Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
un souffle qui décoiffe l'assistance
English translation:
blows the audience away
Added to glossary by
Philippa Hammond
Nov 14, 2008 16:30
15 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term
un souffle qui décoiffe l'assistance
French to English
Art/Literary
Music
décoiffe
Le jeu de xxxx, au swing enthousiasmant, possède des caractéristiques tout à fait particulières, avec des plans originaux et toniques, une somptueuse souplesse dans les transitions, de mordantes attaques de cordes, des sonorités ensorcelantes. Extraordinairement dynamique, le son de cette guitare produit un souffle qui décoiffe l'assistance. On a l'impression que tout est possible pour xxxx, tant sa maîtrise et sa virtuosité techniques défient les lois physiques, tant la musique et l'inspiration s'expriment par toutes ses cellules.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+4
17 hrs
French term (edited):
produit un souffle qui décoiffe l'assistance
Selected
blows the audience away
I don't think you need to talk about hats or socks in English
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+3
13 mins
blasts the audience's hats off
Just a suggestion - a slight rewrite but at least it is an EN idiom
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Note added at 19 mins (2008-11-14 16:50:31 GMT)
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or perhaps less explosively, 'blows the hats off the audience':
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=K1t0GxyvVbMC&pg=PA149&lpg...
http://www.xtremewailing.com/phpbb2/index.php?c=3&sid=32c68f...
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Note added at 21 mins (2008-11-14 16:52:20 GMT)
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I like 'blows the audience away', too - more informal and if it fits the tone of the text, why not?
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Note added at 19 mins (2008-11-14 16:50:31 GMT)
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or perhaps less explosively, 'blows the hats off the audience':
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=K1t0GxyvVbMC&pg=PA149&lpg...
http://www.xtremewailing.com/phpbb2/index.php?c=3&sid=32c68f...
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Note added at 21 mins (2008-11-14 16:52:20 GMT)
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I like 'blows the audience away', too - more informal and if it fits the tone of the text, why not?
Note from asker:
Thanks Helen - yes, I like this, but was also thinking of 'blows the audience away'....but this goes a bit further away from the French... |
Thanks Helen for your help with this, much appreciated. |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Emma Paulay
: IMO blows the audience away is closer to the Fr than any mention of hats.
1 hr
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Thanks Emma, maybe the hats is trying too hard to get to the sense of décoiffer.
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agree |
Frederique Taylor
3 hrs
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Thank you, Frederique
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agree |
Janet Cannon
: option "blow them away" ! When the French is idiomatic, an idiomatic English expression is usually better than an attempt to render the French nuance...
5 hrs
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Thanks, jthink; I think the choice is between an older or a more modern idiom.
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1 hr
French term (edited):
un souffle qui décoiffe l\\\'assistance
the sound of that guitar blows(knocks) the audience's socks off
While we are using idioms... better stay as close as possible to the french expression "un souffle qui décoiffe..." Hence: blow one's socks off
Example sentence:
if something knocks your socks off, you find it extremely exciting or good
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Tony M
: But not really a very suitable idiom for the kind of image here / That's referring to a rather different kind of 'socks'... and a very different kind of 'blow' too (ahem!) ;-)) / 'rock yr sox off' is a different idiom
16 hrs
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Forgive the lyrics but here's proof: http://www.metrolyrics.com/blow-my-sox-off-lyrics-king-tee.h...
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neutral |
B D Finch
: So long as they're not wearing them with sandals, I can't see why Tony objects to socks?? But I do agree with him that it somehow doesn't seem right for the particular context.
17 hrs
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and again, lousy lyrics, but it constitutes a CONTEMPORARY example of musicians blowing the audience's socks off: http://www.lyricsdownload.com/tenacious-d-beelzeboss-the-fin...
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1 hr
sends shockwaves through the audience
the guitar produces a soundwave
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Tony M
: A lovely idiom, but I can't quite make up my mind if it really works in this particular instance...
16 hrs
|
16 hrs
the energy radiating from the guitar electrifies the audience
"souffle" is one of the trickiest things to translate ! You could go another route. I can understand wanting something more recent in idioms- you might try reading some recent jazz-rock reviews, maybe there are some current catchwords us old fogies aren't up on !
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