Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
M. Fout la merde
English translation:
Mr. The Shit Stirrer
French term
M. Fout la merde
This is an employee talking to another employee about one of their colleagues.
TIA
| 5 +6 | Mr. The Shit Stirrer |
Daryo
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| 4 +3 | Mr Shit Disturber |
Yvonne Gallagher
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| 3 | Mr Don't-Give-a-Toss |
Andrew Bramhall
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| 2 -1 | he's a real fuck-up |
Jonathan MacKerron
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Jun 10, 2016 23:26: writeaway changed "Field" from "Law/Patents" to "Other" , "Field (write-in)" from "Conversation" to "slang"
Jun 12, 2016 00:06: Rachel Fell changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Dec 22, 2018 01:16: Daryo Created KOG entry
PRO (1): Jonathan MacKerron
Non-PRO (3): writeaway, David Hayes, Rachel Fell
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Proposed translations
Mr. The Shit Stirrer
NOUN
vulgar slang
A person who takes pleasure in causing trouble or discord
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/shit-st...
"shit stirrer" in British English
See all translations
shit stirrer
noun [C] UK /ˈʃɪt ˌstɜː.rər/ US /ˈʃɪt ˌstɝː.ɚ/ mainly UK offensive
› someone who makes trouble for other people, especially by making known facts that they would prefer to keep secret:
He didn't need to tell her that - he's just a shit stirrer.
Unpleasant people in general
synonyms and related words:
a dog in the manger a nasty piece of work a tough/hard nut a wolf in sheep's clothing bad lot know-all know-it-all leech make sb's skin crawl malcontent runt sadist scum scumbag sham villain villain of the piece viper vulture wastrel
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shit-stir...
shit stirrer
one who manipulates events to cause trouble for other people for their own amusement
she told me my missus was baggin off on me, but I reckon she's just a skanky shit stirrer, so I didnt bother doing anything about it.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shit stirrer
The kind of people who kindly take care that other people's life is not boring ... more difficult to get rid of than cockroaches!
| neutral |
David Hollywood
: I think this has already been suggested but ok ... without the "the"
5 mins
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the "the" is added based on intuition regarding this ST, not a "general purpose" translation.
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| agree |
Graeme Jones
: yes, Mr Shit Stirrer - no "The" and no full stop for Mr (when the abbreviation begins and ends with the same letter as the full word)
3 hrs
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Simon Mac
: Yes, without the "the" - Mr Shit Stirrer
5 hrs
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Rachel Fell
: yes, without "the" - https://twitter.com/jennafryer/status/737306382517538817; term OK for the UK, at least, not so sure about Canada though
6 hrs
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When reading the ST extract, I had the intuitive feeling that this character is ''the" troublemaker in this office / company, that's why I added the "the" . Thanks!
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| disagree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: already suggested above. NO full stop or "the"....//so, I'll nitpick too and disagree with this as it's just not "the same" either as the right expression! If someone else had written this you'd have been quick to disagree//not just MY opinion!
7 hrs
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not suggested in the ''answer" box, but mentioned in the explanation - call it nitpicking if you like, but it's not the same. // Thanks for the correction. // your opinion
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| agree |
Solen Fillatre
: Despite your explanation I really do not think "the" adds much of anything. "Mr. Shit Stirrer" sounds so much better and it is enough to convey the meaning IMO.
12 hrs
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Ben Gaia
: "Mister Shit-Stirrer" in quotes, with fingers wiggling.
18 hrs
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Thanks!
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| agree |
writeaway
: already suggested by Louisa. Definitely without the "the" in English. "Mr the" sounds extremely odd and not at all like idiomatic/grammatically correct English
21 hrs
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Note taken. Thanks!
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| agree |
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
: Without the definite article which is incorrect in English.
1 day 10 hrs
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Not even if it's the one and only in this office or whatever kind of group it is? Thanks!
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United Kingdom
Flair and accuracy tailored to your text
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Mr Don't-Give-a-Toss
| Thanks for your input. Do you think this will apply to someone who causes a lot of trouble for his colleagues? |
| Thanks |
| neutral |
writeaway
: try Mr Trouble-Maker
22 mins
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| neutral |
Louisa Tchaicha
: isn't that rather a translation for "M. rien à foutre"?
2 hrs
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| neutral |
Daryo
: that would be "M. rien à foutre" / "M. rien à branler" - not the kind of characters to actively cause troubles ... Not every POS is of the same variety ...
3 hrs
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Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US, Canadian, Irish) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Mr Shit Disturber
I think it needs to be a bit vulgar but Mr Trouble-Maker (as suggested by writeaway) would work too
| agree |
Louisa Tchaicha
: or shit-stirrer?
2 hrs
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Thanks Yes, indeed "Shit Stirrer" is a synonym. Seems I needed to add it!
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| agree |
David Hollywood
: I would go with "shit-stirrer" standard expression in English and rude enough
2 hrs
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Thanks Yes, indeed "Shit Stirrer" is a synonym. Seems I needed to add it!
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| agree |
writeaway
: shit-stirrer would be my choice too. Kudos (or even kudoz) to Louisa T. / Canadians do use this sort of language but probably not as often (or freely) as some other Anglo speakers (ps- I read Manouba as Manitoba-my bad and you're right. It's not there)
13 hrs
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Thanks:-). Asker is Canadian (which is why I gave that version) but stirrer obviously a synonym/Not in her profile? However, I lived there 10 yrs and know they DO. At least where I lived! //Big difference between Manouba and Manitoba I'm sure!
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Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
he's a real fuck-up
Reference comments
fyi
forum.wordreference.com/.../foutre-la-merde.88064...
WordReference.com
Mar 21, 2008 - Discussion in 'French-English Vocabulary / Vocabulaire ... "foutre la merde" is a vulgar expression, which means to deliberately cause trouble.
http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/foutre-la-merde.88064...
| agree |
Daryo
: usually slang is far more self-explanatory than silly coy euphemisms, and live sources are preferable, but starting by checking what's available online won't hurt.
3 hrs
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if one wants to find slang or a colloquial expression, imo it's necessary to start with the right meaning and go from there.
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| agree |
mchd
5 hrs
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| neutral |
Yvonne Gallagher
: "trouble-maker" not strong enough imo
10 hrs
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no of course not. but it gives the general meaning. anyone who knows French knows this expression in any case.
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| agree |
Victoria Britten
1 day 7 hrs
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| neutral |
Ben Gaia
: Vulgar perhaps but common in usage. As usual it is even ruder in French.
5 days
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You are quoting my reference, not me. I only posted it to help explain the meaning. It's everyday French. A bit grossier but I've heard far worse...
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Discussion
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shit-dis...
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shit_disturber
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/shit disturber