# Freiner des quatre fers



## irishnomad

Here's the context:

on ne peut pas faire pleurer ses électeurs dans les chaumieres le dimanche en parlant des inégalités dans le monde et, toute la semaine, freiner des quatre fers.

Merci mille fois!
I.N.


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## tilt

Hello Irishnomad, welcome to the WR forums.

What is your question, exactly ? Are you looking for an English translation for the French expression set in the thread's title ? Or an explanation of it, maybe ?

_Fer_ is to be understood as _horseshoe_, here.
Is this enough to fit your request ?


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## Web2

*Freiner des quatre fers* is an expression. This expression means *Refuser de s'engager plus avant*.


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## irishnomad

thanks, web2!


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## david314

Web2 said:


> *Freiner des quatre fers* is an expression. This expression means *Refuser de s'engager plus avant*.


  Might some kind soul provide an English counterpart to this phrase?


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## wildan1

_Put on the brakes_

_Pull back_


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## david314

Thank you very much, gaffer.


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## Moon Palace

Would 'put on the brakes' have the same figurative meaning as the French phrase? So that you could use it in this context?


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## gamone

According to tilt: 





tilt said:


> _Fer_ is to be understood as _horseshoe_, here.


I disagree. I would imagine that _fer_ refers to the curved metallic block, called a _brake shoe_, that is pushed against the rim of the wheel of a horse-drawn vehicle in order to create a braking effect through friction. So, using four shoes means braking simultaneously (by means of independent brake levers) on each of the four wheels of the vehicle.

I'm not sure that my explanation is correct, but I fail to see how horseshoes might enter into a braking operation.


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## Punky Zoé

Hi everyone

My feeling was that it is linked with horses, and it is : " _Ou bien freiner des quatre fers - il s'agit bien sur des fers a cheval, et  l'image est parlante : il faut tirer ou pousser la bete si l'on veut  esperer qu'elle bouge : elle traine des pieds. "_

The expression is quoted on horse related websites, or animal expressions. The meaning is not exactly to break, but to refuse to do something. 
That expression is colorful, can't you imagine a horse who refuses to go ahead or to jump ? In French, we would say "campé ou arc-bouté sur ses (quatre) jambes".


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## tilt

Punky Zoé said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> My feeling was that it is linked with horses, and it is : " _Ou bien freiner des quatre fers - il s'agit bien sur des fers a cheval, et  l'image est parlante : il faut tirer ou pousser la bete si l'on veut  esperer qu'elle bouge : elle traine des pieds. "_
> 
> The expression is quoted on horse related websites, or animal expressions. The meaning is not exactly to break, but to refuse to do something.
> That expression is colorful, can't you imagine a horse who refuses to go ahead or to jump ? In French, we would say "campé ou arc-bouté sur ses (quatre) jambes".


Thanks Punky, that's exactly my feeling too.

Moreover, _fers_ as horseshoes, is used as a metaphor for human limbs in another expression: _les quatre fers en l'air_ (= on one's back)


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## Punky Zoé

tilt said:


> Moreover, _fers_ as horseshoes, is used as a metaphor for human limbs in another expression: _les quatre fers en l'air_ (= on one's back)


In _faire feu des quatre fers _too !
No colorful expression in English for _freiner des quatre fers _?


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## Jean-Michel Carrère

I hope my explanation of the French phrase will help natives come up with an appropriate translation :

*Freiner des quatre fers *means doing your utmost to prevent something you disapprove of from happening, usually simply by not doing anything to make it happen. In many cases, this is done under the pretence of not really opposing it, but merely being indifferent to it, or even sometimes supporting it.


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## catherineosb

Bonjour, Jean-Michel!

     Est-ce qu'il y correspond "to dig one's heels in"?   Catherineosb


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## floise

catherineosb said:


> Bonjour, Jean-Michel!
> 
> Est-ce qu'il y correspond "to dig one's heels in"?   Catherineosb



Catherine,

You seem to have found a very suitable translation.

*dig in your heels*:


to refuse to change what you believe is right or what you want to happen. 
Example:
Be firm on important issues, but do not dig in your heels at every opportunity.

floise


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## gamone

You've convinced me on the association with horseshoes. Catherine's translation is almost certainly spot on.


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## floise

Punky Zoé said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> My feeling was that it is linked with horses, and it is : " _Ou bien freiner des quatre fers - il s'agit bien sur des fers a cheval, et  l'image est parlante : il faut tirer ou pousser la bete si l'on veut  esperer qu'elle bouge : elle traine des pieds. "_
> 
> The expression is quoted on horse related websites, or animal expressions. The meaning is not exactly to break, but to refuse to do something.
> That expression is colorful, can't you imagine *a horse who refuses to go ahead or to jump ? In French, we would say "campé ou arc-bouté sur ses (quatre) jambes".*



Or maybe a mule? Being *stubborn as a mule* evokes the same type of image; a mule who refuses to move.

http://www.ruralmissouri.org/Images/RuralMissouri/Aug07/burro.jpg

floise


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## archijacq

*freiner des quatre fers* : « s'opposer passivement à quelque chose avec tous les moyens dont on dispose ».


