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- "Elle va gagner les doigts da…
215 Comments
Of course I make fun. The expression is common to say that we won easily, without doing anything, but I have never seen somebody saying it by putting the fingers in the nose. The expressions of the various languages are often wonderful and funny for others people. It's raining cats and dogs, Pay through the nose, Work the graveyard shift, are very funning for us. Laugh out loud (riez de bon cœur = laugh wholeheartedly).
419
As far as I know (somewhat limited...) the French equivalent of LOL is MDR - mort de rire (died laughing)
155
hehehe we have the same idiom in Polish: "It is so easy, I can do this with the finger in my nose". Of course there is also a more ugly version with another body part ;)
978
In Dutch too! When something's really easy, you can do it "with two fingers in your nose" :'-D
1845
I'm thinking that the French are not so uptight as everyone makes them out to be, and this little idiom points us in that direction. I recently found another idiom, "cinq à sept," which alludes to the time after working hours were husbands attended to their mistresses before home. C'est la vie.
703
No, it just means some activity or feat is so easy for the person to do that they could do it with their fingers in their nose. You know, if you could win at some game with your fingers in your nose, you would be very skilled. There would probably be snot involved, but that would just be an extra distraction. (I just had to get into this conversation)
This is what I found on the internet, quite interesting. "Empruntée au jargon des courses hippiques, l'expression ""les doigts dans le nez"" voit le jour en 1912. Cette locution symbolise la grande facilité avec laquelle le jockey gagne sa course, à tel point qu'au lieu d'y porter toute son attention, il prend innocemment le temps de se mettre les doigts dans le nez."
Not a super common saying but I have heard it said. Not a hair out of place usually, for Americans anyway, is not usually a reference to the ease of the task but the skill of the doer and is usually said just like that - "Look at her. Not a hair out of place!" It means said person completed the task with so much ease that she is still perfectly coiffed.
703
We're learning idioms, which are seldom, if ever, literal. It's fun. Go with the flow. How great has this conversation been? : )
For a non-native English speaker, can someone show a picture of what a person looks like if he has his "hands down"? Where does he put his hands? Aside, behind, or ahead of the body? I just can not picture "hands down", or understand why this gesture means to do something easily. (And the pictures in google for hands down are really disturbing...)
I think you are coming at this from the wrong end, where the down hands are is not relevant (indeed, one could be tied behind her back in another English metaphor of the same meaning), the point is they are not up (that might get some strange google results as well) in the sense of a boxer, ready to fight, has their hands up ready to attack or defend. This competition/fight is so easy that it is won without having to even adopt a fighting position. Does that help?
419
"Hands down" actually comes from horse racing. See AndrewWein 18's post.
I like the French idiom, too. It's so hilariously gross.
I believe the phrase "win hands down" comes from poker. all your opponents can keep their "hands" or cards face down, you don't even need to see them, you flip your cards face up, they see they have lost the hand and don't bother to show their cards. you win!! hands down. or perhaps the opposite, you see all their cards or hands and don't look at your own. thats how confident you are at winning.
So, if people didn't know. it's common in linguistic and grammarian communities that prepositions (on, at, in, of) don't really MEAN anything. It's why some people say 'on' the weekend, while others say 'at' the weekend. So while hearing 'fingers in the nose' DOES sound weird, maybe a bit gross haha. Think, what do most people do when they KNOW or GUESS something? using the pointer finger usually, they tap their nose. like a 'haha! that's it!' moment. so, replace 'in' with 'on' (as you might 'on' with 'at' for the Example above), and you get 'finger(s) on the nose' which, if you picture it, isn't ALLL that strange :)
419
...except for the fact that that's not what the idiom is meant to convey. If you check some of the comments above, you'll see that "picking the nose" is indeed the intended meaning.
2268
It is just an idiom in French. The comparable idiom in English in this context is "with one hand tied behind one's back". Another alternative is "hands down" meaning an easy win. Idioms rarely translate literally from one language to another.
1027
" She is going to win hands down." I have no clue what it means. And what is so funny about the fingers in the nose. Does it mean it is a very easy thing to do for her/him?
384
Salut! Yes, consider this as an expression with some very French euphemism mentality: she can even win with her both hands tied behind her back. :)
In English there is an expression: I've got to see a man about a dog. = I need to go to men's room / a place that I am not feeling comfortable sharing with you. ;) Point is for some idiomatic expressions, non native speakers simply don't catch instantly as it does not exactly makes sense..lol
( http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/see-a-man-about-a-dog )
419
Thanks for asking, I did not know the origin of the phrase until I went looking to find you an answer. It comes from the world of horse racing.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/63235/where-does-expression-hands-down-come
so after the actual thing it says the nose, where it doesn't show up at all. elle va gagner les doigts dans, but then it adds le nez which means the nose, and its random words shoved in for no reason? is there an explanation? because there really doesn't seem to be any logical one. Your saying she is going to win hands down the nose? that just makes no sense ever in any context.
When I translate the phrase, "she will win hands down. This is what I got. "Elle gagnera mains vers le bas." I put "she will win with her finger in nose" and I was wrong. Very confusing. In Texas we say, "winning hands down too". I'm not concerned about the saying, but why did it say my answer was wrong. Le nez= the nose. Les mains = the hands..Right?
Because it's an idiom. Idioms aren't translated word for word. And your phrase is not at all used in French. They might accept the translation from the French into the English literally, but not the other way around. The point is to learn the equivalent idiom so you know what to use if you want to express that idea in French.
46
So i answered 'She is going to win with one hand tied behind her back' and it marked me wrong. Told me the correct translation was 'She is going to will with one hand tied behind her back'
2135
How would this idiom be used to describe a team's performance? "L'équipe bleue va gagner les doigts dans le nez !"
Indeed. This is why idioms are the hardest part of a language to learn, and a way to distinguish between those people who have learned the language a bit and those who have mastered it. It's hard enough when you're learning from your native language, even more so when you're learning from a second language.
It's a phrase used to convey a meaning without it being expected to be literally true. Languages are full of them. "It's raining cats and dogs", "Put some elbow grease into it" etc. The closest in English would be either She is going to win hands down, or she is going to win with her hands tied behind her back. It indicates that the task is so easy she could do it while doing something awkward or silly.
831
It's super funny, and even funnier that they use fingers, not only one finger ! In Romanian we have a similar one, but instead of nose picking we win with the hands tied to the back :)
419
It's always wise to at least glance over the previous posts in a forum before asking a question that is already answered there.
419
But if you heard someone say it, or read it in a book, you'd know what they meant, instead of being totally confused.
419
Please, please, read the comments already posted. Your question has been answered at enormous length.
419
If you look around on this page, you will see that very topic discussed at great length. Enjoy.
200
I wish they were translated literally - with the equivalent given in the green bar when you get it right. It's just really interesting and I'd like to use them ha ha ha
419
I'm afraid I can't understand what you are asking. Could you explain what it is you want to know?
1693
Hi shreyasa - Assuming you are wondering "Why not ses doits, the reason "les" is used in this sentence:
Usually (almost always) when body parts are referred to, if the person they belong to is clear, you do not use possessive pronouns but definite articles.
Or, maybe, you were making a joke?
419
Yes, that is the literal translation. It does not, however, get across the actual meaning. Please read the other comments.
384
lol Maybe it is better for all of us to memorize "les doights dans le nez" as "hands down" for our peace of mind rather than trying to figure out exact French mentality behind this expression. =D
419
Well...normally one says "les doigts" and "le nez" rather than use the possessives when speaking of body parts (unless it's necessary to make clear whose body parts are being discussed, haha)