Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
il en écrase
English translation:
he\'s crashed out
Added to glossary by
Nora Mahony
Jan 29, 2010 10:31
14 yrs ago
French term
Ireland
il en écrase
French to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Crime novel
A man has just (non-violently) hijacked a plane. He turns to look behind the pilot, to see the co-pilot sound asleep, despite the commotion. He says to the pilot,
'Dites donc, il en écrase votre passager.'
I'm familiar with the term 'être écrasé de fatigue' (to be overcome by fatigue), but I can't quite figure out what the 'en' is doing here.
I was thinking of something casual, like 'He seems pretty beat, your passenger.' Any thoughts on that 'en'?
Many thanks.
'Dites donc, il en écrase votre passager.'
I'm familiar with the term 'être écrasé de fatigue' (to be overcome by fatigue), but I can't quite figure out what the 'en' is doing here.
I was thinking of something casual, like 'He seems pretty beat, your passenger.' Any thoughts on that 'en'?
Many thanks.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +3 | he's crashed out |
Carruthers (X)
|
| 3 +4 | He's dead to the world |
polyglot45
|
| 4 +2 | he's sleeping like a log |
Rob Grayson
|
Change log
Jan 29, 2010 11:39: writeaway changed "Field (specific)" from "Poetry & Literature" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:
Non-PRO (2): Rob Grayson, writeaway
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Proposed translations
+3
56 mins
Selected
he's crashed out
I'm convinced there's a double entendre going on here, be it deliberate or a Freudian slip: "écraser" as in "out for the count", and "écraser" as in "écraser l'avion".
Note from asker:
| I think you might be on to something. What makes this more complicated is that I'm translating a French graphic novel adaptation of a US pulp crime novel, so I've got space limits AND an original English-language text I'm to draw from whenever possible ––– and this expression isn't in the English original. The French adapter/translator seems to enjoy the odd pun elsewhere, alright! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Carol Gullidge
1 hr
|
|
Thank you Carol
|
|
| agree |
Stephanie Ezrol
12 hrs
|
|
Thank you Stephanie
|
|
| agree |
Anne-Marie Grant (X)
: Yes, this works well too
1 day 8 hrs
|
|
Thank you Anne-Marie
|
|
| disagree |
Cecile Vidic (X)
: Not sure about the "out" here, I would go only with "he's crashed".
2 days 15 hrs
|
| agree |
Chris Hall
26 days
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks for this, exactly what I was looking for. I needed something a bit meatier than what was in the ole 'dico', and this is just the ticket."
+2
4 mins
he's sleeping like a log
Straight from the Collins-Robert:
« dormir »
■ en écraser ✰✰ : to sleep like a log ✰
« dormir »
■ en écraser ✰✰ : to sleep like a log ✰
Note from asker:
| Thanks – I have a few such entries, but they seem a little cosy. I was looking for something a little 'harder' for the context. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Catharine Cellier-Smart
: I think Nora probably checked this in her 'dico' too, but she said she wants something more casual
1 min
|
|
The question about why the "en" is ther suggested Nora did not find this in her dico. There are so many idiomatic expressions for this, I'm sure the asker should be able to find an appropriate one now she knows for certain what it means.
|
|
| agree |
Bourth (X)
: Even a F-F dictionary like Lexis has "En écraser, dormir profondément".
15 mins
|
|
Thanks. Let's see how many answers and how much discussion this question generates.
|
|
| agree |
Paul Hamelin
: ... It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log... [The Beatles]. Ça c'est de la référence idiomatique ! :))
14 hrs
|
|
Merci, Paul
|
+4
6 mins
polyglot45
Native in French
&
English
Native in: English 
, French
Works in: English to French, French to English, German to French, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
42
He's dead to the world
http://forum.orange.fr/liremessages.php?idsection=1750&threa...
He could sleep through anything
He's out to the world
He's sleeping like a log
and so on.....
