# killer breaststroke



## Marlouze

Dear all,
I am looking for a good way to translate the above expression into French. In the text, a girl is swimming naked in a pool; she realizes that people are watching her so she tries to swim fast to reach the edge of the pool (and her clothes) before they reach her, but too late, she must go out of the water naked in front of everyone. One of the bystanders looks repugnant to her and he says: "Killer breaststroke".
I know that "breaststroke" is la brasse in French, and that "killer" means tueur, assassin... but I can't find a good translation to mix both words to sound good.
I would really appreciate your hel here. Thanks!! M.


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## Mezzofanti

I think "killer" here means "formidable" and _breaststroke_ is chosen as it contains the word _breast_. Bon courage la traductrice !


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## Marlouze

You're right, breaststroke does contain the word "breast". So I have to find a way to refer to that as well...


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## esquisse

Maybe you should forget "brasse" and find an expression that has to do with the "breast" part. Something about "flotteurs", not very dignified but that's all I can think of


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## Marlouze

OOOHH, what do you think about "magnifique clair de lune"; forget about the breast allusion but let's concentrate further down!! (blush) I know it doesn't refer to any swimming style, but I guess it will be difficult to keep both.


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## hunternet

esquisse said:


> Maybe you should forget "brasse" and find an expression that has to do with the "breast" part. Something about "flotteurs", not very dignified but that's all I can think of



not bad. I would use "bouées" too, but am still looking for a terrible sentence to create with that.


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## Marlouze

Esquisse and Hunternet, both your suggestions are great because they bind the reference to swimming and breasts, while mine only pointed at the body parts.
Thanks, but then yeah, I need to find a cool sentence...


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## xtrasystole

Hello, 

Could the expression also have something to do with her having been had because of her careless swimming?  _'[Ça c'est] la brasse qui tue !'_


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## Marlouze

No, it couldn't, xtrasystole. But thank you for your suggestion. M.


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## tilt

I've an idea which may be stupid, or not. The guy could say _Quelle forme !_ (nice form). Spoken, this sentence can be understood as _Quelles formes ! _(nice curves).


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## Marlouze

Yes, I will keep this one in mind, but I'm afraid it's too subtle unfortunately. BUt thank you very much tilt.


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## badgrammar

Oh la belle brasse!!!


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## Marlouze

But then, you totally lose the idea of "breast" badgrammar; on the contrary, I think I should emphasize on "breast" instead of any swimming style.
M.


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## hunternet

maybe "ta brasse, c'est de la bombe" ? Maybe a bit strong. the idea is that she has a very fluid style that she's very sexy. and bombe is quite similar to "obus" (shell) which can mean "breast". maybe too complicated ?


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## Denis the fatalist

May I suggest 
"flotteurs d'enfer !" ? 
(Which is not the more polite way to introduce oneself to a young lady...)


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## badgrammar

Yeah, I understand that, but then again, even though the word "breast" is part of the word "breaststroke", "breaststroke" does not refer to to a woman's breasts at all.  It refers to a movement made while face down in the water, on "the breast" (poitrine) and not to female breasts (seins). 

I mean, I totally "get" the wordplay in English, but I don't know if you necessarily need to use an equivalent of "breast" in French to get the meaning accross.  I would tend to go for something more akin to Hunternet's or Xsta's suggestions.  Because there was nothing vulgar said in the English version, no mention of body parts at all. So if you translate with a direct allusion to her breasts, it may be "over the top".


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## esquisse

badgrammar, I think that if there is no allusion to her breasts, we will lose a part of the original meaning. The man would'nt have said "killer breaststroke" if she hadn't been naked.


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## badgrammar

Perhaps, and it is very much a matter of style - I would just be leery of going overboard by talking about her "boués" or her "flotteurs", which is really pretty vulgar...  Unless this is something intended for audiences that have no risk of being offended by that kind of thing.  

Example 1:  I'm watching a film with my kids.  In English, the scene plays out, she gets out of the pool, and the guy says "killer breaststroke"!  It's a pun that can be taken in the 1st, 2cd or 3rd degree, depending on who you are.  The kids hear that he complimented her on her swimming. 

Example 2: I'm watching the same film in French with the kiddies.  The guy says "Les flotteurs d'enfer"!  And here, in my way of thinking, the reference is pointedly to her breasts, and may be a little vulgar or too pointed for certain audiences. 

Really, these are just my suggestions, it very much depends on who your audience is and how subtle vs. direct you want to be about it.


