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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Avec des si, on mettrait Paris en bouteille

English translation: If ifs and ands were pots and pans

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Avec des si, on mettrait Paris en bouteille
English translation:If ifs and ands were pots and pans

20:07 Apr 3, 2015
    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2015-04-07 14:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)


French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
French term or phrase: Avec des si, on mettrait Paris en bouteille
Une élève m'a demandé comment traduire cette phrase, pourtant je ne sais pas ce qu'elle veut dire. Pourrait-on m'aider à le savoir?
Jacob Thompson
United States
Local time: 20:20
If ifs and ands were pots and pans
Explanation:
See below the whole, non-truncated expression

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/If ifs and ands were pot...

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Note added at 13 mins (2015-04-03 20:20:46 GMT)
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The whole expression is: If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there'd be no work for tinkers' hands.
Selected response from:

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 22:20
Grading comment
Merci!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +3If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
Ghyslaine LE NAGARD
5 +3If ifs and ands were pots and pans
Francois Boye
4 +1If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas
AllegroTrans
Summary of reference entries provided
www
writeaway

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride


Explanation:
Cette expression sert a exprimer qu'avec des hypotheses tout est possible

Ghyslaine LE NAGARD
New Caledonia
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: Merci pour votre aide en trouvant une réponse à ma question, même si je ne connais pas du tout les phrases qu'on m'a données. Votre aide était indispensable.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer White: http://en.bab.la/dictionary/french-english/avec-des-si-on-me... easily found.
3 mins
agree  Daryo
1 hr
neutral  Victoria Britten: I've never heard that! Is it American?
1 hr
neutral  Jean-Claude Gouin: @ Victoria ... No, it's Chinese ...
2 hrs
agree  BrigitteHilgner: A common expression in the UK.
10 hrs
neutral  B D Finch: It's of 17th century Scottish origin: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/if wishes were horses... Note that your explanation fits the French, but not the suggested translation.//Meaning hasn't "changed". Think they misunderstood the FR and you the EN.
1 day 16 mins
  -> Yes that's it's origin but we all know that expression change meaning over time and that's how I've heard it used in the UK as have the others
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
If ifs and ands were pots and pans


Explanation:
See below the whole, non-truncated expression

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/If ifs and ands were pot...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2015-04-03 20:20:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The whole expression is: If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there'd be no work for tinkers' hands.

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 22:20
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Merci!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Merci pour votre aide en trouvant un expression en anglais équivalente de la phrase française. Votre aide était indispensable. Je vous remercie.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer White: also OK - asker's choice. Lots of help on the www.
2 mins
  -> Thanks, Jennifer!
agree  Victoria Britten: I grew up with "If ifs and ands were pots and pans," and if we went the whole hog (pardon the pun!) we ended with"...pigs might fly!"
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Victoria!
agree  B D Finch
1 day 20 mins
  -> Thanks, Barbara!
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas


Explanation:
if ifs and buts were candy and nuts...? | Yahoo Answers
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid...
21 Jan 2007 - "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas” was a proverb of Don Meredith, former SMU and Dallas Cowboys .

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Note added at 3 hrs (2015-04-03 23:51:54 GMT)
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another version:

Strangers with Candy - Wikiquote
en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Strangers_with_Candy
Strangers with Candy (1999-2000) was an American sitcom that aired thirty .... Jellineck: If wishes and buts were clusters of nuts, we'd all have a bowl of granola!
‎Opening Credits - ‎Season 1 - ‎Season 2 - ‎Season 3

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:20
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daryo
4 hrs
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Reference comments


2 hrs peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: www

Reference information:
https://www.google.com/search?num=100&site=&source=hp&q=avec...

writeaway
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Jennifer White: exactly.....
11 hrs
agree  katsy
13 hrs
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