'Avoir les boules': submissive or aggressive
I just learned the other day (from Expressio) about the phrase:
avoir les boules.
They gave its meaning as "Être très énervé. En avoir assez. Avoir peur.". As in,
Le cartel a les boules car ils ont perdu le respect.
However, the French sounds so similar to a the word-for-word translation which is 'to have the balls'. In English this means 'to have the audacity, to be brave', where 'balls' is being used as slang for testicles, presumably a sign of masculinity.
You don't have the balls to fight that bully.
Reverso translates from English to French:
Do you have the balls?
to
Tu as les balles ?
(notice 'balles' but not 'boules').
Since I am an American English speaker, I am used to the 'balls = courage' metaphor, but I don't see the metaphor in French. Is 'les boules' slang for something else (other than testicles) or is it referring to gonads (to be clinical about it) by a different metaphor that yields something less aggressive, or have I mistranslated a false friend?
traduction expressions-idiomatiques langage-informel
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
add a comment |
I just learned the other day (from Expressio) about the phrase:
avoir les boules.
They gave its meaning as "Être très énervé. En avoir assez. Avoir peur.". As in,
Le cartel a les boules car ils ont perdu le respect.
However, the French sounds so similar to a the word-for-word translation which is 'to have the balls'. In English this means 'to have the audacity, to be brave', where 'balls' is being used as slang for testicles, presumably a sign of masculinity.
You don't have the balls to fight that bully.
Reverso translates from English to French:
Do you have the balls?
to
Tu as les balles ?
(notice 'balles' but not 'boules').
Since I am an American English speaker, I am used to the 'balls = courage' metaphor, but I don't see the metaphor in French. Is 'les boules' slang for something else (other than testicles) or is it referring to gonads (to be clinical about it) by a different metaphor that yields something less aggressive, or have I mistranslated a false friend?
traduction expressions-idiomatiques langage-informel
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
This is such an incredibly weird, far-fetched, culturally bizarre attempt at etymology.. And compounded by the insecure equation of balls with aggressivity. Sigh.
– George M
3 hours ago
add a comment |
I just learned the other day (from Expressio) about the phrase:
avoir les boules.
They gave its meaning as "Être très énervé. En avoir assez. Avoir peur.". As in,
Le cartel a les boules car ils ont perdu le respect.
However, the French sounds so similar to a the word-for-word translation which is 'to have the balls'. In English this means 'to have the audacity, to be brave', where 'balls' is being used as slang for testicles, presumably a sign of masculinity.
You don't have the balls to fight that bully.
Reverso translates from English to French:
Do you have the balls?
to
Tu as les balles ?
(notice 'balles' but not 'boules').
Since I am an American English speaker, I am used to the 'balls = courage' metaphor, but I don't see the metaphor in French. Is 'les boules' slang for something else (other than testicles) or is it referring to gonads (to be clinical about it) by a different metaphor that yields something less aggressive, or have I mistranslated a false friend?
traduction expressions-idiomatiques langage-informel
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
I just learned the other day (from Expressio) about the phrase:
avoir les boules.
They gave its meaning as "Être très énervé. En avoir assez. Avoir peur.". As in,
Le cartel a les boules car ils ont perdu le respect.
However, the French sounds so similar to a the word-for-word translation which is 'to have the balls'. In English this means 'to have the audacity, to be brave', where 'balls' is being used as slang for testicles, presumably a sign of masculinity.
You don't have the balls to fight that bully.
Reverso translates from English to French:
Do you have the balls?
to
Tu as les balles ?
(notice 'balles' but not 'boules').
Since I am an American English speaker, I am used to the 'balls = courage' metaphor, but I don't see the metaphor in French. Is 'les boules' slang for something else (other than testicles) or is it referring to gonads (to be clinical about it) by a different metaphor that yields something less aggressive, or have I mistranslated a false friend?
traduction expressions-idiomatiques langage-informel
traduction expressions-idiomatiques langage-informel
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
edited 4 hours ago
Jardin de frosted flakes
10.1k52061
10.1k52061
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
asked 12 hours ago
MitchMitch
25517
25517
This is such an incredibly weird, far-fetched, culturally bizarre attempt at etymology.. And compounded by the insecure equation of balls with aggressivity. Sigh.
