"Having a little bicycle in one's head! " "Avoir un petit vélo dans la tête!":-)

Thousands of riders rolled out on the streets of Boston last Sunday, for the 4th annual "Hub On Wheels" .
This charitable organization raises money to help Boston students to get the skills and technology they need to succeed.
The riders choose 10, 30 or 50 miles route through Boston, starting and arriving at the City hall Plaza.
This program, making Boston’s largest city-sponsored sporting event, raised $50000 last year.

Des milliers de coureurs cyclistes se sont élancés dans les rues de Boston dimanche dernier, à l’occasion de la 4ieme course annuelle “ Hub on wheels» qui a eu lieu dimanche à Boston (surnommée "The Hub") .
Cette institution caritative soulève des fonds pour aider les étudiants de Boston à obtenir les outils et les formations technologiques nécessaires à leur réussite scolaire.
Les coureurs ont le choix de parcourir 16 km, 48 km ou bien 80 km avec comme de point de départ et d’arrivée l’esplanade de la mairie.
Ce programme, faisant de Boston le plus grand évènement sportif sponsorisé à l’intérieur d’une ville, a soulevé $50000 l’année dernière.

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

1. “ Avoir un petit vélo dans la tête !" (lit: Having a little bicycle in one's head!): To go crazy/ to have an obsession. The French word “vélo” is a short cut for “vélocipède”: “veloce” for “rapide" (velocity) and ped for “pied” (foot). This machine, invented in Germany by Baron Drais in 1818, was primarily a waking machine called “Draisienne”( Laufmaschine). Later in 1841, French inventor Pierre Michaux applied pedals to the front wheel and gave it the name of "vélocipède". The metaphor “avoir un petit vélo dans la tête », was introduced in the 60’s. We don’t know the origin. However, considering the success and strong enthusiasm for cycling in France at that time, it's easy to understand why it appeared in different French expressions as well. Then, let me introduce you to another funny one, very much in vogue back then: 2. "Pédaler dans la choucroute " : (lit: to pedal in the sauerkraut) To spin one’s wheels! "la choucroute" is a dish, originally from Germany, which became later part of the native cuisine of Alsace Lorraine region. In the old days, choucroute was made with chopped stripes of white cabbage placed in barrels macerating in brine and anchovy juices for several weeks. Thus, the French word "choucroute” derives from the German word “Sauerkraut” which literally means “sauer grass” (“herbe sure/aigre” in French). In the late 17th century, the Alsatian dialect used the word “Sûrkrût”. Through the intervention of phonetic mistakes, the word slowly evolved over the years. “sur” disappeared to be replaced by the French word“chou”(cabbage) and the word " krût" evolved into"crute" and later became “croute”. For the same reason explained above, the popularity of the sport of cycling in the 60's, is presumably the source of it. Also the reference to a dish makes it all more "real"... Now, do you get the picture of a rider pedaling in Sauerkraut? :-) --->Note that there is also another French metaphor which ends up to the same result: "Pédaler dans la semoule" (to pedal in the semoulina). Which one do you prefer?

It's all Greek to me! C'est du chinois pour moi :-)

Recognizable by its traditional temple roofs covered with tiles, the pagoda gate, surrounded by two lions, marks the entrance to the Chinatown District.

A welcome message is inscribed in gold Chinese characters in the middle of the gate, also called páilóu (牌樓) in Chinese.

The large pavement, designed by artist May Sun, displays a geometric pattern consisting of a square within a circle, which is an old symbol for Heaven and Earth in chinese philisophy. Also, in the middle (in grey and blue) you can see a long strip that depicts the Chinatown dictrict and the surrounding area up to the Boston waterfront.

Reconnaissable par ses toits traditionnels recouverts de tuiles, la porte en forme de pagode entourée de deux lions marque l'entrée du quartier chinois.

Un message de bienvenue, en caractères chinois dorés, est inscrit au milieu de la porte appelée páilóu (牌樓) en chinois.

Le dallage au sol, réalisé par l'artiste May Sun, révèle un motif géométrique constitué d’un carré à l'intérieur d’un cercle; symbole du paradis et de la terre, dans la philosophie chinoise. Vous pouvez distinguer aussi au milieu une longue bande (en gris et en bleu) représentant le quartier de Chinatown et les environs jusqu’au port de Boston.

