Please, help me to find an appropriate equivalent!
Edit: To "knife and fork" a problem, in the English language, means to "give it a try," perhaps without expecting good results, or with low expectations. Source: The Guardian
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2It would be helpful to explain what "kinfe and fork" means in office slang.– GregCommented Aug 4, 2020 at 4:29
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2One of many food-related phrases that have polluted the office lexicon in the past 10 years, to ” knife-and-fork” a problem means to deal with it bit by bit. “We’ll have to knife and fork it,” a beleaguered manager might cry. If you’ve been urged to “eat your own dogfood” (sample your own products) or “eat some reality sandwich” (be realistic), you might probably prefer a new job.– Darya ParshinaCommented Aug 4, 2020 at 5:14
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3got it, and I have a possible answer in mind. I strongly advise you to edit your question and add that definition, I expect it will call for more answers.– GregCommented Aug 4, 2020 at 6:31
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Hi and welcome to French Language SE! Could you please add the clarification from your comment to the question itself? The question itself currently looks to much like a translation request without context and is therefore at risk of being closed.– Tsundoku ♦Commented Aug 7, 2020 at 8:47
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3 Answers
If you want to keep a food-related word, the verb saucissonner may be adequate. Literally, it means "to divide in slices, like a sausage", but is frequently used in French office slang.
It sometimes has a negative connotation, as it can imply that the "slicing" was done for questionable reasons, or with no transparency, or just for the sake of splitting responsibilities, etc.
Le management a décidé de saucissonner le projet, et il y a maintenant 5 chefs de projet et 5 équipes qui travaillent dessus.
Not equivalent as far as being slang is concerned but otherwise, an expression used to positively describe this kind of approach to solve a problem (deal with it bit by bit) is:
- Procéder par étapes
Si l'on veut conserver une expression imagée, je dirais
- Avancer pas à pas
- Avancer (poser) un pied après l'autre
