Mettre les voiles! To take off!

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Last week, forty five magnificent sailing ships from about fifteen different countries, sailed out from Boston harbor after being docked for five days. This race across the North Atlantic event, which is called “Tall Ships challenge” was a big success bringing more than 3 millions visitors.

Among the most impressive vessels, were the Russian masted four mast barque “Kruzenthern” the second-largest tall ship in the world (114.5 m long), the Argentinean fragata “Libertad” three mast (104 m long), and the Romanian three mast barque "Mircea" (82 m long).
Also, the French schooner “le Bel Espoir” (the beautiful hope) from Père Michel Jaouen is taking part in that adventure as well.

The race started from Vigo (Spain) last month and will end in Belfast (Ireland), on August 16th.

Quarante cinq superbes voiliers de quinze pays différents ont quitté le port de Boston la semaine dernière, après être restés à quai pendant 5 jours. Cette course, autour de l’Océan Atlantique Nord qui porte le nom de Tall Ships challenge (la course des grands voiliers), fut un grand succès attirant plus de 3 millions de visiteurs.

Parmi les bateaux les plus impressionnants, on pouvait voir la barque russe «Krusenstrhern» quatre mâts (second plus grand voilier au monde avec 114,50 m de long), la frégate argentine trois mâts «Libertad» ( 104 m de long) et la barque roumaine trois mâts "Mircea" (82 m long).

La goélette du père Jaouen (qui s’occupe de jeunes en difficultés)« le Bel espoir » participe aussi à cette aventure.

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

"Mettre les voiles" (lit: to put on the sails!) To leave/ to take off. As we can guess, this metaphor has a nautical terminology and refers to the sailing ship that raises its sails to get underway for a far-away destination. It is derived from the 15th century expression “bander les voiles” which meant, to strengthen the sail with bands of canvas sewed across the saildating. "Marcher (être) à voile et à vapeur " : ( lit: to work/go by sail and by steam"): To be AC/DC (bi-sexual) . Back in the late 19th century, sail and steam co-existed in the shipping industry, "sail was of necessity the rule, and steam the reserve or special power". The origin of this expression is not clear and there are quite a few interpretations explaining the relation between boats and sexuality. One of them is that sailors acquired the reputation of a homosexual practice when they were at sea, because they were without women. Furthermore, according to linguist P.Guiraud in his “dictionnaire érotique” the terms “corvette” and “frégate” have a sexual meaning. We can find in "bougrerie en Nouvelle -France” (Paul Francois Sylvestre) that “une corvette” is a woman who attracts sailors and “une frégate” designates a young homosexual, used in navy slang. "Avoir du vent dans les voiles " : ( lit: to to have some wind in the sails"): To be drunk. Another sailor expression (1835) to describe someone who has had too much to drink. The reference is to a sailing ship out of control in the wind and making it shudder and stagger, quite like a drunk. Not to be confused with the expression : “avoir le vent dans les voiles”(lit: to have the wind in the sails) To succeed, to have the advantage. There is similar older expression (from the 16th century): "avoir le vent en poupe" (To have the wind behind you) , To have the advantage, “être gonflé” (fully inflated/ to have a nerve) in argot. And let me conclude... ... à pleines voiles! (To be under full sail) To be in the flush or height of prosperity... Et maintenant je mets les voiles.... And now, I take off! Hasta la vista!

Se faire épingler! To get nabbed!

These 12 foot-high red pins have been installed, just a year ago in July 2008, in different locations in the city to point out Boston historical sites and cultural attractions nearby.
Each pin has interactive features, allowing visitors to send text messages and receive historical and cultural information on that location or about nearby events.
Pins location: Boston Common, Boston's City Hall Plaza, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston's Children's Museum, New England Aquarium, Christopher Columbus Park, Copley Square, Franklin Park Zoo, and Roslindale Village

Ces pins rouges de plus de 3 mètres de haut ont été installés, il y a tout juste un an (en juillet 2008), à différents endroits de la ville pour indiquer aux promeneurs les points d’intérêt de Boston.
Chaque pin possède une fonctionnalité interactive permettant aux visiteurs d’envoyer des textos et de recevoir des informations historiques et culturelles sur l’endroit et sur les activités autour.
Localisation de ces pins: Boston Common, Boston's City Hall Plaza, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston's Children's Museum, New England Aquarium, Christopher Columbus Park, Copley Square, Franklin Park Zoo, and Roslindale Village.

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

Se faire épingler! (lit: to be attached/pin up) To get nabbed! Used in a figurative way, this common slang expression is related to the world of gangsters and evokes the pictures of criminals pinned up on police's walls. ....................... Tirer (retirer) son épingle du jeu. (lit:to pull out one’s pin from the game) To pull out in time/to play one's game well. This metaphor dates back to the 16th century. It finds it roots in a French game “le jeu des épingles” (pin game) played in the 15th century by young girls, in which players placed pins in a circle drawn at the foot of a wall. Each girl had to throw a ball against the wall to make it bounce back in the circle to knock the pins out of the circle. The goal was hence to take one’s pin out of the game: “retirer son épingle du jeu” . There is another version of the same game played in the south of France in which girls would hide their needles or pins under a pile of soil or sand and threw a stone/rock onto it to knock out the pins. Also, note that, in the 16th century, the word "épingle" as in a sting appeared in many literature works where it evoked the masculine sex. ....................... Être tiré à quatre épingles (lit:drawn out/tighten with four pins): To be neatly dressed/ be dressed up to the nines Today it has a pejorative connotation. This expression comes from the late 17th century. It alludes to the women clothing and more precisely how they wore their shawl or scarf crossed across the chest and fastened with three or four pins. However, back to the Middle-Ages, the four pins were used by the pilgrims. The parish of Saint-Jacques-de-l’hôpital in Paris, attests that they were clothing rules in the way to attach pilgrims short cape. Besides, in the 17th century,"Les épingles" in the plural form, also referred to allowances (pin money) husband gave his wife for her purchases such as costly pins. ....................... Monter en épingles. (lit: to mount sth on a pin): To build sth up / to blow something out of proportion. According to Le Robert: Dictionary of expressions and locutions, this expression refers to jewelry and more precisely to the technique of mountingor setting a stone as an adornment to looks like the head of a pin. Hence, the metaphor of bringing up or mounting a valued item to draw attention. ....................... On jetterait une épingle qu'elle ne tomberait pas à terre! (lit: We would through a pin, it won't fall on the floor!) It's packed! when talking about a compact crowd. ....................... Mettre une épingle sur sa manche. (lit: to put a pin into ones' sleeve) Outch ! To make a mark. In order to remember sthg. French equivalent expression "Faire un noeud à son mouchoir"(lit"to tie a knot in one's handkerchief) ....................... Now a slang expression: Avoir une épingle à son col/ à sa cravate: (to have a pin at one's collar/tie) To drink bottoms up/ to be drunk The expression has originated in the 19th century when someone was drinking half of a "setier" (old measure for a 1/4 liter), bottoms up. ....................... Any other suggestions? but, maybe you will find that..... Cela ne vaut pas une épingle! (lit: it isn't worth it a pin!) It isn't worth it! Originated from 19th century in reference to the sewing pins. :-)