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

1. “ C'est du chinois pour moi! " (lit: it's all chinese to me!). It's all Greek to me! This metaphor refers to complicated, unintelligible topics to understand. The other figurative expression "C'est de l'hébreu pour moi " (it's Hebrew to me) is occasionally heard . Not only French use this "chinese target" to mean something incomprehensible. For instance, - in Greek : Eínai kínezika jia ména; (It's Chinese to me") - in Russian: Это для меня китайская грамота. (It's Chinese writing!) - in Hungarian: Ez nekem kínai. (This is Chinese to me.) - in Dutch: Dat is Chinees voor mij . (This is Chinese to me.) German, Serbian, Czech refer to the Spanish language while Turkkish people refer to the French langage as an unintelligible, unfamiliar language! Originaly, the word"chinois" served to designate something mysterious, far-away and unknown. In addition, the structure of the language with its different dialects and its 13000 characters in the traditional form, reinforced that idea and thus, created the cliché "c'est du chinois" associated to complexity. In the same idea, the verb"chinoiser" (lit: to chinese), means to quibble, to split-hairs. When it was introduced in 1896 "chinoiser" meant "parler argot". And the word "argot" was related to "jargon". And this leads us to another expression: 2. "un casse-tête chinois" : a brain teaser. Since "un casse-tête" is a dilemna or a puzzle to solve, adding the adjective "chinois" looks like a pleonasm. In fact, it emphasizes the concept of difficulty. But, that's not it! To make it even stronger, French people also say "c'est un vrai un casse-tête chinois" (it's a real brain teaser). In other words: it's a pain in the neck! :-) Bonne journée!

Lap it up! "boire du petit-lait"

In a couple of hours many children and adults will enjoy ice cream at this emblematic place known as "The Hood Milk Bottle" next to the Boston Children Museum, along the Harbor Walk.

This all-wood 40-foot-high structure, which could hold about 50,000 gallons of milk, was built in 1934 by Arthur Gagner and served as a stand to sell homemade ice cream, next to his store, located in Taunton, Massachusetts.

Hood’s dairy (New England oldest and largest dairy Company) purchased the bottle in 1977 and after extensive renovations donated it the Children Museum.

The journey across Boston Harbor to ship the giant structure was dubbed as “The Great Bottle sail”. Click Click here to see the picture.

And if you want to see more geant milk bottles in the US, go visit this site .

Dans quelques heures, de nombreux enfants et adultes savoureront une glace dans cet endroit emblématique connu sous le nom de «The Hood Milk Bottle » (la bouteille de lait Hood), située à coté du Boston Children Museum (musée des enfants), le long de la promenade du port.

Cette structure tout en bois de 12 m de haut, qui pourrait contenir environ 189 270 litres de lait, fut construite en 1934 par Arthur Gagner et servait comme stand de vente de glaces, à coté de son magasin, situé à Taunton, dans le Massachusetts.

Hood (la plus ancienne et la plus grosse compagnie de produits laitiers de la Nouvelle Angleterre) la racheta en 1977 et après l’avoir restaurée en fit don au Children Museum.
Le transport en bateau à travers le port de Boston pour déplacer la structure géante fut surnommé « la traversée de la grande bouteille ». Cliquez ici pour la photo.
Et si vous voulez voir d'autres bouteilles de lait géantes aux Etats-Unis, allez sur ce site .

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

“ Boire du petit-lait! " (lit: to drink whey!). To lap it up ! Origin : This French expression appeared in the 16th century in the form of« avaler doux comme lait » (to drink/to swallow soft as milk) to describe people who enjoyed receiving praise avidly, in reference to the milk which evokes sweetness and pleasure. This figurative saying then became “boire du lait” (drink milk) to express delight. It also confers an affective connotation:"Le lait de la tendresse humaine" (The Milk of Human Kindness) Shakespeare. This is only in the beginning of the 20th century, that the descriptive adjective “petit” is added to reinforce the idea of exquisite contentment when savouring a situation. The “petit-lait” (whey) is supposed to give a sensation of freshness and smoothness.

Taking the plunge ! Se jeter à l’eau !

This resourceful young man is about "to take the plunge" into Upper Mystic Lake, a popular place for swimming, sailing and fishing located in the Northwestern suburbs of Boston.

