# j'ai eu la pétoche



## pyrolee

can someone please tell me what that means in english?? :S


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## ramen

_I was petrified_ perhaps?


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## pyrolee

thanks you


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## SwissPete

ramen said:


> _I was petrified_ perhaps?


 
Why _petrified_, which to me indicates great fear (literally immobilizing fear)? Isn't _pétoche_ a familiar word for _peur_? Therefore: _I was afraid_.


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## david314

SwissPete said:


> Why _petrified_, which to me indicates great fear (literally immobilizing fear)? Isn't _pétoche_ a familiar word for _peur_? Therefore: _I was afraid_.


  Je suis d'accord avec vous.


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## josuepolo

Petoche being colloquial  I d go for : "I had the runs" or "I shitted (in) my pants". Preferably the second one.


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## SwissPete

josuepolo said:


> Petoche being colloquial I d go for : "I had the runs" or "I shitted (in) my pants". Preferably the second one.


 
I doubt it. Look here http://www.sensagent.com/dictionaries/fr-fr/007000E90074006F006300680065/n/ and here http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/fr/definition/frousse/. I can't find any reference to _having the runs_ or anything even vaguely related to it.


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## cycloneviv

If someone said "I had the runs" to me, that means they had diarrhoea! It doesn't mean the speaker was scared.

The WR dictionary agrees, it seems.


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## josuepolo

"I had the runs" is just the literal translation, "petoche" meaning "the runs";
That s why I said "shitted in my pants" would be more suitable.


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## SwissPete

josuepolo said:


> "p*é*toche" meaning "the runs";


 

 Really?


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## david314

Perhaps this is a slang term comparable to the American phrase, _I was so *scared* that I crapped in my pants._


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## cycloneviv

josuepolo said:


> "I had the runs" is just the literal translation, "petoche" meaning "the runs";
> That s why I said "shitted in my pants" would be more suitable.



I see where you're coming from, however "I had the runs" isn't just less suitable, it means something completely different! You never say "I had the runs" in any English I know to mean "I was scared". It just means "I had diarrhoea".


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## josuepolo

sorry about the accents, it's just the keyboard.
So petoche does mean "fear", but etymologically it comes from Pet (fart) then turns out to be  "feeling of having the runs caused by a great fear" or "feeling of a fear so great that it could affect your bladder or your bowel". Let's say that this word emphasizes the physiological  effects of fear.

Is my explanation clear enough?


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## cycloneviv

josuepolo said:


> sorry about the accents, it's just the keyboard.
> So petoche does mean "fear", but etymologically it comes from Pet (fart) then turns out to be  "feeling of having the runs caused by a great fear" or "feeling of a fear so great that it could affect your bladder or your bowel". Let's say that this word emphasizes the physiological  effects of fear.
> 
> Is my explanation clear enough?



Absolutely, and the etymology is fascinating! 

I didn't mean to come over as violently disagreeing with you or anything. I just wanted to say that "to have the runs" doesn't mean "pétoche", where I come from! 

As others have said, the best phrases in English to represent fear affecting your bowels/bladder are things like "I was pissing myself!", "I was shit scared!", "I shat myself!" and, perhaps, "I was scared shitless!"


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## josuepolo

david314 said:


> Perhaps this is a slang term comparable to the American phrase, _I was so *scared* that I crapped in my pants._



Absolutely, but more precisely: "I was so scared that I *could have* crapped in my pants".
And I repeat "I had the runs" would just be a very literal translation, but wouldn't fit, as "avoir la petoche" is basically figurative.


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## josuepolo

cycloneviv said:


> Absolutely, and the etymology is fascinating!
> 
> I didn't mean to come over as violently disagreeing with you or anything. I just wanted to say that "to have the runs" doesn't mean "pétoche", where I come from!
> 
> As others have said, the best phrases in English to represent fear affecting your bowels/bladder are things like "I was pissing myself!", "I was shit scared!", "I shat myself!" and, perhaps, "I was scared shitless!"



Definitely!!!
Looks like we finally came up with something. No problem I didn't take your comment as violently disagreeing at all. We are sharing views and knowledges, so any comment is welcome.

Obviously "to have the runs" isn't used figuratively as "petoche" is in french.
And by the way, in french, we also say "se peter dessus" which is a near synonym of "avoir la petoche".


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## ben62

Avoir la pétoche, just means to be scared. I'm not even sure it implies that we could shit ourselves!

By the way Josuepolo, I have never heard _se pêter dessus, _rather _se pisser dessus, _meaning to be really scared.

