like an albatross round his neck
French translation: comme un boulet au pied
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| 09:40 Nov 2, 2001 |
| English to French translations [Non-PRO] Art/Literary | ||||
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|  Selected response from: FrAngXL | |||
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13 mins confidence: 
peer agreement (net): -1
peer agreement (net): -1il se sentait comme la tête sous l'eau / il avait du plomb dans l'aile Explanation: to keep lively metaphores! here two references for these expressions, the first meaning feeling abated, completely down, the second kind of the same, with an idea of having something wrong: "la tête sous l’eau. ... fini par céder sous la pression de ... les vestiaires la tête basse (3-6 ... impressionnants depuis l’ouverture du ... a besoin d’avoir peur» 01/10 ... www.sport24.com/rugb/24090.asp - 62k" " On sentait bien que ... avaient du plomb dans l'aile. Tout de ... résultat exécrable! Le travail de ... on ne se doutait pas ... voilà marris... Il reste à ... www.soccerage.com/fr/13/25439.html - 33k - " I hope this helps |
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1 hr confidence: 
albatross Explanation: The expression comes from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Rime_Ancie... My Oxford dictionary give this translation, but I am sure there are many others. Idioms to be the albatross around sb's neck être un grave problème pour qn. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Rime_Ancie... Here is an example of its use: The albatross round our neck By Ayaz Amir BATTERED and bruised as a result of Kargil, humiliated in Washington, at this juncture in our history the last thing we need is to have the burden of Afghanistan round our neck - a burden weighing Pakistan down for the last 20 years. Here is an explanation of what it means: http://www.lynlink.com/idioms.html albatross around your neck something you have done or are connected with that keeps causing problems and stops you from being successful. His huge house is an albatross around his neck, he can't afford the mortgage payments. An albatross is a large white bird and the idiom comes from the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Hope this helps! Sheila |
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1 hr confidence: peer agreement (net): -1
peer agreement (net): -1avoir la corde au cou Explanation: just another possible expression in French for this English sentence HTH native F |
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4 hrs confidence:
comme un boulet au pied Explanation: Avoir un boulet au pied: être entravé par une obligation pénible (Petit Larousse) |
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4 hrs confidence:
il traînait la patte Explanation: more familiar expression for someone who is really tired |
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6 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1l'albatros Explanation: Suis-je condamnée à errer pendant des siècles avec an albatros autour du cou? Ou à chercher l'équivalent de cette phrase en français?! C'est une obsession! So, sorry not to have come up with any results, as such, but I have some really nice excerpts. If you like albatrosses, that is. HTH Sheila * pages 44-45 : Lorsque le Raïs Kader crie à Armand qui vient d'attraper un albatros : « C'est un albatros ! Relâche ce pieux oiseau de bon augure ! Tu vas attirer le malheur sur nous ! », c'est peut-être une référence à The Rime of the Ancient Mariner du poète Samuel T. Coleridge, où le meurtre inutile d'un albatros attire de terribles épreuves sur tout un équipage (dont celle de la rencontre avec le vaisseau fantôme de la Mort). En effet, au moment où nos compagnons grimpent sur le Hollandais Volant, on peut remarquer qu'Armand porte, autour du cou, l'albatros : cf p. 14, lignes 137-138 : « Instead of the Cross the Albatross / About my neck was hung ». * page 46 : Référence au poème « L'albatros » des Fleurs du Mal de Baudelaire lorsque le renard dit à son albatros : « Allez, vas-t'en ! Pchh! Tes ailes de géant m'empêchent de marcher ! » http://capecrocs.free.fr/cc-references.php3 Gorillaz refuse une nomination mercredi 25 juillet 2001 Ce n'est peut-être qu'un groupe de personnages de dessins animés, on ne peut certainement nier un certain caractère à Gorillaz. Les rockers virtuels viennent en effet de refuser une nomination pour le prestigieux Mercury Music Prize anglais. Les organisateurs auraient bien aimé récompenser le groupe pour son excellent premier album mais au cours une interview sur BBC Radio 1, le bassiste Murdoc a déjà fait comprendre que lui et ses amis crayonnés n'étaient absolument pas intéressés: "Mercury Award? Ca à l'air lourd à porter, mec! C'est un peu comme se promener pendant des siècles avec un albatros mort autour du cou... Ils ne peuvent pas nominer un autre Muppet?" http://www.uptomusic.com/fr/toon/cartoon3.asp He said that we couldn’t fail in supporting this important UN process. And for this last thought, he told the tale of what a romantic English poet said in his "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". He said that Coleridge’s story of the Ancient Mariner is as familiar as an old proverb. It is the simple tale of a sea disaster, related by its sole survivor, a mariner that while sailing to the Antarctic killed an albatross, the bird of good omen that follows the ships sailing in the South Seas. That albatross would be avenged. That barbaric act was a bad omen. The storm blast came and the ship’s crew all died, except this ancient Mariner whose fate it was to go around the world in a life-in-death mood, with the dead albatross hanging around its neck. http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/albatext.htm The first week after leaving Cape Town we saw quite a few Albatrosses, not the great Wandering Albatross, but a somewhat smaller greyish-brown species called the Light Mantled Sooty Albatross. They fly inches above the water without moving more than a few feathers to control their path - often they skirt the crests so closely it seems they must be touching. They are totally in tune with the movements of air and water. I remembered Coleridge had used the Albatross to symbolise the spirit in Nature, and felt like re-reading "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". As it turned out someone had brought "Six Centuries of Great Poetry" in spite of the fact that it was dubbed "The 1000 most depressing poems of all time" on one of the previous legs. In short, the ancient mariner shoots an albatross, that has been guiding the ship during a voyage in the Southern Ocean. The crew initially condemns him for this, but later accepts that it was the right thing to do. The crew then go through all sorts of misery and all but the ancient mariner himself die of thirst. He has many visions of slimy creatures climbing on deck, and the whole thing goes on for 60 or 70 verses. The outcome is that the Ancient mariner has to walk the Earth telling people his story and about his visions. Towards the end of his account his sums up what he has learned http://www.btchallenge.com/teams/journals/a-g/Damhus_A/2001/... |
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3 days 10 hrs confidence:
épée de Damoclès Explanation: "... comme une épée de Damoclès suspensue au-dessus de sa tête" I think this metaphore would go nicely there. The notion of constant, overhanging doom is quite rendered with this mythology exerpt. Hope this helps! |
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6 days confidence:
avoir un gros probleme a regler Explanation: ok ? yacine |
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