First impressions of the Big Bob

[pseydtonne]

I've only looked up a couple things in the 2005 digital edition of Le Grand Robert, the French equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary's full edition. There is also a Petit Robert and a Robert Micro, but neither has quite the overwhelming power of the GR.

The book defines one hundred thousand words, which near twice the Petit Robert (60k words) and two and a half times the used Larousse Pratique I picked up in Paris. It's digital and it comes with its own software. I can double-click on any word and get its definition, complete with an OED-like source quotation and etymology.

It defines things I've been wanting clarified, such as "foutre". This is a vulgar word that shows up a lot in spoken French but no one ever wants to explain what it means. For example, "j'm'en fous" means "I don't give a fuck" (lit. "I jerk myself of it").

I was able to make French people laugh using this verb. I have a short story about getting pissed off in Montpellier but wanting to stay diplomatic. I would explain that "J'ai dû rester poli, tu sais... (I had to stay polite, y'know...) [pause] Allez vous en foutre."

The joke doesn't really work in English because English no longer has a formal/familiar split with the second person pronouns. "Va t'en foutre" is the common way to say "go fuck yourself", but it uses the informal "tu". So I sad the same thing with the formal "vous" instead. The closest equivalent in English would be to say, "sir, I request that you fuck off." See? Not the same.

Now I know that 'foutre' is not just a powerful verb for invectives -- it's also a noun that means jizz. This means the verb relates to the British concept of a tosser, which is stronger than the American 'jackoff' (or as I prefer, jagov).

It's not all roses in this dico, however. I had to spin around a few times before I figured out that a chaudronnier is a coppersmith. It used circular definitions: a chaudronnier was one that worked in chaudronnerie, and a chaudronnerie is the place of business for a chaudronnier. Finally I found another word, dinanderie (brass utensils), which led to the more common word 'cuivre' (copper, brass). At least I learned some interesting stuff during the process, such as "cuivre rouge" is copper while "cuivre jaune" is brass.

Okay, more later. Ask questions if you'd like cuz I'd like it.

Comments

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

huh. i'd heard the word 'tosser', and got from context that it meant some kind of lowlife or layabout, but not the actual meaning.

i actually like the 'allez vous en foutre' mis-speak, and my pitiful french translated it as 'fuck all y'all' (which was near enough to make me laugh).

[lightcastle.livejournal.com]

My question is wanting to get a hold of it.

[pseydtonne.livejournal.com]

You totally will. I'll set it up for you.

[dimers.livejournal.com]

I do want to ask questions, and am totally not in a situation to make that possible at this time. Just fer th' record.