What does the rude French phrase "putaine la vache" mean? I know it literally means, er, "prostitute the cow", but what is its colloquail meaning?
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ANSWERS: 7
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Probably something like, "You're a whore."
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It actually means to "whore the cow" or use the person as a whore, she sells out, gets used.
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1) In a conversation, a French native speaker (such as me)could just use "putain!" or "la vache!" and eventually "putain! la vache!" to indicate astonishment. It would absolutely not be considered as rude from other French native speakers, as long as it were told in a colloquial context. However, I would not say it in a formal context. This would be the equivalent of "My God!" or "Wow!". 2) Further information about "la vache": http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=87589 "(oh) la vache ! (Familier): expression exprimant le choc, la surprise, l’admiration ou le dépit" Translation: (Familiar): expression expressing shock, surprise, admiration or disappointment. Source: http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/vache 3) Further information about "putain": "(Familier) Juron traduisant la colère, la joie, la peur ou toute autre émotion." Translation: (Familiar) Swearword expressing anger, joy, fear or any other emotion. Source: http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/putain 4) Be *extremely* careful in using swearwords outside of your native language!!!
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Not as rude in French as it seems in translation. Sort of like 'stone the crows' or 'bugger me!' 'put me in a dress and call me shirley!' (Ok i made up that last one).
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There is a very similar expression in Italian: "porca puttana" (more or less: slutty sow). You don't use it AT anyone, it's just a way to express surprise. If a person tells you something amazing, incredible, you might reply with that expression. Or, it is used in a moment of frustration or pain (like if you hit your thumb with a hammer).
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They don`t really go well together. Putaine is pretty close to saying "fuck" in English and vache is just someone or something very mean. You would say "vache" if you saw or smelled something extremely offensive for example.
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Ah! So in Monty Python, when they said "Fetchez la vache" which is an incorrect usage, were they also making a pun?
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