Hope that can help!

ben


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## DearPrudence

I agree with Ben, I don't see any reference to "fart/shit" or anything when I use "pétoche"!
I like the definition given by the ATILF as well as its synonyms:
_Populaire   _Peur intense. Synonyme argot ou populaire _pétasse, frousse, trouille._


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## edwingill

I am scared stiff


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## dunescratcheur

cycloneviv said:


> Absolutely, and the etymology is fascinating!
> 
> "I was scared shitless!"



Agreed, truly fascinating and you've included my personal favourite, too 

BTW, I'm a BE speaker.


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## DearPrudence

Euh, sorry to insist, but "avoir la pétoche" could be said by children (in front of their parents, absolutely no problem while  "il a eu tellement peur qu'il s'est chié dessus", beurk, definitely not!! ), it's almost "cute" while "to be scared shitless" sounds very harsh to me! Maybe just my impression as English is not my native language ...


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## dunescratcheur

You are of course right. I was trying for sarcasm but alas, even in the lowest form, I have failed miserably.

J'avais la pétoche = I was scared stiff 

Suitable for adults, young children and those of a nervous dipostion.


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## Paf le chien

For me, "j'ai la pétoche" is another way, only a little bit more colloquial , to say "I'm scared".

No more, no less: same.

Whatever it's "etymology" is.


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## josuepolo

We all agree about the meaning.

But "I was scared" is too simplistic. Petoche DOES come from slang.

 Narrow minded frenchies who don't know much about their own langage should have some humble pie.


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## Paf le chien

josuepolo said:


> Narrow minded frenchies who don't know much about their own langage should have some humble pie.



Even if it does come from slang, it is now so idiomatic-like that I can't imagine, even narrow minded French people , not to understand it 

Even in France we have television for our children


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## Agnès E.

josuepolo said:


> Narrow minded frenchies who don't know much about their own langage should have some humble pie.


You are absolutely right, josuepolo.

This is the reason why I firmly invite you to open your mind, study your own language and check before claiming things that will be proven wrong by several other francophones who know what they are talking about.

Agnès
Moderator


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## xuartema

What about : "It scared the sh**t out of me" ? 
What about _the jitters_ (la frousse, le trac)... j'ai eu la pétoche = _I had the jitters, _no ?


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## wildan1

as an AE speaker I also would first choose _scared shitless--_but only with friends
otherwise _scared stiff_ or _scared to death_ in more polite company


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## xuartema

DearPrudence said:


> _Populaire   _Peur intense. Synonyme argot ou populaire: _pétasse, frousse, trouille._



I'm not sure that "pétasse" be a synonym of "peur" in french. Pétasse is slang for a stupid woman, a tart maybe.

Some synonyms for _fear_ in (slangish-)French : J'ai eu _la pétoche, les jetons, les foies, les chocottes, la frousse, la trouille, le trac,_ év. _les boules, les glandes, le trouillomètre à zero,_ etc., depending on the regions.


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## dunescratcheur

xuartema said:


> What about : "It scared the sh**t out of me" ?



PLEASE!!!

As has been stated more than once:

1) It means to be scared

2) Despite it's possibly impolite origins, it is in current widespread use by a large section of the population without causing offense on a massive scale.

3) It can be used by children without getting a pair "de claques"

In your phrase you can't even write it without using asterisks so there is NO WAY that this or any of the suggested variants can be direct equivalents.

I ask you: is that how your children speak to you?????


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## pieanne

dunescratcheur said:


> PLEASE!!!
> 
> As has been stated more than once:
> 
> 1) It means to be scared
> 
> 2) Despite it's possibly impolite origins, it is in current widespread use by a large section of the population without causing offense on a massive scale.
> 
> 3) It can be used by children without getting a pair "de claques"
> 
> In your phrase you can't even write it without using asterisks so there is NO WAY that this or any of the suggested variants can be direct equivalents.
> 
> I ask you: is that how your children speak to you?????


"J'avais la pétoche", "j'avais les chocottes", yes, that's what children can say without being vulgar at all  . They may *think* they are using adult expressions, but it's just ... "cute"


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## DearPrudence

xuartema said:


> I'm not sure that "pétasse" be a synonym of "peur" in french. Pétasse is slang for a stupid woman, a tart maybe.


I had overlooked the "pétasse".
I agree with you, that's a bit strange indeed!

This "cagagne" rings a bell but I guess it's from the South. I have found it here but with a different meaning.
But let's wait opinion from Southerners


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## Paf le chien

DearPrudence said:


> I had overlooked the "pétasse".
> I agree with you, that's a bit strange indeed!



I _read_ the word "pétasse" as a synonym of "pétoche" (confirmed by the TLFi, 2nd meaning, 1st being "une femme facile"). And it has the same etymology (tell me why ??!!??).

