Tuesday 17 October 2006

stranger in a strange(r) land

The french wording around here confuses me.

I've gotten used to most of it - I think I can even read some of it, thanks to the daily immersion of food labels, signs, etc.

But every once in awhile, something really throws me. Usually something I know I've stared at before, something close to me...

Like my airbag warning, passenger side.




'Danger du mort ou de blessures graves.'

My English-speaking mind wants to make this out of it:
Danger of death or the blessed grave

huh?

6 comments:

Lily said...

My French is very limited, but I think the graves is something to do with serious ... as in a grave situation. So serious blessings? Serious injury makes more sense.

Anonymous said...

Liz is right. Five years of high school French is finally coming in handy!

molly said...

This made me howl--and I needed a good laugh--merci beaucoup!

Anonymous said...

yur funny, you crazy american!
What do you make of "couche tard"?

Jeanne said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jeanne said...

Ha ha ha.

Yes, blessure=injury, so that would be serious injury.

That is one of those look alike word combinations that just don't mean the same thing.

My kids are forever wanting to put glass in their drinks. (No dears, glace is French, what you really want to put is ICE.) Or fries in their ice-cream. (Um children, that would be fraise in French and STAWBERRIES in English. I'm sure you'd rather have your fries with your hamburgers instead." I am guilty myself for having something like "Go get your butt on" Bottes=boots.

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