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on a deux mouflets, et notre barraque vaut pas un clou.

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse

English translation:

I've got me motor and my other half's got her own wheels

Added to glossary by Catherine CHAUVIN
Feb 18, 2009 13:14
15 yrs ago
3 viewers *
French term

J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse

Non-PRO French to English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters argot
Contexte :

Un homme est interviewé pour un reportage concernant la crise économique.

Voici la phrase "J'ai plein d'crédits su'l dos. J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse. On n'a pas fini de payer les traites. On est dans la merde."

Je ne sais pas comment trouver la nuance en anglais entre bagnole et caisse.

Merci pour votre aide.
J'ai classé ça dans la rubrique "art / littérature". ouais..... :-)
Proposed translations (English)
3 +3 I've got my motor and my other half's got her runabout
4 +3 I've got a car and my 'bird's' got her own wheels
4 +3 I got wheels and my baby's got a ride
4 +2 I've got my own ride and my old lady's got her heap.
4 +2 I've got my own car and the missus has hers
4 I've got a motor and my bird's got her own wheels.
4 I've got a car and my bird's got her motor
2 +2 I've got my sorry excuse for a car and my old lady's got her jalopy
4 I've got my wheels and my babe has her junker.
4 I got my piece of junk for a car, and my woman has her own, too.
Change log

Dec 4, 2009 17:20: Xanthippe changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): writeaway, Emma Paulay, Xanthippe

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Discussion

Catherine CHAUVIN (asker) Feb 19, 2009:
Me car J'aime bien cette expression, en effet, Charlie.
Charlie Bavington Feb 18, 2009:
Need to know the country it is for "Old lady" also = mother in some parts of the UK.
"Bird" has the drawback that some birds don't like it, altho it is still widely used, especially by geezers who get a kick out of winding birds up.
"My woman" or "my lady" would be a popular choice in the UK (as is "missus"), less liable to cause offence than, say, "bitch".

I have long found it interesting that we (UK anyway) don't really have a universal slang word for car that matches "bagnole". We have words for rubbish cars (natch!). The only people who talk about motors and wheels are people who think they are in an episode of The Sweeney. To make it slangy, I'd leave car but call it "me car".
"I've got me car and me woman's/bird's got hers" would work OK for the UK IMVHO.
emiledgar Feb 18, 2009:
peut être remplacé par "my bitch." 3old lady" c'est plus le genre du mec français de l' interview.
emiledgar Feb 18, 2009:
"old lady" est une expression américaine qui à connue son apogée pendant les "sixties" dans les milieus hippie; ça veut dire femme ou copine et ça n' a rien à voir avec "vieille dame". L' expression est encore utilisé, mais, en ces temps plutôt grossier,
Jenn Mercer Feb 18, 2009:
old lady Old lady is slang for wife. It is not very respectful, but it can still be a term of endearment.
Catherine CHAUVIN (asker) Feb 18, 2009:
old lady Est-ce que ce mot est à la mode en uk ou ailleurs ? Peut-on qualifier une fille de 20 ans par "old lady" ?
Catherine CHAUVIN (asker) Feb 18, 2009:
old lady ? Je ne connais pas ce terme. Est-ce qu'on peut dire ça pour une jeune fille ?
writeaway Feb 18, 2009:
dictionaries all these terms are in Fr-En dictionaries. the trick is putting the text together with a coherent style.
translator_15 (X) Feb 18, 2009:
meuf - the missus just another option
Gary Hinesley Feb 18, 2009:
I've got a vlunker and my babe's got her pinto. I've got a clunker and my babe's got her pinto.
Carol Gullidge Feb 18, 2009:
verlan meuf = verlan for "femme"
Jonathan MacKerron Feb 18, 2009:
meuf = old lady (as in wife/girlfriend)

Proposed translations

+3
4 mins
Selected

I've got my motor and my other half's got her runabout

One possibility.... I suspect his "meuf" is his girlfriend (I've never heard a guy refer to his wife as his "meuf".)
Peer comment(s):
agree Rob Grayson : Mostly agree, except I would say that "runabout" implies a certain type of car (small and economical), which "caisse" doesn't. Suggest "my other half's got her own wheels as well"?
4 mins
Good point about the runabout.
agree Carol Gullidge : yes, meuf = verlan for femme
17 mins
neutral Jonathan MacKerron : great for UK, but most of yanks would be left scratching our heads
18 mins
agree Charles Hawtrey (X) : or maybe '...her old banger'? Looks as if "bagnole" means a much better quality of car.
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Merci, Sandra pour ta version, que j'ai modifiée à ma sauce, en lisant toutes les remarques des autres collègues. Je n'aurais jamais trouvé cette traduction toute seule... Merci à toutes les personnes qui ont répondu !"
+3
7 mins

