Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
il démarre au quart de tour
English translation:
got off to a flying start
Added to glossary by
Yolanda Broad
Dec 5, 2003 18:32
20 yrs ago
6 viewers *
French term
Costa Rica
Translations that read like originals
Native in: English (Variants: US, UK) 
Works in: French to English, German to English, Spanish to English, and 3 more.
il démarre au quart de tour
French to English
Art/Literary
I need a good idiomatic slang equivalent:
Character description:
Celui qui s'exprime le mieux - curieux et comprend vite. S'il a l'ambition d'être un journaliste de terrain, il démarre au quart de tour. C'est celui des garçons qui est susceptible de perdre ses moyens le plus vite.
Character description:
Celui qui s'exprime le mieux - curieux et comprend vite. S'il a l'ambition d'être un journaliste de terrain, il démarre au quart de tour. C'est celui des garçons qui est susceptible de perdre ses moyens le plus vite.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 | not slang exactly, but idiomatic... |
Richard George Elliott
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| 5 +2 | JUMPS INTO ACTION |
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
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| 3 +1 | usually the phrase means.. you can get a rise out of him/her |
CMJ_Trans (X)
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| 4 | bait |
Bourth (X)
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| 4 | he works like clockwork |
Jacques Saleh
|
Change log
Feb 15, 2012 20:02: Yolanda Broad changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/32780">William Stein's</a> old entry - "il démarre au quart de tour"" to ""not slang exactly, but idiomatic...""
Proposed translations
18 mins
Richard George Elliott
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Art, music, literature
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
23
Selected
not slang exactly, but idiomatic...
..he's got off to a flying start
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks, Richard. Your answer makes the most sense in view of the first half of the sentence."
+1
10 mins
usually the phrase means.. you can get a rise out of him/her
any time you like. You can wind the person up like clockwork in no time at all.
Here perhaps you could say "he's up and running before his feet have even hit the ground"
Just an idea
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Note added at 2003-12-05 18:44:52 (GMT)
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He\'s out of the starting block almost before the gun has gone off
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Note added at 2003-12-05 19:16:19 (GMT)
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HE\'S OFF LIKE A SHOT
Here perhaps you could say "he's up and running before his feet have even hit the ground"
Just an idea
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Note added at 2003-12-05 18:44:52 (GMT)
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He\'s out of the starting block almost before the gun has gone off
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Note added at 2003-12-05 19:16:19 (GMT)
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HE\'S OFF LIKE A SHOT
3 hrs
bait
It's easy to get him to take the bait, he'll take the bait very quickly,
or
it's easy to set him up
or
it's easy to set him up
3 hrs
Jacques Saleh
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Law/Investments/Finance (PhD & MBA)
Native in: English 
, Arabic
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, French to English, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
169
he works like clockwork
or: he'll have an easy go at it...
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Note added at 2003-12-05 22:29:06 (GMT)
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SORRY, in this context the meaning is the following:
He is very sensitive
or: He is oversensitive
or: He is thin-skinned
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Note added at 2003-12-05 22:29:06 (GMT)
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SORRY, in this context the meaning is the following:
He is very sensitive
or: He is oversensitive
or: He is thin-skinned
+2
3 hrs
JUMPS INTO ACTION
You really should reveal your style requirements because people are stylistically off...
Only I know.:)
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Note added at 2003-12-05 22:28:51 (GMT)
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the expression is said of a car or motorbike
the car is up and running before the engine has gone through a cycle...before the pistons have completely their full rotation or whatever
very common spoken French expression
Only I know.:)
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Note added at 2003-12-05 22:28:51 (GMT)
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the expression is said of a car or motorbike
the car is up and running before the engine has gone through a cycle...before the pistons have completely their full rotation or whatever
very common spoken French expression
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
CMJ_Trans (X)
: What on earth do you mean by "only I know"? I and others know the literal meaning and so of course does the asker. William wanted an expression here. You've explained the origins but the French these days is used MUCH more figuratively than literally.
11 hrs
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I am TALKING ABOUT what he is translating NOT the answer. It's a video game which I know FOR A FACT. You just misunderstood and my EXPRESSION was ambiguous
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| agree |
writeaway
: you're too kind ;-)
16 hrs
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| agree |
Iolanta Vlaykova Paneva
18 hrs
|
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