Les fouilles de Madame D

English translation: Les couilles de Madame D

09:37 Oct 14, 2015

French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Slang / General

French term or phrase: Les fouilles de Madame D

... un mot dont les typographes firent une si belle coquille un jour que, dans un journal, il était question des fouilles de Mme Dxxx.

From what I understand/suppose .. it seems slang but I am not very sure ..
Thanks in advance for your help.

FIROOZEH FARHANG

English translation:Les couilles de Madame D

Explanation:
I think it's a typo in a story about a typo.

Mme Dieulafoy was an archaeologist who caused a scandal by wearing men's clothing. The newspaper was supposed to say "fouilles", but it came out as "couilles", meaning "testicles". This was something of a Freudian slip given her masculine attire.

However, for some reason, in the text Firoozeh is translating, someone couldn't bring themselves to type "couilles", and put "fouilles" instead, thus rendering a very funny joke incomprehensible.

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Note added at 23 hrs (2015-10-15 09:01:55 GMT)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Dieulafoy

So in the translation, I would put something like "couilles, meaning testicles, rather than fouilles, meaning excavations", and a translator's note explaining what has gone wrong.

Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States

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Summary of answers provided

4 +2

Les couilles de Madame D

philgoddard

archeological digs

kashew

Discussion entries: 10

philgoddard

United States

Alison

05:23 Oct 29, 2015

I've just seen your additional reference - thanks!

Alison MacG

United Kingdom

Another ref confirming Phil's answer

16:20 Oct 21, 2015

Avisant au fumoir une Mme Dieulafoy en pantalon, le général de Gallifet la prend par le bras et lui propose : «Et maintenant, allons pisser ! (8), les «fouilles» orientales de la même étant devenues «les couilles de Mme Dieulafoy» par la grâce d'une malencontreuse autant que malicieuse coquille de typographe.
From: L'honneur ratatiné d'une athlète lesbienne en 1930 by Christian Gury
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&biw=1280&bih=861&tbm=b...

philgoddard

United States

09:08 Oct 15, 2015

I think I have the explanation - see my answer.

Jane F

France

18:59 Oct 14, 2015

Maybe it is a typo for 'feuilles' meaning pages?

http://www.abebooks.com/devise-lexploratrice-archéologue-Jan...

Alison MacG

United Kingdom

More context

15:34 Oct 14, 2015

The text immediately before and after this paragraph may help someone make some sort of sense of this ...

Quand il voulut publier cette supercherie littéraire très supérieure à celle de Mérimée : le Carquois du sieur Louvigné du Dézert, M. Fernand Fleuret se fit appuyer auprès d’un éditeur qui demeure à côté de l’Odéon.

L’éditeur sourit à mon Fleuret, tâte le manuscrit, l’ouvre et le premier mot qui lui tombe sous les yeux, c’est celui dont les typographes firent une si belle coquille un jour que, dans un journal, il était question des fouilles de Mme Dieulafoy.

« Fouilles, Monsieur, s’écria l’éditeur en refermant le manuscrit, Monsieur… Sortez, Monsieur. »
https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Apollinaire_-_Le_Flâneur...

Philippe Etienne

Spain

coquille

12:30 Oct 14, 2015

means typo, and I can only come up with c replacing f in the poster's question. "Fouilles" in slang means "pockets" (of a garnment)

polyglot45

then I imagine that they mean

11:23 Oct 14, 2015

that, instead of saying the archaeological digs of site XXX conducted by Madame D, they were implying that it was the lady herself that they were exploring !

FIROOZEH FARHANG

ASKER

Here is the whole paragraph ..

11:04 Oct 14, 2015

L'éditeur sourit à mon Fleuret, tâte le manuscrit, l'ouvre et le premier mot qui lui tombe sous les yeux, c'est celui dont les typographes firent une si belle coquille un jour que, dans un journal, il était question des fouilles de Mme Dieulafoy.

polyglot45

the word it should be

10:21 Oct 14, 2015

must appear in the part of the sentence you chose not to give us....

philgoddard

United States

09:43 Oct 14, 2015

We need to know the beginning of the sentence, please.

Answers

1 hr confidence:

archeological digs

Explanation:
*http://tybalt.pagesperso-orange.fr/LesGendelettres/biographi...

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Note added at 1 heure (2015-10-14 11:14:01 GMT)
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or archeological fieldwork/research

kashew
France
Local time: 23:54
Native speaker of:

English

23 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

Les couilles de Madame D

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English

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English translation: Les couilles de Madame D

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