– George M
3 hours ago
add a comment |
This is such an incredibly weird, far-fetched, culturally bizarre attempt at etymology.. And compounded by the insecure equation of balls with aggressivity. Sigh.
– George M
3 hours ago
This is such an incredibly weird, far-fetched, culturally bizarre attempt at etymology.. And compounded by the insecure equation of balls with aggressivity. Sigh.
– George M
3 hours ago
This is such an incredibly weird, far-fetched, culturally bizarre attempt at etymology.. And compounded by the insecure equation of balls with aggressivity. Sigh.
– George M
3 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
Don't confuse avoir les boules (because of sth) and avoir les couilles (to do sth).
The latter matches to have the balls / the guts.
In the former one, the boules are more the glandes (the expression avoir les glandes exists too).
Despite being originally the same balls we were referring to earlier, these glandes/boules are generally understood nowadays to be the ganglia or the tonsils (on each top sides of the neck).
Someone who a les boules is annoyed, upset, frustrated because of something unpleasant.
On the other hand (no pun intended ;-) ), Reverso translation "tu as les balles ?" would only make sense on a tennis court, a golf course, or similar ;-)
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
Thanks. That last thing you say about 'tu as les balles' is why we ask on SE rather than trust even authoritative translation services or dictionaries.
– Mitch
11 hours ago
2
...and watch out, in Canadian French, les boules as a body part mean "boobs", not "balls" !
– Greg
10 hours ago
2
@Greg not to mention the gosses ;-)
– jlliagre
10 hours ago
1
One also often makes a gripping move on the neck to show that they really ont les boules
– WoJ
6 hours ago
Re: comments on those, see Canada/Quebec entries for boule, gosse, plotte which may prove challenging indeed...
– Jardin de frosted flakes
3 hours ago
add a comment |
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Don't confuse avoir les boules (because of sth) and avoir les couilles (to do sth).
The latter matches to have the balls / the guts.
In the former one, the boules are more the glandes (the expression avoir les glandes exists too).
Despite being originally the same balls we were referring to earlier, these glandes/boules are generally understood nowadays to be the ganglia or the tonsils (on each top sides of the neck).
Someone who a les boules is annoyed, upset, frustrated because of something unpleasant.
On the other hand (no pun intended ;-) ), Reverso translation "tu as les balles ?" would only make sense on a tennis court, a golf course, or similar ;-)
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
Thanks. That last thing you say about 'tu as les balles' is why we ask on SE rather than trust even authoritative translation services or dictionaries.
– Mitch
11 hours ago
2
...and watch out, in Canadian French, les boules as a body part mean "boobs", not "balls" !
– Greg
10 hours ago
2
@Greg not to mention the gosses ;-)
– jlliagre
10 hours ago
1
One also often makes a gripping move on the neck to show that they really ont les boules
– WoJ
6 hours ago
Re: comments on those, see Canada/Quebec entries for boule, gosse, plotte which may prove challenging indeed...
– Jardin de frosted flakes
3 hours ago
add a comment |
Don't confuse avoir les boules (because of sth) and avoir les couilles (to do sth).
The latter matches to have the balls / the guts.
In the former one, the boules are more the glandes (the expression avoir les glandes exists too).
Despite being originally the same balls we were referring to earlier, these glandes/boules are generally understood nowadays to be the ganglia or the tonsils (on each top sides of the neck).
Someone who a les boules is annoyed, upset, frustrated because of something unpleasant.
On the other hand (no pun intended ;-) ), Reverso translation "tu as les balles ?" would only make sense on a tennis court, a golf course, or similar ;-)
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
Thanks. That last thing you say about 'tu as les balles' is why we ask on SE rather than trust even authoritative translation services or dictionaries.
– Mitch
11 hours ago
2
...and watch out, in Canadian French, les boules as a body part mean "boobs", not "balls" !
– Greg
10 hours ago
2
@Greg not to mention the gosses ;-)
– jlliagre
10 hours ago
1
One also often makes a gripping move on the neck to show that they really ont les boules
– WoJ
6 hours ago
Re: comments on those, see Canada/Quebec entries for boule, gosse, plotte which may prove challenging indeed...
