The KudoZ open glossary is a browsable glossary of terms translated via the KudoZ term help network.

French to English Poetry & Literature Translation Glossary

French term		English translation
Mais l'horloge ne sera pas arrivée à ne plus sonner...		But still the hour of purest suffering has not chimed

mais le temps		but nonetheless time

mal de pierre		gallstones/kidney stone/stone sickness

Malheureux!		You fool! / You idiot! / You twit! / You cretin!

marmite bouillonnante de ceux qui la partage		bubbling cauldron of shared ideas and concepts

massicot		massicot

matabiche		bribe/compensate/tip/baksheesh

matiere sociale		social element/factor

mauvais plis de l’âme		dark recesses of the soul

mâchoire volontaire		a strong/determined jaw, square-jawed

méchant Boris		big meanie

méné		minnow

mener un travail mémoriel		His work delves expertly into the past	Philippa Smith
Entered by: Philippa Smith
mener une vie de bâton de chaise		To lead a wild life	Michel A.
Entered by: Michel A.
mꭥ si le corps n'est pas en reste		even though the body does have its own needs/demands

Miro est mirobolant		Miro is fabulous

mise à l'index		of being blacklisted

mise en abyme (abîme)		Procédé qui consiste à insérer dans une œuvre littéraire un récit secondaire qui entretient un rapport de similitude avec le récit principal — et qui permet au lecteur de mieux saisir le sens global de l'œuvre.

mon investissement s'était fatigué		I had hit a brick wall

mon mignon Thon		my sweet Thon (river name)

mondains aux moeurs policées		socialites with their polished manners

monde curial		the world of the court	Paula Price
Entered by: Paula Price
moniales		nuns	Paula Price
Entered by: Paula Price
moraillon		hasp

motif de rupture		(a) reason for not having anything to do with one another anymore

muse platonique		Platonic muse	svetlana cosquéric
Entered by: svetlana cosquéric
musique dans les orteils		toes tapping to the rhythm of the NY streets

Musique Trintignant		tragic melody

Mystique (noun)		Mystic	Sandrine Guyennet
Entered by: Sandrine Guyennet
n'en mener pas large		scared out of his wits

n'en souffle mot		does not utter a word (about it) / fails to mention it	Isabelle Berquin
Entered by: Isabelle Berquin
néyés		Drowned

N’en jetez plus, la cour est pleine		Hold you horses !

ne manquait pas de caractère		was certainly eye-catching	Yvonne Gallagher
Entered by: Yvonne Gallagher
noir		black

noiraude		dark woman/'dark lady'	Richard Nice
Entered by: Richard Nice
noire à lécher		deliciously black

non-lieu		non-place

Nous étions donc partis pour des amours de vélours sans détours ni contours		And so began a long and beautiful relationship

nouveaux étendards des générations de demain		have all of a sudden become a cult phenomenon about the up-and-coming generations

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