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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

Elle le mène par le bout du nez

English translation:

she has him wrapped round her little finger

Added to glossary by Kelly Harrison
Dec 30, 2011 18:25
12 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

mène par le bout du nez

Non-PRO French to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Tentatrice avant tout, elle ***mène par le bout du nez*** son homme qui n’a d’yeux et d’oreilles que pour celle qu’il aime tant et pour qui il est prêt à prendre tous les risques. Elle porte la culotte et arrive à obtenir tout ce qu’elle veut de son homme sans que celui-ci ne manifeste le moindre désaccord avec elle tant il l’aime et lui fait confiance.

Can I get away with saying she leads him by the nose??
Proposed translations (English)
3 +7 she has him wrapped round her little finger
4 she keeps him on a short leash
4 lead around by the nose
3 she has him on a string//she's got him where she wants him
3 she's got him under her spell
4 -2 "she leads her man on......."

Proposed translations

+7
7 mins
Selected

she has him wrapped round her little finger

Working around the anatomy. There are other parts, but I will stick with this suggestion.
Note from asker:
Indeed she has him by the short and curlies... Thankyou!
Peer comment(s):
agree Verginia Ophof
21 mins
Thanks Verginia
agree sporran
26 mins
Thanks Sporran
agree Sheila Wilson : a nice "all contexts" suggestion, although I really like Kelly's idea if it fits the context. // Sorry, no, it's the "short and curlies" I like, but only in a very narrow context
33 mins
Thanks Sheila. Is is Kelly's original idea you are also supporting?//I like that idea too - hence my original comment about other parts of the anatomy - but fear the context may not permit!
neutral cc in nyc : adoring her and even agreeing with her, yes... acting as she would wish, not necessarily ;-)
1 hr
neutral jasonwkingsley : are we talking about Stinge here ?
1 hr
agree Michele Fauble
1 hr
Thank you Michele
agree Sarah Bessioud
13 hrs
Thank you
agree Jean-Claude Gouin
18 hrs
Thank you
agree tradu-grace
1 day 22 hrs
Thank you
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
1 hr

she has him on a string//she's got him where she wants him

to have someone by the short and curlies has a pretty crude meaning.

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Note added at 1 hr (2011-12-30 19:49:33 GMT)
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she's got him in the palm of her hand
Note from asker:
I wouldn't say "crude" but I suppose it could be mildly shocking... although having thought about it its more about having a hold over someone in order to obtain something specific, because they can't possibly refuse (otherwise their pubic hairs could get ripped out :oO).
I like palm of her hand, although I think this comes from "eating out of the palm of her hand" which has a slightly different meaning for me...
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-2
1 hr

"she leads her man on......."

idiomatique!
Note from asker:
Cet idiome là fait référence à une fille qui fait croire à une homme qu'elle veut faire quelque chose avec lui alors que ce n'est pas le cas... Bizarre quand même, mais je pense que le plupart du temps il s'agit des hommes qui croient que la nana fait croire etc, sinon je vois pas l’intérêt... a part des verres gratuit, tiens j'avais pas pensais... ;o)
Peer comment(s):
disagree Michele Fauble : This would mean that she is an 'allumeuse' ('tease' in English).
33 mins
disagree cc in nyc : wrong idiom, as explained by Asker // http://www.idiomeanings.com/idioms/lead-someone-on/
40 mins
I don't think so!
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1 hr

she keeps him on a short leash

he's pussy whipped ! you could say that too :) haha
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2 hrs

she's got him under her spell


infatuates him and captivates him

"tant il l'aime et lui fait confiance" => not a dominant-dominated relationship?





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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-12-30 21:02:16 GMT)
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I think, on reflection, that you have to retain something about nose: later eyes and ears are mentioned, so in other words she acts on all of his senses. Except touch...

Maybe something about he follows his senses or his senses lead him along, turn the thing on its head.
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31 mins

lead around by the nose

Almost a literal translation; the same idiom is used in English:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/lead by the nose

BTW, I'm not sure why I would add "around," but I would.



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Note added at 1 hr (2011-12-30 19:29:57 GMT)
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At the risk of leading you [around] by the nose, here are some references from the New York Times:

Metaphor is teen slang at its most creative. The recent nose wide open, applied to either male or female friends, means “totally compliant,” perhaps from the older “to be led around by the nose.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/magazine/30wwln-safire-t.h...

''It was structured so that people could meander, so they could wander around and discover things,'' said Mr. Saunders, [...] ''It's that sense of discovery, instead of getting led around by the nose.''
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/nyregion/urban-tactics-won...

The Warhol was the object of a “guarantee” to the consignor, contractually assured of receiving an undisclosed payment usually set at 90 percent of the low estimate, whether it sold at auction or not. A third party “financed the guarantee” and would become the buyer of the picture if it failed to sell at auction. [...] Experienced art market hands dislike being led by the nose and tend to stay away from works offered under such conditions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/02/arts/02iht-melikian02.html...

The overall effect is one of lulling beauty and immersion in the landscape and culture — certainly enough to carry you through the film — but also an irritating sensation of being led by the nose through Ms. Álvarez’s highly aestheticized ruminations.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/movies/11sky.html?scp=1...

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Note added at 1 hr (2011-12-30 20:25:21 GMT)
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@ Asker: In my view, "being led by the nose" is closer to being manipulated than being spoon fed... and similarly for "leading someone around by the nose." Of course, there are several terms to choose from... ;-)

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Note added at 4 hrs (2011-12-30 22:28:32 GMT)
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From the dicos:
http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french-english/mener...
http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-french/lead by the nos...
Note from asker:
No bull either, but I can't help but feel that this brings us into proximity with the idea of being "spoon fed" or having one's hand held, instead of the original meaning, although obviously i like the way "nose" goes with "eyes" and "ears"...
Peer comment(s):
neutral Sheila Wilson : I would add "around" too, but I think this would only work if there was some reason to compare him with a bull (only the Asker can say). Otherwise, I'm not sure it works as well as Noni's suggestion // Yes, it's an idiomatic usage of course
11 mins
No bulls (or bull) involved; see Note just added ;-)
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