gaz factory
kkwweett
I'm French and I'm looking for an english translation of a french
expression ("usine a gaz") which is literally a gaz factory but which
means a working device or machine so complicated that it is highly
probable that it crashes very soon and that it is almost a miracle that
it is still working.
Is there an equivalent phrase in English ?
Thank you.
Pierre Hallet
> I'm French and I'm looking for an english translation
> of a french expression ("usine a gaz") which is
> literally [gasworks] but which means a working device
> or machine so complicated that it is highly probable
> that it crashes very soon and that it is almost a
> miracle that it is still working.
> Is there an equivalent phrase in English ?
My /Robert-Collins/ proposes "huge labyrinthine system".
(Une manière comme une autre de suggérer qu'il n'y a pas
d'équivalent convaincant. Mais attendons ce qu'en diront
des anglophones natifs.)
You might have also "Rube Goldberg machines" (should this
not ring any bell, just Google it). But then I suspect it
is not exactly what you had in mind. "Usine à gaz" is used
in French to refer to organizations or to administrative
processes, not to physical devices as such. I would say
that a Rube Goldberg machine works--in an absurdly complex
way, but it works--while an "usine à gaz" works by an
unlikely constant supply of miracles.)
Pierre Hallet
kkwweett
> You might have also "Rube Goldberg machines" (should this
> not ring any bell, just Google it). But then I suspect it
> is not exactly what you had in mind. "Usine à gaz" is used
> in French to refer to organizations or to administrative
> processes, not to physical devices as such. I would say
> that a Rube Goldberg machine works--in an absurdly complex
> way, but it works--while an "usine à gaz" works by an
> unlikely constant supply of miracles.)
>
> Pierre Hallet
>
Thanks to your reply, I kwow now the Rube Goldberg machines. But you're
right, I rather have in mind the example of a software providing a
service for many years and for which many patches had been installed to
correct bugs, and patches'bugs and patches'patches'bugs and so on.
Pierre Hallet
> Thanks to your reply, I know now the Rube Goldberg
> machines. But you're right, I rather have in mind
> the example of a software providing a service for
> many years and for which many patches had been
> installed to correct bugs, and patches'bugs and
> patches'patches'bugs and so on.
That one is too easy. The English word is "Windows".
Pierre Hallet
Jim Heckman
On 4-Dec-2007, "Pierre Hallet" <pierre...@skynet.be>
wrote in message <5rlkglF...@mid.individual.net>:
> kkwweett :
>
> > I'm French and I'm looking for an english translation
> > of a french expression ("usine a gaz") which is
> > literally [gasworks] but which means a working device
> > or machine so complicated that it is highly probable
> > that it crashes very soon and that it is almost a
> > miracle that it is still working.
> > Is there an equivalent phrase in English ?
>
> My /Robert-Collins/ proposes "huge labyrinthine system".
Beurk. Pas du tout une expression idiomatique tout faite, et lourde
d'ailleurs.
> (Une manière comme une autre de suggérer qu'il n'y a pas
> d'équivalent convaincant. Mais attendons ce qu'en diront
> des anglophones natifs.)
Perhaps "house of cards". That's an elaborate, scaled-down
building constructed with playing cards (cartes à jouer); the
slightest disturbance will cause the whole thing to collapse.
Rien de meilleur ne me vient à l'esprit en ce moment. Je conseille
au préopinant de poser sa question dans
<fr.lettres.langue.anglaise>, forum plus fréquenté que celui-ci.
> You might have also "Rube Goldberg machines" (should this
> not ring any bell, just Google it). But then I suspect it
> is not exactly what you had in mind. "Usine à gaz" is used
> in French to refer to organizations or to administrative
> processes, not to physical devices as such. I would say
> that a Rube Goldberg machine works--in an absurdly complex
> way, but it works--while an "usine à gaz" works by an
> unlikely constant supply of miracles.)
Your description of a Rube Goldberg machine is exactly right.
Not only is it absurdly complex, but there's an obvious, much
easier way to accomplish the same result.
--
Jim Heckman
kkwweett
> kkwweett :
>> the example of a software providing a service for
>> many years and for which many patches had been
>> installed to correct bugs, and patches'bugs and
>> patches'patches'bugs and so on.
>
> That one is too easy. The English word is "Windows".
>
> Pierre Hallet
>
Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! In fact, I was thinking about a software I used to like a
few years ago (buzzmachines.com) but which I can't even install now
without a crash at the first launch. So I could say 'Buzz is a
windows-like software !'.
kkwweett
> Je conseille
> au préopinant de poser sa question dans
> <fr.lettres.langue.anglaise>,
ok I'll try.
> forum plus fréquenté que celui-ci.
par des francais anglophones ?
Thanks
Jim Heckman
On 5-Dec-2007, kkwweett <kkww...@hotmail.fr>
wrote in message <4756e21f$0$25954$ba4a...@news.orange.fr>:
Oui, il y en a, mais aussi des gens de langue maternelle
anglaise -- dont moi -- qui parlent un peu de français.
--
Jim Heckman