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avaler son rond de cuir

English translation: ...been so surprised he would have swallowed his elbow leather...

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:avaler son rond de cuir
English translation:...been so surprised he would have swallowed his elbow leather...
Entered by: :::::::::: (X)

07:33 Jun 28, 2008
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / roman
French term or phrase: avaler son rond de cuir
Je suis en train de lire le "Fantomas(tome2)" et j'ai trouve une expression un peu difficile a comprendre pour moi.

: (C'est Juve, inspecteur de la Surete, qui parle)"Tu comprends bien que si j'avais, dans l'etat de choses actuel, dmande a Fuselier un mandat d'amener contre Lady Beltham, contre une personne qui est legalement morte et enterre depuis plus de deux mois, cet excellent fonctionnaire en aurait, d'emotion, avale son rond de cuir. Patience, Fandor. Chaque chose vient en son temps. (....)"


Qu'est-ce que ca veut dire, "avaler son rond de cuir"?
Ne pouvant trouve ni dans le dictionnaire ni dans le Web...

Merci d'avance...
malamour
Local time: 20:24
...been so surprised he would have swallowed his elbow leather...
Explanation:
Un rond de cuir = a penpusher

Jusque dans les années 1950, on parlait autrefois de "ronds de cuir", en référence au cuir rond que les employés qui écrivaient beaucoup portaient au coude pour ne pas élimer les chemises. Voir le roman de Courteline : "Messieurs les ronds de cuir".

Selected response from:

:::::::::: (X)
Iraq
Local time: 13:24
Grading comment
It's really a funny expression, I think. As a Korean, you can say "nola najapajida"(= si surpris qu'on se renverse par terre!...). MERCI.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3...been so surprised he would have swallowed his elbow leather...
:::::::::: (X)
4 +1have a cow
Tony M
4(it would have been enough) to drive him up the wall
Euqinimod (X)
3They could have knocked him down with a feather
Dave 72


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
...been so surprised he would have swallowed his elbow leather...


Explanation:
Un rond de cuir = a penpusher

Jusque dans les années 1950, on parlait autrefois de "ronds de cuir", en référence au cuir rond que les employés qui écrivaient beaucoup portaient au coude pour ne pas élimer les chemises. Voir le roman de Courteline : "Messieurs les ronds de cuir".



:::::::::: (X)
Iraq
Local time: 13:24
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
It's really a funny expression, I think. As a Korean, you can say "nola najapajida"(= si surpris qu'on se renverse par terre!...). MERCI.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Gad Kohenov: Le Petit Robert gives a different solution.
1 min
agree  Anna Quail: Good explanation. In English, we would probably say something like 'swallow his pencil' or 'swallow his pen'. Un rond-de-cuir, un gratte-papier: a penpusher, pencil pusher, chairwarmer http://www.travelblog.org/Articles/2.html
13 mins
  -> Thanks Flo :)
neutral  Richard Nice: Flo's ideas rather better? Elbow-leather is more the old-fashioned schoolmaster than the civil servant
38 mins
neutral  Laurence Idezak (X): Agree with Richard & Flo
41 mins
neutral  cmwilliams (X): agree with Flo
1 hr
agree  Helen Shiner: Flo's idea excellent in this context
2 hrs
  -> Merci :)
agree  Mark Nathan: he'll chortle his herringbone (just a piece of nonsense, but gives you the idea)
4 hrs
  -> Merci :)
neutral  sueaberwoman: As I thought: (www.languefrançaise.net) 1885 Allusion au rond de cuir ou de caoutchouc que les employés mettent sur leurs chaises pour économiser leur fond de culotte (VIR) / Thus named after the leather cushion of his chair (MAR)
5 hrs
neutral  Tony M: The literal translation (somewhat debatable anyway) doesn't really convey the right image in EN, since the original metaphor is totally lost.
1 day 1 hr
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
have a cow


Explanation:
Just to give the flavour and the register, albeit in a more modern turn of phrase! Of course, it misses out the nice direct reference to civil-servants / bureaucrats (ronds de cuir).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-06-28 10:25:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Taking up Flo's rather nice idea and running with it, I somehow feel that 'would have swallowed his pencil-sharpener' has the right sort of feel about it... a delightful image there of a pen-pusher who has nothing better to do all day than sharpen his pencils (even though he probably doesn't actually use them...)

Tony M
France
Local time: 13:24
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 128

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anna Quail: I like the 'pencil sharpener' idea - as you say, a delightful image :-)
21 hrs
  -> Thanks, Flo! :-)
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
They could have knocked him down with a feather


Explanation:
Probably one of those feathers from his own quill pen....

Dave 72
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:24
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
(it would have been enough) to drive him up the wall


Explanation:
Or something with "to lose one's marbles".

Euqinimod (X)
Local time: 13:24
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Not really here, Dominique; both of those suggest possibly long-term situations, whereas this is clearly talking about his reaction to a one-off surprise
26 mins
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