But I've never heard it used with this meaning. Maybe when I was a kid (I don't remember) because the double meaning made kids laugh .

But _I definitely confirm_ that "pétoche" _is not more_ it's current meaning (although maybe in regional slangs) !


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## tilt

My 2 cents:_
- Avoir la pétoche _= avoir peur. Just informal nowadays. Sometimes said _avoir les pétoches_, but not by myself.
- _Pétasse _= tart (a stupid woman but not a whore, even if WR dictionnary gives it as a synonym of both). Insulting but not vulgar in my opinion. I don't know another meaning for this word.

Ben62 suggested _se pisser dessus_ as a synonym for _avoir peur_, but in my own French, it rather means to fall about laughing. I never heard _se péter dessus_ in that way neither, whereas _se chier dessus_ (vulgar) does mean being afraid, and is a very literal equivalent to _to shit one's pants_.


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## KaRiNe_Fr

DearPrudence said:


> [...] This "cagagne" rings a bell but I guess it's from the South. I have found it here but with a different meaning.
> But let's wait opinion from Southerners


Indeed, we can say "avoir la cagagne" in the South-East of France to mean you got the runs, but rarely for you're scared (it depends on the context!). As for "se caguer dessus" ("se chier") which is very colorful, and slang, it's to be scared.
With the very same etymology there is the cute "caganis" for naming the last baby of a family, which is called litteraly like this because babies are making poos like "anis".
"avoir la pétoche" means of course to be scared, and its etymology is alike, even if now, it's not considered vulgar anymore.
A well known phenomenon is that the surrenal glands (?) produce more adrenaline when scared, and then this participates to liquefaction of dejection... I think this is where it comes from even if nobody notices it anymore nowadays.


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## Punky Zoé

KaRiNe_Fr said:


> Indeed, we can say "avoir la cagagne" in the South-East of France to mean you got the runs, but rarely for you're scared (it depends on the context!). As for "se caguer dessus" ("se chier") which is very colorful, and slang, it's to be scared.


Ta cagagne, c'est notre caguère (dérivé direct de caguer), qui n'est pas synonyme de pétoche à ma connaissance, mais utilisé dans son sens premier (pissed off)


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## Paf le chien

_*Le pire*_, c'est que *« pétoche » n'a strictement aucun rapport* *avec le fait de faire sur soi :*

Il s'agit juste de « *péter* », et pas forcement dans le sens de « émettre un pet », car _péter_ a aussi beaucoup d'autres significations, comme _péter_ la forme, _péter_ la gueule à qq, _se péter_ la gueule, _péter_ un boulon, etc.

"Pétasse » pourrait bien venir, quant à lui, du sens « _péter_ dans la soie », signifiant « s'habiller de manière ostentatoirement luxueuse ».

Marre de ce fil enduit d'horreurs


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Paf le chien said:


> [...] car _péter_ a aussi beaucoup d'autres significations, comme _péter_ la forme, _péter_ la gueule à qq, _se péter_ la gueule, _péter_ un boulon, etc. [...]


Les expressions que tu cites avec "péter" ont-elles un rapport avec "avoir peur" ? 
Cf. le TLFi pour l'étymologie de pétoche/pétochard :


			
				TLFi said:
			
		

> 1918 «peur intense» (ds ESN. _Poilu_, p.408).  Dér. de _péter*_; suff. _-oche*_





Paf le chien said:


> Marre de ce fil enduit d'horreurs


Fuis-le s'il te donne la pétoche !


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## dunescratcheur

Paf le chien said:


> Marre de ce fil enduit d'horreurs



Oh yes, pleeeease - something less scatalogical.

 I haven't eaten yet this evening. :-[


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## Paf le chien

KaRiNe_Fr said:


> Les expressions que tu cites avec "péter" ont-elles un rapport avec "avoir peur" ?



Ben justement, on en a aucune idée puisque ce sont diverses définitions de « péter ». Et que « pétoche » vient de « péter » mais qu'on a aucune certitude sur le sens d'origine ! 



KaRiNe_Fr said:


> Fuis-le s'il te donne la pétoche !



Il ne me donne pas la pétoche, mais le « pipi-caca » ça va un temps, après, on se lasse (enfin, ça dépend _aussi_ de l'âge mental du sujet )


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## mickaël

Moi, j'ai toujours compris cette expression, comme "se péter dessus" de peur (attention, l'expression "se péter dessus" n'existe pas, en effet). En somme une façon bien plus policée de dire "se chier dessus" (de peur).
Mais je me trompe peut-être.


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## Paf le chien

mickaël said:


> attention, l'expression "se péter dessus" n'existe pas


*+1*

T'as déjà essayé de te « péter dessus » ?

OK. Je sors.


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