I've got a car and my 'bird's' got her own wheels

You could use car and wheels to differntiate... or if it's 'bagnole' in the clapped out sense, you could use 'an old banger'!
Bird might do instead of 'old lady' again depending on the profile of the speakers.
Hope these ideas help!
Peer comment(s):
agree Sandra Petch : Maybe with "motor" instead of "car" to keep with the slangy tone?
3 mins
agree Nathalie Elson : I like the use of bird for meuf (femme in verlan, not an old lady)
6 mins
neutral Sheila Wilson : I'm not at all sure that "bird" is really current English - I think it's a bit passé now
4 hrs
agree Jessica Agullo (X) : babe?
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
12 mins
French term (edited): J\\\'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse

I've got a motor and my bird's got her own wheels.

bird is more "general". There's also "her indoors"
Peer comment(s):
neutral Sandra Petch : A combination of the two answers that were already given.
3 mins
neutral Sheila Wilson : I'm not at all sure that "bird" is really current English - I think it's a bit passé now
4 hrs
neutral Jenn Mercer : I agree with Sheila, "bird" is passé
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
19 mins

I've got a car and my bird's got her motor

Harrap's Slang Dictionary:
'bagnole' - car, wheels, motor
'meuf' - 'chick', 'bird', 'girlfriend', 'woman'
'caisse' - car, wheels, motor
Peer comment(s):
neutral Sheila Wilson : I'm not at all sure that "bird" and "chick" are really current English - I think they're a bit passé now
4 hrs
neutral Jessica Agullo (X) : I thhink bird and chick are 60's slang and sound dated
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
+3
24 mins

I got wheels and my baby's got a ride

american rock n roll terms - course there are others - for bagnole and caisse: ride, wheels, motor, jitney,
for meuf: girl, babe, baby, squeeze, chick, bitch
Example sentence:

"they got a souped up jitney, was a cherry red '53" chuck berry

"my baby's got a ride"

Peer comment(s):
agree wordgirl : love this one - very American, it's true, but it rings so true!
2 hrs
thanks ;)
agree molteni
14 hrs
thanks
agree Yolanda Broad : Works for this American
2 days 12 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
32 mins

I've got my own ride and my old lady's got her heap.

another US version.
Peer comment(s):
agree sueaberwoman : Yup
1 hr
Thank you!
agree Yolanda Broad : Yup. Works for these US ears
2 days 12 hrs
Thank you!
Something went wrong...
+2
15 mins

I've got my sorry excuse for a car and my old lady's got her jalopy

hunk-a-junk/piece a crap/pimpmobile/clunker


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2009-02-18 13:33:29 GMT)
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my sorry-ass piece a crap

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Note added at 43 mins (2009-02-18 13:58:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I like Emma's suggestion of "the misses", then again there's "the little lady"
Peer comment(s):
agree Trudy Peters : Great for US!
3 mins
thx, was happy to remind myself of the word "clunker"
agree Jean-Louis S. : Jalopy might be a little bit old...
49 mins
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

I've got my wheels and my babe has her junker.

This phrase is not a question of right or wrong, but I think that "wheels" and "junker" will work well here.
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

I got my piece of junk for a car, and my woman has her own, too.

Hello,

I think the most of the translations above are bit "overdone".

bagnole = old junker (mauvaise voiture
caisse = bagnole

meuf = "woman"(wife), a bit more sexist and slangish,

I hope this helps.
Something went wrong...
+2
7 hrs

I've got my own car and the missus has hers

-
Peer comment(s):
agree Irene Chalmers Preire : The point of the sentence seems to me to emphasize that they both have loans to pay off (for their cars) NOT that their cars are crappy...
14 hrs
Thank you. I agree with your comment.
agree David Sirett : agree completely with C-P's comment!
1 day 20 hrs
Thanks.
Something went wrong...