "diagree", mais ma petite phrase est chez la voisine du dessus...
15 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
57 mins

jeter l'éponge

throw in the towel - give up - connotations of disappointment



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Note added at 1 hr 0 min (2004-11-20 20:06:31 GMT)
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Ne jetons pas l\'eponge

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Note added at 1 hr 1 min (2004-11-20 20:07:40 GMT)
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gak!.... l\'éponge

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Note added at 1 hr 6 mins (2004-11-20 20:12:46 GMT)
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pull up stumps
verb:- to stop an activity, usually for the day and usually to go home. From the game of Cricket, where the stumps are pulled up and out of the ground at the end of the day\'s play.

http://www.aussieslang.com/Search/qsearch.asp
Peer comment(s):
agree Marie-Céline GEORG
52 mins
merci :-)
neutral Richard Benham : Good explanation of the term (it's not just Aussie--it would be understood anywhere crickeet is played). The thing is though that "jeter l'éponge" implied admission of defeat, wehreas "pulling up stumps" only suggests stopping for the day and going home.
59 mins
Agreed, but the sentence does suggest a feeling of resignation :-) Allez, I'm pulling up stumps and hitting the sack :-)
neutral manouche : "neutral", et en accord avec Richard
14 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
2 hrs

ne baissons pas les bras

ne jetons pas les dés
Peer comment(s):
agree jemo
10 hrs
agree Sophie Raimondo
20 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
3 hrs

Accomplissons notre travail jusqu'à la fin

N'abandonnons pas au milieu de l'ouvrage.
Ne nous décourageons pas
Peer comment(s):
agree jemo
9 hrs
Something went wrong...
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