Jul 2, 2009

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
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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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.


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  • 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.

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  • 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)

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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.


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    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.
    :-)

8 comments:

Cergie said...

C'est une excellente idée d'avoir incliné ces épingles on les remarque tout de suite et on s'interroge du coup.
Je m'imagine que ce sont aussi des baguettes magiques puisqu'elles t'ont renvoyée parmi nous.
:)

Diane Dehler said...

This interactive feature is pretty amazing. I haven't seen anything like that in Ca yet but no doubt it's coming.

Dorothée said...

Coucou Cergie,
Merci de ton gentil passage sur mon blog. Je te lis toujours avec un tres grand plaisir.
En effet, j'ai trouve que ce sujet etait une allusiion sympa pour revenir vers vous !
Ce n'est pas l'envie qui me manquait car vous ne manquiez et je n'ai oas eu besoin de "mettre en epingle sur ma manche" pour me rappeler a l'ordre!! En fait, les travaux dans la nouvelle maison m'accaparent!
Sinon pour le sujet en question dans mon post, je dois dire qu'ils attirent bien l'attention...
Gros bisous

Hi Princess Haiku,
I also thought that these giant pins were an interesting idea. It's quite hard to miss them and they look funny too.
I have read that this kind of feature is already used in others cities, but for a different reason.
Have a great day!

Alain said...

C'est amusant, il y en avait beaucoup que je ne connaissais pas.
J'ai trouvé aussi "to have pins and needles" (avoir des fourmis dans les jambes, je crois).

The Lone Beader® said...

I have never seen or heard of these pins before!

Olivier said...

c'est vraiment une tres bonne idée ces pins, a mettre dans toutes les grandes villes

Anonymous said...

This interactive feature is pretty amazing. I haven't seen anything like that in Ca yet but no doubt it's coming.

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Anonymous said...

I guess it is there way of working with google maps...that is what this reminds me of....