Don\'t let him big dog you

16:31 Aug 23, 2017
English to French translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / To big dog somebody
English term or phrase: Don\'t let him big dog you
Bonjour,
Comment traduiriez-vous cette expression.
Le contexte : (extrait d'un film canadien) Une mère conseille à sa fille adulte, qui est en froid avec son mari qui a été absent quelques jours quelques jours, de ne pas se laisser faire. Et elle lui dit cette phrase au moment où le mari revient : "Don't let him big dog you". Merci pour vos idées.
soperilleux
Local time: 22:49


Summary of answers provided
5 +1Ne te laisse pas intimider
Odette Grille (X)
4 +1Ne le laisse pas t’intimider
BioTrad, Ph.D.
3 +1Ne le laisse pas te montrer les crocs
Alain Boulé
4ne le laisse pas croire que c'est lui qui commande
isabelle1977
4ne te laisse pas dominer par lui
Daryo
3Ne le laisse pas te montrer les crocs
Luna Jungblut
3 -1ne te laisse pas harceler
Françoise Vogel


  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
don\'t let him big dog you
ne te laisse pas harceler


Explanation:
?

Françoise Vogel
Local time: 22:49
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Daryo: that's not the behaviour of the leader of a dog pack (= the big dog)
17 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
don\'t let him big dog you
Ne le laisse pas te montrer les crocs


Explanation:
Suggestion.

Alain Boulé
Local time: 22:49
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 19

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Luna Jungblut: Sorry Alain, looks like you were slighly ahead of me!
4 mins
  -> Thanks!
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
don\'t let him big dog you
Ne le laisse pas te montrer les crocs


Explanation:
Peut-être, pour aller avec l'analogie du chien.

Ou bien "Ne te laisse pas dominer".

Bonne chance !

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Note added at 2 hrs (2017-08-23 19:21:42 GMT)
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Seems like Alain Boulé was faster than me!
Keeping my reply for "Ne te laisse pas dominer", though.

Luna Jungblut
United Kingdom
Native speaker of: French
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
don\\\'t let him big dog you
ne le laisse pas croire que c'est lui qui commande


Explanation:
voir definition de "big dog"
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/big_dog

isabelle1977
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:49
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
don\'t let him big dog you
Ne te laisse pas intimider


Explanation:
L'analogie du chien est une expression idiomatique courante "Big dog, little dog"

Odette Grille (X)
Canada
Local time: 17:49
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  gayd (X)
1 hr
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19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
don't let him big dog you
ne te laisse pas dominer par lui


Explanation:
the big dog = the dominant dog in the pack

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:49
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
don\'t let him big dog you
Ne le laisse pas t’intimider


Explanation:
Bien que "Ne te laisse pas intimider" convienne, je pense que "Ne le laisse pas t’intimider" est ici plus proche de l'expression de départ.

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Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2017-08-24 20:17:08 GMT)
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I agree with Odette, however, I think "Ne le laisse pas t'intimider" emphasize the fact that he would be the one initiating the behavior of trying to intimidate her, while "Ne te laisse pas intimider" implies that she could be intimidated by the situation or just the confrontation and it wouldn't necessarily be because of his attitude towards her.

BioTrad, Ph.D.
United States
Local time: 17:49
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Odette Grille (X): mais moins idiomatique
13 mins

agree  Premium✍️: C'est tout à fait l'idée et cela traduit bien la notion d'intimidation exprimée par "big dog".
4 hrs
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