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 mins (2010-01-29 10:39:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
http://www.expressio.fr/expressions/en-ecraser.php
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 mins (2010-01-29 10:40:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
he's out like a light
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 mins (2010-01-29 10:41:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
he could sleep for England (or the US)
He could sleep through anything
He's out to the world
He's sleeping like a log
and so on.....
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 mins (2010-01-29 10:39:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
http://www.expressio.fr/expressions/en-ecraser.php
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 mins (2010-01-29 10:40:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
he's out like a light
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 mins (2010-01-29 10:41:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
he could sleep for England (or the US)
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Anne-Marie Grant (X)
1 min
|
| agree |
Evans (X)
: yes, nice, or "he's out for the count" is another possibility
9 mins
|
| neutral |
Bourth (X)
: But I like Gilla's "out for the count". Like a vampire hunter.
20 mins
|
|
I thought that was boxers !
|
|
| agree |
Chris Hall
5 hrs
|
| agree |
Cecile Vidic (X)
2 days 16 hrs
|
Reference comments
36 mins
Reference:
Suggestions where the expression originates
http://www.expressio.fr/expressions/en-ecraser.php
« En écraser »
Dormir profondément.
Cette expression est de l'argot relativement récent, puisqu'il date du XXe siècle.
Bizarrement, dans le monde de la prostitution du début de ce siècle-là, "écraser un client", c'était "faire une passe", et en écraser, c'était "avoir de nombreux clients".
Mais écraser a aussi d'autres sens comme "faire un travail", "expédier une tâche" ou même "voler" (dans les magasins, pas dans les airs).
Selon Alain Rey, celui qui nous intéresse aujourd'hui est peut-être une évolution de l'argot écraser du XVIIIe siècle qui voulait dire 'supprimer' (écraser un homme) : on 'écrase' le sommeil en faisant un bon somme.
Cela dit, en russe, une expression argotique de même sens se dit "écraser des poux".
On imagine alors facilement ces milliers de pauvres petites bêtes complètement écrasées dès que la tête pouilleuse se pose sur l'oreiller (même si on sait qu'il en faut en réalité beaucoup plus pour indisposer réellement ces bestioles). Est-ce que l'origine ne serait pas plutôt là ?
« En écraser »
Dormir profondément.
Cette expression est de l'argot relativement récent, puisqu'il date du XXe siècle.
Bizarrement, dans le monde de la prostitution du début de ce siècle-là, "écraser un client", c'était "faire une passe", et en écraser, c'était "avoir de nombreux clients".
Mais écraser a aussi d'autres sens comme "faire un travail", "expédier une tâche" ou même "voler" (dans les magasins, pas dans les airs).
Selon Alain Rey, celui qui nous intéresse aujourd'hui est peut-être une évolution de l'argot écraser du XVIIIe siècle qui voulait dire 'supprimer' (écraser un homme) : on 'écrase' le sommeil en faisant un bon somme.
Cela dit, en russe, une expression argotique de même sens se dit "écraser des poux".
On imagine alors facilement ces milliers de pauvres petites bêtes complètement écrasées dès que la tête pouilleuse se pose sur l'oreiller (même si on sait qu'il en faut en réalité beaucoup plus pour indisposer réellement ces bestioles). Est-ce que l'origine ne serait pas plutôt là ?
Note from asker:
| Thank you for getting into the spirit of my question! This was the kind of general info I was looking for, and it's very useful to have the bigger picture. I will know better than to post this sort of thing in future, sheesh... |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| neutral |
Carruthers (X)
: et surtout "écraser un avion", il y a certainement un double entendre dans la phrase au-dessus
9 mins
|
|
Either way you've found a clever pun!
|
|
| neutral |
polyglot45
: very interesting - but I also quoted this reference but not in full - enfoncer des portes ouvertes ?
20 mins
|
|
Sorry, I didn't see that. No harm intended.
|
Discussion
The other question what what the 'en' was standing in for –– does it just allude to the more formal expression 'être écrasé de fatigue', and thus act as a kind of shorthand?
The 'en' question was just curiosity on my part, and it wasn't answered by looking in dictionaries... or I wouldn't have posted!