Tell me more ×
French Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the French language. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 6 down vote favorite

I find it means something like "sudden rage", but i am a bit confused about the usage:

Syrie : le coup de sang de l'ambassadeur de France

in this article on lefigaro.fr. The ambassador doesn't seem really mad in the video...

share|improve this question
The FAQ is not ready yet, but on the French Language & Usage Meta there is a discussion about its content. This is a simple translation question and it seems it's not accepted. Maybe if you provide your translation efforts, it can have a bigger chance to stay open. – Alenanno Dec 13 '11 at 11:18
4  
@Alenanno I'm not sure about this being a "simple translation"; "coup de sang" seems to be one of the many "coup de..." French idioms that have a meaning other than the literal translation; in this case, it seems to mean something like "rush of blood to the head" or "seeing red". Is that translation "simple"? Note that the top-rated FAQ suggestion contains this: "Asking about the meaning of a difficult French sentence is fine". That's what's being done here, IMHO. – Jez Dec 13 '11 at 15:05
@Jez I see... Mine was just an observation. If it's on topic, no problem for me! :) – Alenanno Dec 13 '11 at 15:10
The question is not very well asked. It should go something like Why can we say the ambassador is outraged? It seems to me OP needs help on understanding oral French. Now, is this part of FL&U? We could try rephrase or retag question. – Laure Dec 13 '11 at 19:40
1  
@Laure I think the question on topic and well asked. If coup de sang is violente émotion, violente colère (from Larousse), I don't understand the title in the Figaro either, because on the video extract, he does not seem violently outraged. – rds Dec 14 '11 at 15:55
show 1 more comment

2 Answers

up vote 0 down vote accepted

In an attempt to sum up the information I wind more useful among what said in the various comments I am answering my own question.

Coup de sang may be translated with:

rush of blood to the head,

seeing red,

sudden rage

In the article the expression is used in an hyperbolic way.

share|improve this answer
You can wipe out the "probably". Coup de sang is not used here in its literal sense which is the colloquial term to describe the medical condition known "accident vasculaire cérébral". Although "rush of blood to the head" is sometimes used in English, we generally find "apoplectic fit" or "stroke". As for the figurative sense I find that the translation you gave in your question sudden rage is much better than seeing red. But let's leave it to EL&U. – Laure Dec 15 '11 at 7:48
up vote 5 down vote

Un ambassadeur maitrise ses émotions, ça fait partie de son personnage. Il ne faut pas juger de son coup de sang à ce qu'on voit mais à ce qui est dit. Il prononce scandale et scandaleux trois fois en trente secondes : ça suffit à mon avis pour dire qu'il a un coup de sang !

The ambassador might not look as if in a rage because mastering one's own feelings is part of an ambassador's training. So you mustn't judge on looks but on what is being said. If an ambassador says scandale (scandal) and scandaleux (scandalous) three times in thirty seconds you can say he is outraged.

share|improve this answer
I'm sorry but this answer is not really pertinent for me. It addresses just the part "The ambassador doesn't seem really mad in the video..." which is not really the part of the question about French language. Could you, for example, say that coup de sang is usually employed to describe a situation in which the appearance is different from the real feelings of a person? Or, maybe, is it usual in French language to address ones thoughts or feelings instead of more objective universal and perceptions? Or maybe the article writer just used an hyperbole? – Paolo Dec 13 '11 at 21:40
3  
You can use coup de sang for all kind of ires, from a contained anger to a sudden burst of shouting. As Laure was saying, it isn't really apparent in that case because you won't get an angrier stance from a diplomat than the one seen in the video. – Stamm Dec 13 '11 at 22:11
@Paolo: You said you understood the figurative meaning of coup de sang and apparently you do. So I answered the part concerning the French language you did not seem to understand. The rest is a question of behaviour and feelings, not of language. – Laure Dec 14 '11 at 6:39
@Stamm maybe from a real diplomat not, but it is not uncommon to see politicians to fight in the parliament (at least in Italy :P). As well, at the UN someone like Chavez or Ahmadinejad would be more vehement. Anyway I originally asked for the translation of the expression. I changed the question to show some effort, but it has been a bad idea. Getting an accurate translation of the expression would have be perfect for me. Now seems a bit late to me to modify the question again, so I will just resign myself about it. – Paolo Dec 14 '11 at 9:25
D'accord pour la violence verbale. Par parenthèse, je ne trouve pas qu'il s'exprime particulièrement bien... Outre, l'inadvertance initiale, il existe tout de même des synonymes pour scandaleux – rds Dec 14 '11 at 16:01

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.