Pourquoi ne vous mettez-vous pas vos culottes ?

English translation: juste un commentaire...

13:19 Oct 7, 2004

French to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Marketing / Market Research

French term or phrase: Pourquoi ne vous mettez-vous pas vos culottes ?

In the context of a survey done among employees of an industrial firm operating plants in Canada, France and other French-speaking areas, one employee had this to say about the management:

"Il serait temps pour la compagnie de commencer à gérer et que plutôt que de fermer des usines, pourquoi ne mettez-vous pas vos culottes."

Can I translate this as: "Why don't you take your skirt off?"

ckschmiedel KudoZ activity Questions: 7 (none open) (1 without valid answers) Answers: 2
Local time: 07:31

English translation:juste un commentaire...

Explanation:
... je ne vois pas ce qu'il a voulu dire par "mettre sa culotte"? Je ne vois pas à quelle expression consacée cela fait allusion?
"porter la culotte" à tout hasard? mais ça m'étonnerait.

Selected response from:

Karin PY
France
Local time: 13:31

Grading comment

Oui, c'est très probablement du québecois. Merci quand même.
1 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +3

Why don't you take your responsibilities?

avsie (X)

4 +1

Why don't you act responsibly?

Johanne Bouthillier

3 +1

since culottes means trousers and one talks about "who wears the trouserse

CMJ_Trans (X)

juste un commentaire...

Karin PY

Discussion entries: 3

Answers

6 mins confidence:

juste un commentaire...

Karin PY
France
Local time: 13:31
Works in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 1

Grading comment

Oui, c'est très probablement du québecois. Merci quand même.

13 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Why don't you act responsibly?

Explanation:
that is the literal meaning

variation: it is time you act responsibly

Johanne Bouthillier
Canada
Local time: 07:31
Works in field
Native speaker of: French

37 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

since culottes means trousers and one talks about "who wears the trouserse

Explanation:
why not: it's time you stop closing down factories and started to run them. Why don't you show who wears the pants? Why don't you show what you're made of? Or even, trousers in the sense of showing they are real man.

Why not show that you've got balls! (sorry!

CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 13:31
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 255

47 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

Why don't you take your responsibilities?

Explanation:
Oui, expression Québécoise en effet. Elle est utilisée dans le sens de "prendre ses responsabilités", d'agir logiquement pour une fois :-)

Je sais que les points ont déjà été attribués, mais bon... je voulais simplement apporter ma modeste contribution ;-)

avsie (X)
Local time: 13:31
Native speaker of: French

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