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## esquisse

I perfectly understand your point but there the woman is naked so I don't think it is intended for kids.


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## tilt

I agree it musn't refer to the woman's breast directly or too much obviously. But the translation requiers to keep a double meaning with something sexual, in my opinion. It may refer to another part of woman's body. I think my suggestion was good for that, but I agree it's too subtle, especially when written because the spelling cancels the required ambiguity.


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## tilt

Some other possible tracks :
_- bonne _can refer to the water as well as the woman. Maybe the guy could say _elle doit être bonne _or something like that.
- _planche_ can be a swimming stroke or a woman with small tits
- _mouiller, humide _could work for their sexual meaning
The problem is that these words sound rather pejorative or vulgar, outside of their basic meaning.

I'll keep thinking. Let us know if you finally find something.


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## Marlouze

Nobody made any comment on what I suggested earlier "Magnifique clair de lune!"
I really appreciate all the efforts you've shown to help me. I really like "flotteurs/bouées d'enfer". But (yes, there's always a but), it could refer to her fat; the girl is also a little fat (size 10), well, I'm not the one who says it, that's how she described herself!!!
Badgrammar, here it is important to keep a reference to her breasts, though not directly, I admit it. So what do you think about "Magnifique Clair de Lune", which can be taken in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree, as you mentioned earlier...
M.


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## badgrammar

Oh, yes, I saw that and I like it very much, actually!


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## Marlouze

THANKS! I think we've reached an agreement? Anybody else?


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## hunternet

Marlouze said:


> THANKS! I think we've reached an agreement? Anybody else?



Yes, me. I do not find it really meaningful. Could you explain what "un clair de lune" has to do with breasts / water ?


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## tilt

_Clair de lune_ would be taken as a reference to the girl's bottom, not breast!


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## Marlouze

Non, "clair de lune" ne fait pas référence à la poitrine ni à l'eau, mais c'est une manière de faire référence à une partie intime du corps tout en restant subtil (double sens). Vous n'avez pas l'air emballé. Moi je le suis.


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## badgrammar

I like it because it is subtle, it implies her nakedness, if not her breasts specifically.  The fact that "breaststroke" contains the word "breast" is a stroke of luck in the English language. The idea is that she is that she is exposed.


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## Marlouze

Yes, Tilt, I know that, but it doesn't matter. What's important here is to keep a sexual reference. And Clair de lune doesn not refer to her bottom but to her vagina!


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## Marlouze

Badgrammar is right. Thanks for your support ;-)


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## badgrammar

No problem... Of course, the choice of how to translate that is very subjective, and it could be translated in a number of different ways by different people and for different reasons.


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## tilt

Marlouze said:


> Yes, Tilt, I know that, but it doesn't matter. What's important here is to keep a sexual reference. And Clair de lune doesn not refer to her bottom but to her vagina!


_La lune_, in colloquial language, is definitely the bottom.
In my opinion, the problem with this one is that it doesn't refer to the pool or the woman swimming, contrary to "killer breaststroke".


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## Kelly B

tilt said:


> I've an idea which may be stupid, or not. The guy could say _Quelle forme !_ (nice form). Spoken, this sentence can be understood as _Quelles formes ! _(nice curves).


Can you add an adjective to this that might emphasize the oh là là aspect? 
Quelle(s) forme(s) _forte(s)_, or something? I like the subtlety, myself.


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## wildan1

just an observation:

--the people who like the _clair de lune _translation seem to be women

--all the guys are going for T&A-related phrases

I guess that matches reality! How you say--_vive la différence_ !


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## tilt

Kelly B said:


> Can you add an adjective to this that might emphasize the oh là là aspect?
> Quelle(s) forme(s) _forte(s)_, or something? I like the subtlety, myself.


_Forte(s) _would be pejorative about the woman's body. _Quelle(s) superbe(s) forme(s) _would work much better.
Whichever it is, the adjective must not start with a vowel, because making the liaison or not would cancel any ambiguity on the singular or plural aspect of the sentence.


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## tilt

wildan1 said:


> just an observation:
> 
> --the people who like the _clair de lune _translation seem to be women
> 
> --all the guys are going for T&A-related phrases
> 
> I guess that matches reality! How you say--_vive la différence_ !


T&A?


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## wildan1

tilt said:


> T&A?


 
T & A was a famous song in the Broadway musical The Chorus Line


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## tilt

wildan1 said:


> T & A was a famous song in the Broadway musical The Chorus Line


OK! 
Then, I can't agree, because _clair de lune_ is as much T&A-related as other suggestions!


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