However, Upper Mystic lake as well as Lower Mystic Lake, below, suffer from significant sewage bacteria, and are also constaminated by toxic chemicals.

This contamination dates back to the end of the 19th century when manufacturing industry dumped sulfuric acid into the Aberjona River which flows into the lake.

Later, in the 1970s, toxic manufacturing plants contributed again to extensive chemical contamination of heavy- metals.

Various studies have been performed showing a high concentration of arsenic and undetermined amounts of lead and chromium.

However, researchers have diverging opinions about the risks on the public health. Some are concerned about some possible health issues. Others argue that the concentration of arsenic is buried in the debris on the bottom of the lake, and so that it is safe for people to swim. Go figure...



Ce jeune homme ingénieux va "se jeter à l'eau" du Upper Mystic lake (lac supérieur), un endroit populaire pour nager, faire de la voile et pêcher, situé dans la banlieue nord de Boston.

Cependant, Upper Mystic Lake et Lower Mystic lake (lac inferieur) plus bas sont pollués par des bactéries provenant de l'évacuation des eaux usées, ainsi que par des produits chimiques toxiques.

Cette contamination remonte à la fin du 19ieme siècle quand les tanneries déversaient de l'acide sulfurique dans la rivière Aberjona qui se jette dans le lac.

Plus tard, dans les années 1980, des usines toxiques ont contribué une fois de plus à une contamination importante de divers métaux lourds.

Diverses études ont été réalisées montrant une concentration élevée d’arsenic et une quantité indéterminée de plomb et de chrome.

Cependant les chercheurs ont des points de vue divergents en ce qui concerne les risques sur la santé publique. Certains s’inquiètent des conséquences que cela pourrait avoir sur la santé. D’autres soutiennent que la concentration d’arsenic est ensevelie au fond du lac dans les débris et qu’elle est donc sans danger pour les nageurs.
Allez savoir!

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

1. “ Se jeter à l’eau !" (lit: to throw oneself in water!): To take the plunge. 2. "Tomber dans le lac " : (lit: to fall into the lake) To go on a fool's errand. Origin: Contrary to what one can think, the origin of the saying didn't refer to the body of water: lac (lake). Back to the 12th century, the saying was written with the word "lacs" (with an s at the end ) which designated a slipknot (un noeud coulant). The slipknot was used as a snare to capture game. It was pronounced (la) without the 'K' sound at the end (like in the word "lac"). Therefore "tomber dans le lac" meant "tomber dans le piège" (to fall into the trap). Later, in the 18th century, the word "lacs" went into disuse and gradually the pronunciation changed. The "c" was then pronounced which led to a confusion with the word "lac" (the body of water) and so the sense became different and the expression "tomber à l’eau" (to fall into the waer) took it over. The word "lacet" (lace/lacing) is a diminutive for the old word "lacs".

An elephant in a china store ! un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine!

Most schools have a mascot. The one of Tufts University is an elephant and precisely, the legendary Jumbo, from P.T. Barnum circus.
This giant elephant (the largest elephant known at the time) was captured in 1861 in Africa as a baby and shipped to Paris where he spent three years in the Jardin des Plantes. He then spent seventeen years in London.
In 1882 he was sold to the famous Barnum circus and soon became a big star attraction.
Unfortunately, on September 15, 1885, while on tour in Canada, he was hit by a freight train.

La plupart des écoles ont une mascotte. Celle de l’université de Tuft est un éléphant et plus exactement le légendaire Jumbo du cirque Barnum.
Cet éléphant géant (le plus gros connu dans le monde à cette époque) fut capturé, bébé, en 1861 et envoyé en France au jardin des plantes où il resta trois ans avant d'aller à Londres et y passa dix-sept ans.
En 1882, il fut vendu au célèbre cirque et devint une grande star. Malheureusement, le 15 septembre 1885, alors qu’il était en tournée au Canada, un train de marchandises le renversa.

P.T. Barnum gave the skeleton to the American Museum of Natural History in New York and sent the skin to Tufts University in Medford as a major benefactor of the school.
Jumbo was stuffed and put on display in the basement of Barnum Hall until a fire destroyed the building in 1974. To replace it, a large plaster statue now sits outside.
Jumbo is still in the heart of students and considered to bring good luck. Before examinations, they put coins in his trunk or pretend to pull his tail.
The word “jumbo became synonymous with “large” and “huge”. Thence comes the “Jumbo Jet " nickname given to the Boeing 747 .

