Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
much of a muchness
French translation:
C'est Dupont et Dupond / du pareil au même
Added to glossary by
sueaberwoman
May 17, 2008 16:17
16 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
much of a muchness
English to French
Art/Literary
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Je cherche une expression en français pour expliquer le phénomène de pléonasme. L'expression devrait, en idéal, en être un exemple.
P.ex. much of a muchness en anglais
ou
масло масляное (de beurre fait du beurre) en russe
merci
P.ex. much of a muchness en anglais
ou
масло масляное (de beurre fait du beurre) en russe
merci
Proposed translations
(French)
| 4 | C'est Dupont et Dupond |
sueaberwoman
|
| 3 +1 | du pareil au même |
Anne Bohy
|
| 3 | exemple de pléonasme ... |
Jean-Claude Gouin
|
| 3 | Qu'est-ce que c'est? / aujourd'hui |
Jennifer Levey
|
| 3 | c'est kif-kif |
Tony M
|
Change log
May 17, 2008 17:33: sueaberwoman Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
3 mins
Selected
C'est Dupont et Dupond
Détectives jumeaux dans "Tintin"
Ou bien sûr:
Du pareil au même
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Note added at 1 hr (2008-05-17 17:39:26 GMT) Post-grading
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For the record:
The expression much of a muchness was coined by the Restoration playwright John Vanbrugh in his posthumous play The Provok'd Husband (1728). Its usual sense is "much of the same; very much alike," but it has sometimes been used to mean "extravagance"...
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19960502
Ou bien sûr:
Du pareil au même
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-05-17 17:39:26 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
For the record:
The expression much of a muchness was coined by the Restoration playwright John Vanbrugh in his posthumous play The Provok'd Husband (1728). Its usual sense is "much of the same; very much alike," but it has sometimes been used to mean "extravagance"...
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19960502
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
26 mins
Jean-Claude Gouin
Canada
Canada
Native in French
Canada
Subscribe to my newsletter ...
Native in: French 
Works in: French to English, English to French, French, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
52
exemple de pléonasme ...
Monter en haut ...
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Tony M
: 'much of a muchness' is a long-established adn well-known EN expression, J-C — this side of the Atlantic, at least ;-)
1 hr
|
33 mins
Jennifer Levey
Chile
Chile
Native in English
Chile
Human-scale Globalization
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
71
Qu'est-ce que c'est? / aujourd'hui
Depending on how it's used in English, 'much of a muchness' might not be considered a pleonasm. The phrase has a specific meaning, to the effect (+/-) that something is not all it's made out to be.
Two well-known examples in French are:
Qu'est-ce que c'est? (What is it that it is?)
and
aujourd'hui (on the day of today)
Two well-known examples in French are:
Qu'est-ce que c'est? (What is it that it is?)
and
aujourd'hui (on the day of today)
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Tony M
: I don't quite agree with your definition of the meaning of this term; I've always understood it to mean 'very much the same'
1 hr
|
1 hr
c'est kif-kif
I think this is the FR expression that most closely approaches what I've always understood to be the meaning of the EN expression.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Juan Jacob
: Kif-kif, un pléonasme ? Et c'est, bien entendu, une expression arabe empruntée.
9 hrs
|
|
Well, I wasn't actually suggesting that it was a pleonasm, simply that it was a closer translation of the headword question. And yes, of course it's Arab, but seems to have entered into very general use here too.
|
Discussion