The French for "Cute hoor"...

[Des Quirell]

... is, according to a couple of accounts in the press here - as well as a reference in The Sunday Independent - "Volpone".

Well, not exactly. However, the word was used in reference to a press conference given by Sarkozy to a selected set of journalists. In the conference he was unusually downbeat about his chances in the up and coming elections and seemed to be trying to present a more humble and human face. That's where the "Volpone" word comes in.

One political opponent was quoted as saying the Sarko was pulling a "Volpone". Don't worry; I had to look it up. "Volpone" was the main character in a Jacobean play first produced in 1606 and written by Ben Johnson. Volpone pretends to be dying in order to entice some friends into a financial trap he has laid.

It got me thinking about the level of political debate among the political community in Ireland and left me feeling rather sd.

Remember that this is a relatively obscure 17th Century play written in English. It requires a very high standard of education to fistly invoke such a reference, and secondly, it involves a great deal of arrogance to either address the comment only to people who will get the reference or else will have to look it up.

Still, I prefer that to the "cute hoor" epithet so beloved of Irish politicos.

The boys here are a long way from Jackie "ders some boyos in de Doyle will be oiling their bike chains tonight" Healy-Rae to Volpone.

Apologies to the mods if this is in the wrong place. Kudos to anyone who knew Volpone already.

[Q-Tours]

Still, I prefer that to the "cute hoor" epithet so beloved of Irish politicos..

As, of course, I do!

I presume 'Volpone' is a pun on the Latin word for a fox?

[Norman Bates]

As, of course, I do!
I presume 'Volpone' is a pun on the Latin word for a fox?

Do you mean the word is a bit lupo? Not sure about that because the Italians have a different word:
bastardi [more than one]
bastardo [one].

[William T Riker]

As, of course, I do!

I presume 'Volpone' is a pun on the Latin word for a fox?

I don't believe we have an equivalent for ''cute hoor'' (a singularly Irish term) in French, not in Quebec French anyway. The standard way of expressing this would be ''sournois'' or ''rusé''. I severely doubt whether the man on the street would understand the reference to a Ben Jonson play.

[texdub]

Not sure I'm deciphering the meaning of your post correctly, but:

Plain talking is all well and good, but it's also good to be forced to pick up a little new knowledge here and there.

I didn't know about Volpone either, but I feel a *teeny* bit edified by this new knowledge.

I don't see the harm. Can't journalists be educators as well as entertainers?

And what's the alternative? Using the same words over and over, sacrificing both nuance and specificity of meaning along the way?

When should we stop learning new words Des? And how will this be enforced? : D

EDIT; Also, sorry to tell you this, but I thought that at times the levels of contrafibularity in your OP bordered on the polyphenomenologicalesque.

[Astral Peaks]

The French for "cute hoor" is "Mitterand"!

I thought everybody knew that?

[Des Quirell]

Not sure I'm deciphering the meaning of your post correctly, but:

Plain talking is all well and good, but it's also good to be forced to pick up a little new knowledge here and there.

I didn't know about Volpone either, but I feel a *teeny* bit edified by this new knowledge.

I don't see the harm. Can't journalists be educators as well as entertainers?

And what's the alternative? Using the same words over and over, sacrificing both nuance and specificity of meaning along the way?

When should we stop learning new words Des? And how will this be enforced? : D

I agree entirely. You never know. You might end up facing the Million Euro question: "Which of these fictional Jacobean characters feigned dying in order to rip people off?"

It's always good to pick up new morsels f info (more than a few - when I Wiki something I often end up roaming through the Wiki hinterlands picking up other scraps).

Over here public servants are prepared for a life in the Service by attending "Les Grands Ecoles" (not, as is usually believed, The Sorbonne). There they get a very advanced education rich in culture and including literature and art. The examinations for public service are incredibly demanding in this respect.

At the rarified levels of Government cultural references of this type are common. It's not unlike the very senior levels of British administration, where a degree in the Classics is no hindrance to advancement.

But yes I'm always happy to have to look up a reference. The problem these days is that in order to remember something, I have to first forget something else. Not much space left in the old memory.

[Q-Tours]

'Cute hoor' is one Irishism that I love trying to explain to those who are uninitiated or fardn*.

It relies on exclusively Irish interpretations of both words. Great stuff.


^{* as they say in certain parts of Dublin.}

[Des Quirell]

'Cute hoor' is one Irishism that I love trying to explain to those who are uninitiated or fardn*.

It relies on exclusively Irish interpretations of both words. Great stuff.


^{* as they say in certain parts of Dublin.}

Jaysus, but ye have me over a bardell with da farndr stuff. I bleedin' miss the evnin herldild. I seen a copy at de airport last year. Can't ge a decent bleedin' paper over here for love nor money.

I do like the term, but like so many it became overused. Just like GUBU, which was an extraordinary piece of work. I liked it, but the currency exceeded it's shelf life.