P.T. Barnum fit don du squelette au Musée Américain d’histoire Naturelle et offra la peau à l’université Tufts, à Medford, dont il était un des premiers bienfaiteurs.
Jumbo fut naturalisé et exposé à Tuffts, dans le sous-sol du Hall Barnum, jusqu’à ce qu’un incendie détruise le bâtiment en 1975. Une imposante statue en plâtre a été installée à l’extérieur pour le remplacer.
Jumbo est toujours dans le cœur des étudiants et il est considéré comme porte-bonheur. Avant les examens, ils viennent déposer des pièces dans sa trompe ou font semblant de lui tirer la queue. Depuis, le mot Jumbo est devenu synonyme de « gros » et « gigantesque » de là vient le nom de "Jumbo jet", surnom donné au Boeing 747.

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

“ comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine! " (lit: like an elephant in a china store!). Like a bull in a china shop! It’s funny to notice that quite a few languages use the same French metaphor while English has a very close equivalent image but refers to another animal. Here are some examples : In Spanish : Como un elefante en una cristaleria. In Italian : Come un elefante in un negozio di cristalli. In German : Wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen “ In Polish : jak słoń w składzie porcelany. In Turkish : züccaciye dükkanındaki fil gibi. In Portuguese: Como um elefante numa loja de cristais. In Russian : Как слон в посудной лавке / Kak slon v posudnoy lavke. In Dutch : als een olifant in een porseleinwinkel In swedish : Smiding som en elefant i en porslinsbutik. And for Cergie: In Chinese simplified: 大象进了瓷器店 In Korean: 남을 의식하지 않는 난폭자, 서투른 사람 In Japanese: はた迷惑な乱暴物 Whatever the animal : a bull or an elephant in a china store, this image is still funny and vivid!

We're not out of the woods ! ;-) On n’est pas sortis de l’auberge! ;-)

Remember I posted this picture last summer!

Well ! a week ago, while I was visiting the Allendale farm in Brookline (at the border of Boston), I spotted two coyotes hunting in this field just a few steps from a busy road.

Looking at their size and shape, I first thought they were collie dogs! All wrong!

Coyotes are considered to be one of the most adaptable animals in the world. Mostly because of the interesting food available in the form of dog and cat food left outside or all kind of trash and open garbage, these wild animals loose their natural fear of human and establish their new territories in suburban areas.

Keeping wildlife will depend upon us! Otherwise we're not out of the woods!
And maybe soon we could see coyotes walking in single line through Central Park or at the end of a leach with the tail tucked into their legs… ;-)

Souvenez-vous ! J’avais posté cette photo l’été dernier.

Eh bien, alors que je visitais récemment la ferme Allendale à Brookline (à la limite de Boston), j'ai croisé deux coyotes qui chassaient dans ce champ à quelques pas d'une route passante. Vu leur taille et leur forme, je croyais voir deux chiens colley. Tout faux !

Les coyotes sont considérés dans le monde comme une des espèces qui s’adaptent le mieux à l'environnement. En laissant traîner dehors de la nourriture pour chiens et chats, ou toutes sortes de déchets ou de poubelles ouvertes, ces aninaux sauvages perdent leur crainte naturelle de l’homme et établissent leur nouveaux territoires dans les banlieues.

Maintenir la vie sauvage ne tient qu’à nous ! Ou alors? Nous se sommes pas sortis de l’auberge! Et l'on pourrait bien voir des coyotes marcher à la queue leu leu dans Central Park ou peut-être au bout d’une laisse, la queue entre les jambes… ;-)

French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte

1. “ On n'est pas sortis de l'auberge! " (lit: We're not out of the inn!). We're not out the woods! Origin: This expression comes from prisoners. In argot the term "une auberge" (an inn) designates the jail. Actually, in the present case, coyotes are precisely wandering out of the woods! 2. “marcher à la queu leu leu" : (lit: to march at the tail of the wolf ) to walk in single line. Origin : The word “leu” (from latin root “lupus”) is the old medieval word for “loup”(wolf) This word was used until the 16th century. The expression "à la queue leu leu" is, in fact, a short cut for « à la queue (du) leu (le) leu» ( at the tail of the wolf, the wolf) to indicate that wolves in the pack move in single file, one after another.