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## david314

(verb)_* to stonewall*_?

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/stonewall (definition #2)

_to dig your heels in_ seems similar, too.


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## Moon Palace

Stonewall is great indeed. (just a question about this one: would you say 'filibuster' in AE?) 
Could you explain why 'heel_'s_ in'? and not 'heels'? I don't get the meaning of the 's here.


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## david314

Hi, Moon Palace, I have corrected the typo which you astutely noted. I would say that *to* *filibuster* is _active behavior_, whereas *to* *stonewall* is _passive_ conduct. Also, *to* *filibuster* has _political connotations_ -whereas *to stonewall* may be used in a broader sense. This is just my opinion, and I could be mistaken.


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## George French

Could the English equivalent be.

"Put on all four brakes" which is "Do an emergency stop" in a car by pushing quickly and very hard on the brake pedal?

Please ignore this post:- it's just wrong (George)

or is it? Should this be ignored?


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## Moon Palace

david314 said:


> Hi, Moon Palace, I have corrected the typo which you astutely noted. I would say that *to* *filibuster* is _active behavior_, whereas *to* *stonewall* is _passive_ conduct. Also, *to* *filibuster* has _political connotations_ -whereas *to stonewall* may be used in a broader sense. This is just my opinion, and I could be mistaken.



Hi David, thanks for the precision about the distinction between the two verbs.


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## wildan1

Moon Palace said:


> Would 'put on the brakes' have the same figurative meaning as the French phrase? So that you could use it in this context?


 
Yes, _put on the brakes_ does have this connotation. It doesn't refer to horses, so you don't number them, but then _brakes_ is often used in the plural when referring literally to a vehicle.

_Put on the brakes_, however, means that maybe you were not reluctant at first, but then you started to reverse your position. 

_Dig in your heels_ probably means that from the beginning, you did not want to agree or cooperate, and you refuse to compromise.

Reste à préciser lequel de ces deux sens reflète mieux _freiner des quatre fers_...


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## wildan1

George French said:


> Could the English equivalent be.
> 
> "Put on all four brakes" which is "Do an emergency stop" in a car by pushing quickly and very hard on the brake pedal?
> Should this be ignored?


 
It's not quite right, GF, but not too far from accurate.

We say _slam on the brakes_ (AE anyway) to describe an abrupt, emergency stop of a car or truck.


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## Moon Palace

wildan1 said:


> Yes, _put on the brakes_ does have this connotation. It doesn't refer to horses, so you don't number them, but then _brakes_ is often used in the plural when referring literally to a vehicle.
> 
> _Put on the brakes_, however, means that maybe you were not reluctant at first, but then you started to reverse your position.
> 
> _Dig in your heels_ probably means that from the beginning, you did not want to agree or cooperate, and you refuse to compromise.
> 
> Reste à préciser lequel de ces deux sens reflète mieux _freiner des quatre fers_...



Hi Wildan, and thanks for this thorough explanation. I would say '_freiner des quatre fers_' is indeed 'dig in your heels' from what you explain, since it definitely alludes to someone who refuses to cooperate, sometimes even before knowing what it is really about. It conveys outright and irrational reluctance in fact.


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## floise

Would it be going too far to use 'stage a sit-in' here? Not a literal sit-in, but figuratively speaking?

floise


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## Moon Palace

As I see it, given that the one who is supposed to dig in his heels is the elected person, I wouldn't use 'stage a sit-in' in this context. But had it been the contrary, and had it been about people who for instance could vote one way in an election and 'stage a sit-in' from then on by opposing what they voted for, then why not? It is the same meaning to me.


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## floise

Moon Palace said:


> As I see it, given that the one who is supposed to dig in his heels is the elected person, I wouldn't use 'stage a sit-in' in this context. But had it been the contrary, and had it been about people who for instance could vote one way in an election and 'stage a sit-in' from then on by opposing what they voted for, then why not? It is the same meaning to me.



Thanks, Moon Palace. You're right in saying that it does not fit in the original poster's context.

floise


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## hannahmac29

This is very late but I just stumbled across this thread.  The reason the phrase is 'to dig your heels _in_' is because the unsaid but intended end of the sentence would be '_to the ground'_.  Thus, the full phrase (which is never used) would be 'to dig ones heels in to the ground', but we only ever say 'to dig ones heels in'.  
Hope that helps!  H


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