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mot "passe-partout"

English translation: all-purpose words

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:mots "passe-partout"
English translation:all-purpose words
Entered by: luskie

10:16 Sep 23, 2002
French to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics / linguistics, education
French term or phrase: mot "passe-partout"
Mots "passe-partout" tels que:chose, truc, machin...
lundis
Local time: 14:31
all-purpose words
Explanation:
.
Selected response from:

luskie
Local time: 14:31
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +16all-purpose words
luskie
5 +6catch-all words OR words for all occasions
Paul Stevens
5passe-partout words
erme
5words that can be used as a subsitute for any noun: thingie, whatchamacallit
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
5Mat [in an art context]
Christopher Crockett
4non countable noun
kostan
1 +2-
Florence Bremond


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
passe-partout words


Explanation:
see for example: http://cogprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/archive/00000612/00/CP-1.ht...

erme
Italy
Local time: 14:31
Native speaker of: Italian
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +16
all-purpose words


Explanation:
.

luskie
Local time: 14:31
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  cmwilliams (X)
1 min
agree  Attila Piróth
5 mins
agree  Sarah Ponting
9 mins
agree  jkjones
10 mins
agree  kmreder (X): Sounds good to me, and it's defined as such in my Webster's span-eng dictionary
15 mins
agree  Francis MARC
20 mins
agree  Arthur Borges
29 mins
agree  Pascale Dahan
56 mins
agree  Buzzy
1 hr
agree  JCEC
1 hr
agree  Linguaset
2 hrs
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont: exactly
3 hrs
agree  Yolanda Broad: This would be the correct term in "educationalese." Linguistics proper would have a much more specific term, such as "generic nouns representing unspecified inanimate objects"
5 hrs
agree  GILLES MEUNIER
7 hrs
agree  Marney Ogle: but yeah, more specifically, a 'whatchamacallit', for example.
16 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
9 days
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
catch-all words OR words for all occasions


Explanation:
As an alternative to all-purpose words.

HTH

Paul Stevens
Local time: 13:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Trudy Peters: I like catch-all words
2 hrs
  -> Thank you
agree  writeaway: I would have gone for catch-all; is also listed in Hachette
5 hrs
  -> Thank you
agree  GILLES MEUNIER
7 hrs
agree  tinam966
8 hrs
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont: but I think it is slightly different - these are words that are vague and "all-encopassing" if I may dare to say - like qui veulent tout dire et ne rien dire : i.e. marketing bs :conceptualise, empower etc
8 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
9 days
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
non countable noun


Explanation:
English Grammar/Oxford

kostan
Austria
Local time: 14:31
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +2
-


Explanation:
Je ne suis pas sûre de votre question. Au cas où vous chercheriez des mots équivalents, en voici quelques uns (ref. Termium, Harrap's,etc...)

doohickey
widget
dingus
thingy
gizmo


Florence Bremond
France
Local time: 14:31
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christopher Crockett: Goodness, don't forget "Thingamabob" (au courrant in Southern Indiana).
3 hrs
agree  NancyLynn: thingamajig, whatsit, gadget...
8 days
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
words that can be used as a subsitute for any noun: thingie, whatchamacallit


Explanation:
widget,


passe partout I believe means substitute for any any word

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-23 17:41:32 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

MY TRANSLATION IS FOR USE IN THE PHRASE YOU PROVIDED

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-23 18:46:04 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

OR

A WORD THAT CAN BE USED IN PLACE OF ANY WORD

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 24
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Mat [in an art context]


Explanation:
As it happens, I recently had occasion to translate this term for a client who has a French site dealing with Pastel work :

http://www.marielydiejoffre.com/english/resource/faq_pastel.... ,

specifically here :

http://www.marielydiejoffre.com/english/resource/faq_pastel_...

The meaning was clear from the context, and corresponded precisely with the secondary definitions and usages found in the Oxford English Dictionary :

"An ornamental mat or plate of cardboard or the like, having the centre cut out so as to receive a photograph, drawing, or engraving, to which when framed it serves as a mount or border. Hence passe-partout frame, a frame ready made with such a mount for reception of photographs, etc."

*Context* is everything.


    Reference: http://www.marielydiejoffre.com/english/resource/faq_pastel_...
    Reference: http://www.marielydiejoffre.com/atelier/faq_pastel.html#coul...
Christopher Crockett
Local time: 08:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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