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antériorités
SAP
Nov 1, 2011 14:04
12 yrs ago
4 viewers *
French term

avoir la langue dans la poche

French to English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters colloquial expression
Contexte:

"'Si vous êtes revenu rôder autour du hôtel, je vous conseille de déguerpir. Elle a assez pleuré à cause de vous!!'

Mais, qu'on la fasse taire!!songea-t-il.

Cette fille **n'avait pas la langue dans sa poche,** et s'il ne se contenait pas, il allait finir par lui clouer le bec."

Merci Beaucoup,

Barbara
Proposed translations (English)
3 +4 outspoken/unable to keep her mouth shut/always running off at the mouth
3 +5 wasn't afraid to speak her mind
4 +3 did not know when to shut up
4 +2 never to be at a loss for words
3 +2 did not know how to hold her tongue
3 +1 See explanation
5 -1 can't contain herself
4 -1 that girl didn't mince her words.........
References
dans les dicos
Change log

Nov 1, 2011 14:13: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "Romance Novel" to "colloquial expression"

Discussion

jmleger Nov 1, 2011:
The way I read this... is not about being assertive by being outspoken or not mincing words. This is about a person who is loquacious/garrulous/talkative to the point of being seriously annoying, and pushing people to consider retribution. It's not what she says that matters, it's the fact that she speaks incessantly that grates on the other person's nerves. Which brings me to the fact that I think the expression "ne pas applied here. Sloppy writing strikes again.
Barbara Cochran, MFA (asker) Nov 1, 2011:
Dictionaries? I don't really care what may or MAY NOT be in dictionaries and online sources. I'm only concerned about finding the best translation, given my context.

Anyway, the wide variety of responses at least tells ME something.
Isabelle Barth-O'Neill Nov 1, 2011:
L'expression est "NE PAS AVOIR SA LANGUE DANS SA POCHE" -
Il faut la négation - l'expression avoir sa langue dans sa poche, je ne pense pas qu'elle existe !!!

Proposed translations

+4
4 mins
Selected

outspoken/unable to keep her mouth shut/always running off at the mouth

take your pick.
Note from asker:
"Running off at the mouth, sans the "always," will work really well in this case. Thank you.
Peer comment(s):
agree Verginia Ophof
12 mins
agree Saro Nova
1 hr
agree Theodora OB : unable to keep her mouth shut
1 hr
agree B D Finch : with your 2nd and 3rd suggestions
3 hrs
neutral Benjamin Hall : Can we put numerous options in one answer? It seems rather "unfair" to other people to post numerous options in one answer...
4 hrs
neutral Karen Vincent-Jones (X) : Agree with Benjamin- you have to settle for ONE answer
1 day 4 hrs
Something went wrong...
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Merci."
+5
4 mins

wasn't afraid to speak her mind

common expression for a person who says what they think regardless of feelings
Peer comment(s):
agree Bourth (X) : I suspect that's what is meant here, though fuller context will tell.
30 mins
Thanks!
agree piazza d
39 mins
Thanks!
agree mimi 254
44 mins
Thanks!
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : Given that "lui clouer le bec" follows, I'd keep the "mouth shut" strength gfor the last bit of the sentence and use this one for the first, more mildly expressed.
1 hr
Thanks!
agree Kelly Harrison
9 hrs
Thanks!
Something went wrong...
+3
3 mins

did not know when to shut up

Aux Etats-Unis

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2011-11-01 14:10:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In my opinion, this is a misuse of the expression, which normally means to be assertive.
Peer comment(s):
agree Bourth (X) : (with a strong lean to neutral) You could well be right that the expression is misused, but only fuller context would tell.
33 mins
agree B D Finch
3 hrs
agree Karen Vincent-Jones (X) : Given that the narrator is annoyed at her, this sounds right.
1 day 4 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
5 mins

never to be at a loss for words

It's an idiom

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2011-11-01 14:11:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"She never was at a loss for words"
Peer comment(s):
agree Wendy Streitparth : or she was never....
3 hrs
agree Liliane Hatem
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
17 mins

did not know how to hold her tongue

just another suggestion
Peer comment(s):
agree Saro Nova : this mirrors the notion of not "holding back" as in the French
1 hr
Thank you traduaro !
agree B D Finch
3 hrs
Thank you B D Finch !!
Something went wrong...
+1
43 mins

See explanation

avoir la langue dans la poche: means to stay silent
Here it means:This girl did not stay silent
http://www.tolearnfrench.com/exercises/exercise-french-2/exe... franchement
http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/languedanspoche.htm
Peer comment(s):
agree jmleger : Precisely! She can't shut the F*** up!
2 hrs
thanks Jmleger
Something went wrong...
-1
1 hr

can't contain herself

This would encompass the entire sentence withouth having to say both "she has a big mouth and can't contain herself", which is repetitive in English.
Peer comment(s):
disagree B D Finch : Fails to express the meaning of the phrase in question.// Could be used for actions other than speech, e.g. being unable to suppress laughter, the use of physical violence, screaming etc.
1 hr
i beg to differ
Something went wrong...
-1
2 hrs

that girl didn't mince her words.........

expression idiomatique
Peer comment(s):
disagree jmleger : It's not about mincing words, it's about blaberring all the time.
29 mins
not at all!it's about being frank when you speak your mind!check it!
disagree B D Finch : That would be about being too direct, rather than about not being able to keep quiet.
55 mins
agree Aline Mercuri : this is perfect for this sentence. It is about someone who speaks her mind. otherwise she may have used, the cat got her tongue expression.
22 hrs
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

dans les dicos

p.ex. http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french-english/langu...
elle n'a pas la langue dans sa poche (familier) => she's never at a loss for something to say ou for words

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2011-11-01 18:46:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Barbara, please bear in mind I have offered this as a reference entry, not a suggested answer.

I make no claims about its appropriateness. I'm just adding an illustration of the *potentially* relevant - for you or other later users who may browse this discussion- reference material available. (Particularly since you made no mention of any specific prior research.)
Note from asker:
Sorry, not appropriate in this instance, regardless of what a dictionary might say.
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Jennifer White : and other refs on line too......
1 hr
thanks Jennifer. Indeed, it's a common enough expression that there's any number of suggestions out there if one looks (which may be a problem in itself, of course).
agree Liliane Hatem
3 hrs
thanks Liliane
Something went wrong...
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