Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
écu de gueule
English translation:
What you took to be a shield was in fact a 2 CV door
Added to glossary by
jmleger
Oct 10, 2011 14:57
12 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term
écu de gueule
French to English
Art/Literary
Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
I'm at a bit of a loss as to what this sentence might mean, and I believe my problem hinges on "écu de gueule":
Les vertus du châtelain seront d'autant plus remarquables que le seigneur fera de temps à autre la preuve de sa roture ; ce que vous avez pris pour un écu de gueule était une portière de deux-chevaux.
The sentence is from a rather satirical literary novel: my guess is that the author is making an analogy between vertu/écu de gueule and roture/une portière de deux-chevaux, but I still don't get it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Les vertus du châtelain seront d'autant plus remarquables que le seigneur fera de temps à autre la preuve de sa roture ; ce que vous avez pris pour un écu de gueule était une portière de deux-chevaux.
The sentence is from a rather satirical literary novel: my guess is that the author is making an analogy between vertu/écu de gueule and roture/une portière de deux-chevaux, but I still don't get it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Proposed translations
(English)
4 +2 | What you took to be a shield was in fact a 2 CV door |
jmleger
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4 | red coat of arms |
Emiliano Pantoja
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3 | what seemed to be an emblazoned portcullis |
B D Finch
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Change log
Oct 16, 2011 12:41: jmleger Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+2
7 mins
Selected
What you took to be a shield was in fact a 2 CV door
Gueule in heraldry refers to the color red if I am not mistaken
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Note added at 9 mins (2011-10-10 15:06:54 GMT)
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roture means non-noble. Un roturier is a commoner.
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Note added at 9 mins (2011-10-10 15:06:54 GMT)
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roture means non-noble. Un roturier is a commoner.
Note from asker:
Thanks for your suggestions so far, but I understand the meaning of the individual terms (roture, ecu de geule, etc.), but I'm having trouble grasping the analogy, or at least, how to render it into something that an English reader would understand. |
Thank you, your comments were the most helpful! |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
cc in nyc
3 hrs
|
agree |
Layla de Chabot
: a car door could only be mistaken for a shield (maybe from a little distance though)
6 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
9 mins
red coat of arms
gueule means red
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Note added at 11 minutos (2011-10-10 15:09:31 GMT)
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http://www.provence-ventoux-village.com/3.cfm?p=581-coat-arm...
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Note added at 17 minutos (2011-10-10 15:14:41 GMT)
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http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couleur_(héraldique)
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Note added at 11 minutos (2011-10-10 15:09:31 GMT)
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http://www.provence-ventoux-village.com/3.cfm?p=581-coat-arm...
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Note added at 17 minutos (2011-10-10 15:14:41 GMT)
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http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couleur_(héraldique)
Note from asker:
Thanks Emiliano. I know that gueule means "red" here, but I'm still not sure what the author is getting at. |
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Layla de Chabot
: "coat of arms" although meaning "surcoat" in some occasions, mainly refers to blazons, heraldry, and does not convey the image of a "shield" (which somehow looks like a car door) - that the "écu" does.
6 hrs
|
3 hrs
what seemed to be an emblazoned portcullis
was really the door of his Austin Morris.
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Layla de Chabot
: I don't find a portcullis very similar to a car door (apart from the shape)
2 hrs
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It was a pun based on the rhyme (portcullis, Morris), while retaining the references to heraldry (emblazoned portcullis) and bottom-of-the-range cars.
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Discussion
A 2 CV door may look like a reversed shield...
And "faire preuve de sa roture" just means the lord is being humble.
Sens 1 Dispute entre plusieurs personnes [Familier].
Sens 2 Expression d'un mécontentement émise par une seule personne [Familier]. Synonyme protestation