Wolf Draeger Aug 26, 2020:

Whatever @ph-b: you misunderstand my point, but it doesn't matter now.
@Asker: thanks for wasting our time by not providing context, which admittedly we should have insisted on first.

ph-b (X) Aug 26, 2020:

Not about the question " he was the first and perhaps is the only one to use it"? " he likely didn't invent it"? "probably he heard it or something like it somewhere"? Hard to translate anything with any degree of certainty on the basis of the underlined words. How about sticking to the source text, i.e. une expression toute de lui (for ex. "he invented it") and not une expression [qui est] tout lui ("that's him all right").

Wolf Draeger Aug 25, 2020:

Coinage It's practically impossible to attribute coinage to any one person in spoken speech, it's a spontaneous, organic process without specific origins or ends.

Within his circle X may be the guy who came up with the expression insofar as he was the first and perhaps is the only one to use it; he's taken it and made it his own. But he likely didn't invent it; probably he heard it or something like it somewhere, liked it and added it to his personal lexicon, as we all do with various turns of phrase.

One could translate pour reprendre une expression toute de lui by "As he so likes to say" or "In his own unique words", the idea being that it's an idiosyncratic rather than original saying.

SafeTex Aug 25, 2020:

@ ph-b and all that's very helpful from the French perspective. So he did in fact make up the expression if I have understood you.
Thanks

ph-b (X) Aug 25, 2020:

toute de lui vs tout lui There's a difference between elle est toute de lui (he made it up, he invented it, he coined it) and c'est tout lui(, ça) (that's what he does/how he says things, that's the way he behaves/speaks, that's him all right).

Wolf Draeger Aug 25, 2020:

toute de lui For me means not so much that he coined the expression but rather that he's known for it wihin his circle of friends and colleagues; he's the one they first heard it from and/or they most associate it with; it's his saying, so to speak, it's uncommon and it suits his character/personality.

For example, I used to know someone who often said "All the hairy best" when leaving. We all thought it was a great, funny expression, but in our group he was the only one who used it. Somehow it felt wrong for one of us to say it because it was his thing, his unique way of saying bye, but if we did, it was almost always to him or with him in mind.

So I think the FR is a bit like that.

SafeTex Aug 25, 2020:

@Ph-b et Suzie and all yes, this is what is implied and sorry but I did not read all the references in full before posting my idea.

ph-b (X) Aug 25, 2020:

expression toute de lui means that he invented it - which makes it all the harder to translate if we don't know what "he" means. As a native speaker, all I can think of is "to get cramps" as in Suzie's first ref. for instance, or, figuratively, something like faire des efforts surhumains (i.e. painful) in order to achieve something. Perhaps... If "he" made up that expression and there is no additional info elsewhere in the text, asking the author what "he" meant could be a good idea.

James A. Walsh Aug 24, 2020:

@phil I understand it to mean he uses it a lot, and would translate it something like "as he would typically say"

philgoddard Aug 24, 2020:

Does "une expression toute de lui" mean he uses it a lot, or he invented it? That will affect the translation.

Suzie Withers Aug 24, 2020:

A nicer way of saying it might be "We'll power through it" - i.e. it's hard, but we'll just go for it.