English term
oh my stars!
Quelqu'un connaît-il l'équivalent en français ?
La personne qui prononce cette phrase vient de tomber nez-à-nez avec un assassin sur la scène du crime, pour vous situer.
“Oh my fucking stars,” the security guard says.
Merci d'avance
| 4 +2 | oh purée! |
jenbikkal (X)
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| 4 | Nom d'un chien!Nom de nom! etc.. |
Najib Aloui
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| 4 | (ma) putain de chance/veine |
David Salas
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| 4 | Je n'y crois pas ! |
Nathalie Ohana
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| Oh, my stars and garters |
Damien Lacroix
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Non-PRO (1): Tony M
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Proposed translations
oh purée!
From "oh putain" or "putain de merde"(which could also be used here) -> as they are insults regularly used in French.
If the security guard is somewhat dated/old-fashioned/old, then "purée" would work well...it is not an expression used often by young people.
It expresses shock, surprise, disbelief, "crap what should I do now?"
If not, then "putain de merde" would be more fitting for a younger person in today's setting.
| agree |
Germaine
: "putain de merde" m'apparaît l'expression consacrée dans un cas comme celui-ci.
1 hr
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Merci.
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| agree |
Annie Rigler
: I also agree with "putain de merde" which expresses shocked disbelief in a strong way
2 hrs
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Merci.
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Nom d'un chien!Nom de nom! etc..
United States
Native Fr and En, literary artist
Native in: English 
, French
Works in: French to English, English to French
(ma) putain de chance/veine
United States
English/French translator/proofreader
Native in: French (Variant: Canadian)
Works in: English to French
Je n'y crois pas !
Reference comments
Oh, my stars and garters
A jocular exclamation or expression of astonishment.
Origin
'Oh, my stars and garters' is now very much an American expression. I haven't ever come across 'in the wild' here in the UK. That's a little odd as, as we shall see, the phrase's origins are very much English.
'Stars' has been a favourite in British exclamations for many centuries. For example, 'bless my stars', 'thank my lucky stars' - both 17th century coinages. This usage of the word dates back to at least the 16th century, when it was used by Christopher Marlowe in the play The troublesome raigne and lamentable death of Edward the second, circa 1593:
O my starres! Why do you lowre [bring down in rank] unkindly on a king?
The stars in question are the astrological bodies and one's stars were one's position in life, or disposition.
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Note added at 55 minutes (2011-01-14 10:03:46 GMT)
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"Oh my stars! used for expressing frustration. Popularised by the sexy blond witch Samantha on Bewitched (ABC, 1964-72). Repeated with referential humour US 1968 "
http://books.google.fr/books?id=cCVnlIUTpg4C&pg=PA468&lpg=PA...
| agree |
Tony M
: Fascinating! I'm familiar with the other uses in the UK, but not this particular one.
3 hrs
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Discussion
Anyway, I should manage better with "oh my stars" and I shall carry on with my thinking on this...
The expression is actually "oh my stars!" — the word f***ing is simply an intensifier, expressing just how deeply shocked / surprised etc. the person is. Rather like saying « Putain de... »
As for "oh my ... stars!" (which, by the way, is usually used with some kind of intensifier, though not always such a vulgar one!), it's an expression I'm not particularly familiar with, I wonder if it may be US EN? Well, otherwise, it sounds rather dated, the sort of thing perhaps my Gran might have come out with... albeit without the F-word! ;-)
I would forget about any literal meaing, and just try to find an equivalent expression of surprise...