This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. French to English

Josh nous a claqué dans les pattes

English translation: Josh (just) died on us

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Josh nous a claqué dans les pattes
English translation:Josh (just) died on us
Entered by: William Stein

19:43 Dec 10, 2003
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary
French term or phrase: Josh nous a claqué dans les pattes
This is what a teenager says after his friend Josh is killed by a falling elevator (because they forgot to set the safety device).
William Stein
Costa Rica
Local time: 17:40
Josh (just) died on us
Explanation:
Plans of a Madman(01)
... He chose both. "So he died on us. He was supposed to live! Save the world, be our
conquering hero! I was supposed to make up him; he was supposed to change. ...
www.thedarkarts.org/authors/achandler/PAM01.html - 21k - Cached - Similar pages

Distant Worlds.net
... hadn’t failed so quickly. We had to scramble to find you, you see,
when he died on us rather unexpectedly. But, by then, Dathan ...
www.distantworlds.net/viewstory.asp?ID=87 - 28k


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs 27 mins (2003-12-11 02:10:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Josh just croaked on us
Selected response from:

Jean-Luc Dumont
France
Local time: 01:40
Grading comment
Thanks y'all!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9Josh (just) died on us
Jean-Luc Dumont
5 +4Josh had to go and die on us.
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
4 +1Josh has bought it!
Pierre POUSSIN
4 +1Josh died, and there was nothing we could do to help him
sarahl (X)
3 +1Josh has snuffed it
Transflux (X)
3 +1Josh blew up in ours paws
Iolanta Vlaykova Paneva


  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Josh had to go and die on us.


Explanation:
Josh kicked the bucket on us.

Re the second choice: I really don't know if the expression is still used. Does it sound old-fashioned?

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in pair: 8576

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  IanW (X): I'd go with your first suggestion, Jane - "to kick the bucket" is still used, but "Josh kicked the bucket on us" might be misinterpreted
2 mins
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou: Hi, Jane."He had to go and die on us" is just great!
29 mins
agree  Laurel Porter (X): nice - "kick the bucket" is still used, but very folksy tongue-in-cheek, and not by kids
31 mins
neutral  Iolanta Vlaykova Paneva: it's really funny as kicked the bucket is an idiom and can't go with "on us"
2 hrs
agree  writeaway: :-)
2 hrs
agree  Bourth (X): Best so far. Pity none of us seem to know current slang for "die"!
3 hrs
disagree  toubabou: "had to go" adds nothing to the context, as far as I am concerned, we never HAVE to go, we just go
1 day 1 hr
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Josh nous a claqué dans les pattes
Josh has bought it!


Explanation:
Perhaps old-fashioned too!

Pierre POUSSIN
France
Local time: 01:40
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 400

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  sarahl (X): c'est une expression d'Angleterre ?
1 hr
  -> Bien sûr! Autrement je ne l'aurais pas suggérée!
neutral  Bourth (X): British I think, and very WWI, by Jove. What do you say, Algie, old chap? Signed: Biggles
3 hrs
  -> Absolutely! The given expression is also...very old!
agree  PB Trans: as in "bought the farm"? An oldie but a goodie. Check out this great link: http://www.writersblock.ca/fall1996/origins.htm
17 hrs
  -> Tout à fait!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Josh died, and there was nothing we could do to help him


Explanation:
the phrase is old-fashioned.
claquer = die
dans les pattes= we were there but we were unable to help.

sarahl (X)
Local time: 16:40
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 1306

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  lien: les pattes = les mains aussi, en bon francais Josh est mort dans nos bras
3 hrs
  -> registre différent !
agree  Iolanta Vlaykova Paneva: not exactly"Josh est mort dans nos bras"could be because or we have been there.Dans nos bras is very literal...
4 hrs
  -> lien is a native speaker, you should learn from her.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
Josh nous a claqué dans les pattes
Josh (just) died on us


Explanation:
Plans of a Madman(01)
... He chose both. "So he died on us. He was supposed to live! Save the world, be our
conquering hero! I was supposed to make up him; he was supposed to change. ...
www.thedarkarts.org/authors/achandler/PAM01.html - 21k - Cached - Similar pages

Distant Worlds.net
... hadn’t failed so quickly. We had to scramble to find you, you see,
when he died on us rather unexpectedly. But, by then, Dathan ...
www.distantworlds.net/viewstory.asp?ID=87 - 28k


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs 27 mins (2003-12-11 02:10:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Josh just croaked on us

Jean-Luc Dumont
France
Local time: 01:40
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in pair: 1108
Grading comment
Thanks y'all!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  sarahl (X)
38 mins
agree  Bourth (X): simplest is best, so far
1 hr
agree  sktrans
1 hr
agree  PB Trans: Josh just up and died on us
1 hr
  -> merci bien - I did not know the expression
agree  lien: the best
2 hrs
agree  Karen Tucker (X): another option: Josh up and died on us (from the US South, I believe)
3 hrs
  -> merci bien
agree  Richard Benham: or "**has** just died on us"
5 hrs
agree  Pierre POUSSIN
7 hrs
  -> merci et aux autres
agree  CHE124: or : Josh dropped dead at our feet
4 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Josh has snuffed it


Explanation:
\

Transflux (X)
Local time: 01:40
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 215

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Iolanta Vlaykova Paneva: Monty Python’s famous “Parrot Sketch” utilises English euphemisms concerning death, e.g. “it’s snuffed it”http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:RCiQVXXqZ4wJ:www.robibra...
49 mins
  -> thanks Yolanta
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Josh nous a claqué dans les pattes
Josh blew up in ours paws


Explanation:

Josh slapped us in the paws
Josh Kick the bucket because of us
Josh conk out


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs 48 mins (2003-12-11 13:31:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sorry Pina,typo- \"use it\"


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 hrs 18 mins (2003-12-11 14:01:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Josh popped its clogs

Iolanta Vlaykova Paneva
Canada
Local time: 19:40
Native speaker of: Bulgarian
PRO pts in pair: 68

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Richard Benham: how long you learns english?
6 mins
  -> long enogh to know that grammatical wrong to say"how long you learns ":))
neutral  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): That is really funny...Josh slapped us in the paws.....we are all dogs? :)
17 mins
  -> long enogh to know that grammatical wrong to say"how long you learns ":))
neutral  lien: maybe in english but you don't have a clue about french slang
4 hrs
  -> any ideas about french slang???
neutral  PB Trans: "Slapped..." makes no sense. "Conk out" can be used for "died" but it is very rare. It usually refers to a machine, or if it is a person, it usually means "fell asleep" (in the sense of "exhausted"). "Kick" is ok but it is "kickED"
16 hrs
  -> yes,kicked,agree.Conk out is for a machine,I was just wondering if we can used here
agree  Transflux (X): all the suggestions are brilliant and super correct. You must be a native speaker!
17 hrs
  -> tks,Endymion.I'm not and you can see the reaction of the natives :)))
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search