– Jardin de frosted flakes
3 hours ago
add a comment |
Don't confuse avoir les boules (because of sth) and avoir les couilles (to do sth).
The latter matches to have the balls / the guts.
In the former one, the boules are more the glandes (the expression avoir les glandes exists too).
Despite being originally the same balls we were referring to earlier, these glandes/boules are generally understood nowadays to be the ganglia or the tonsils (on each top sides of the neck).
Someone who a les boules is annoyed, upset, frustrated because of something unpleasant.
On the other hand (no pun intended ;-) ), Reverso translation "tu as les balles ?" would only make sense on a tennis court, a golf course, or similar ;-)
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
Don't confuse avoir les boules (because of sth) and avoir les couilles (to do sth).
The latter matches to have the balls / the guts.
In the former one, the boules are more the glandes (the expression avoir les glandes exists too).
Despite being originally the same balls we were referring to earlier, these glandes/boules are generally understood nowadays to be the ganglia or the tonsils (on each top sides of the neck).
Someone who a les boules is annoyed, upset, frustrated because of something unpleasant.
On the other hand (no pun intended ;-) ), Reverso translation "tu as les balles ?" would only make sense on a tennis court, a golf course, or similar ;-)
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
edited 2 hours ago
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
answered 12 hours ago
jlliagrejlliagre
63.1k242102
63.1k242102
Thanks. That last thing you say about 'tu as les balles' is why we ask on SE rather than trust even authoritative translation services or dictionaries.
– Mitch
11 hours ago
2
...and watch out, in Canadian French, les boules as a body part mean "boobs", not "balls" !
– Greg
10 hours ago
2
@Greg not to mention the gosses ;-)
– jlliagre
10 hours ago
1
One also often makes a gripping move on the neck to show that they really ont les boules
– WoJ
6 hours ago
Re: comments on those, see Canada/Quebec entries for boule, gosse, plotte which may prove challenging indeed...
– Jardin de frosted flakes
3 hours ago
add a comment |
Thanks. That last thing you say about 'tu as les balles' is why we ask on SE rather than trust even authoritative translation services or dictionaries.
– Mitch
11 hours ago
2
...and watch out, in Canadian French, les boules as a body part mean "boobs", not "balls" !
– Greg
10 hours ago
2
@Greg not to mention the gosses ;-)
– jlliagre
10 hours ago
1
One also often makes a gripping move on the neck to show that they really ont les boules
– WoJ
6 hours ago
Re: comments on those, see Canada/Quebec entries for boule, gosse, plotte which may prove challenging indeed...
– Jardin de frosted flakes
3 hours ago
Thanks. That last thing you say about 'tu as les balles' is why we ask on SE rather than trust even authoritative translation services or dictionaries.
– Mitch
11 hours ago
Thanks. That last thing you say about 'tu as les balles' is why we ask on SE rather than trust even authoritative translation services or dictionaries.
– Mitch
11 hours ago
2
2
...and watch out, in Canadian French, les boules as a body part mean "boobs", not "balls" !
– Greg
10 hours ago
...and watch out, in Canadian French, les boules as a body part mean "boobs", not "balls" !
– Greg
10 hours ago
2
2
@Greg not to mention the gosses ;-)
– jlliagre
10 hours ago
@Greg not to mention the gosses ;-)
– jlliagre
10 hours ago
1
1
One also often makes a gripping move on the neck to show that they really ont les boules
– WoJ
6 hours ago
One also often makes a gripping move on the neck to show that they really ont les boules
– WoJ
6 hours ago
Re: comments on those, see Canada/Quebec entries for boule, gosse, plotte which may prove challenging indeed...
– Jardin de frosted flakes
3 hours ago
Re: comments on those, see Canada/Quebec entries for boule, gosse, plotte which may prove challenging indeed...
– Jardin de frosted flakes
3 hours ago
add a comment |
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This is such an incredibly weird, far-fetched, culturally bizarre attempt at etymology.. And compounded by the insecure equation of balls with aggressivity. Sigh.
– George M
3 hours ago