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[FR] Cherchez la femme - context? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| Lakeseayesno Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico thepolyglotist.com Joined 4335 days ago 280 posts - 488 votes  Speaks: English, Spanish*, Japanese, Italian Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 1 of 7 04 August 2013 at 10:11pm | IP Logged |
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I'm not currently studying French, so this is not necessarily a question on meaning. A friend who knows a bit of French told me it means "to search for the woman", but she implied that in this context, it probably has a different meaning (however, she couldn't really explain what).
Here's the thing: I'm reading a book in Portuguese by an author very given to quoting French authors. Upon telling the story of a prisoner serving a life sentence, he wrote the following: "The tragic story of this prisoner was told to us by an employee of the prison. I could summarize this story in the following words--cherchez la femme, if I wasn't itching to record, however briefly, the curious case of this crime. May each draw their own conclusions." My question is: how would you translate this into the context of this paragraph? I sort of understand what it means (knowing that the guy is in jail over killing a woman) but would like to hear what meaning would actual francophones give to this phrase. Merci! :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| akkadboy Triglot Senior Member France Joined 5409 days ago 264 posts - 497 votes Speaks: French*, English, Yiddish Studies: Latin, Ancient Egyptian, Welsh | Message 2 of 7 04 August 2013 at 10:22pm | IP Logged |
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I wouldn't link it to the killing of a woman but would rather think that the prisoner did what he did because of a woman.
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| Lakeseayesno Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico thepolyglotist.com Joined 4335 days ago 280 posts - 488 votes Speaks: English, Spanish*, Japanese, Italian Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 3 of 7 05 August 2013 at 2:40am | IP Logged |
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I didn't mean I linked it to the killing, but rather to a crime related to a woman. Also, I meant to ask "how would you translate it into English?" I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough. :x
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| lecavaleur Diglot Senior Member Canada Joined 4778 days ago 146 posts - 295 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Spanish | Message 4 of 7 05 August 2013 at 7:23am | IP Logged |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherchez_la_femme
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| Michel1020 Tetraglot Senior Member Belgium Joined 5018 days ago 365 posts - 559 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish, Dutch | Message 5 of 7 05 August 2013 at 9:28am | IP Logged |
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There is a female behind any male action.
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| Lakeseayesno Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico thepolyglotist.com Joined 4335 days ago 280 posts - 488 votes Speaks: English, Spanish*, Japanese, Italian Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 6 of 7 05 August 2013 at 7:55pm | IP Logged |
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There it is!
Thank you, Michel1020! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Jeffers Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4910 days ago 2151 posts - 3960 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Hindi, Ancient Greek, French, Sanskrit, German | Message 7 of 7 09 August 2013 at 3:42am | IP Logged |
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The old comic strip Pogo has a main character named "Churchy LaFemme". Just thought you should know.
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