Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

jouer du marteau

English translation:

to wield a hammer

Added to glossary by Sonya Mountford-Jones
Mar 2, 2013 22:02
11 yrs ago
French term

jouer du marteau

French to English Other Poetry & Literature Feminism
I'm translating the Haiku below and need some help understanding what "jouer du marteau" could mean in this context, it will obviously affect the way I translate the final line, so I'm a bit stuck until I can figure it out. I'm wondering whether I could render it as: "It sometimes strikes a blow", but I could be way off. Can anyone shed any light on it? Many thanks in advance.

Egalité pro :
Elle joue parfois du marteau
Il soigne les bobos
Proposed translations (English)
2 +4 to wield a hammer

Discussion

Sonya Mountford-Jones (asker) Mar 4, 2013:
Thanks for your input, but I don't think that's the case here. Katsy's suggestion fits in well with the other Haiku I'm working on, so I think that's the way to go.
gkshenaut Mar 4, 2013:
I wonder if « jouer de » is supposed to parallel e.g. « jouer du piano »; that is, marteau as some kind of musical instrument? If so, perhaps a term we might use to indicate casually playing an instrument, like dabble or plink/plunk?

Proposed translations

+4
27 mins
Selected

to wield a hammer

I think (hence low confidence level) that it means that this is sexual equality - in the context of DIY, do it yourself.
She wields the hammer sometimes and he dresses the wounds and scratches ( reversal of sexual stereotypes)

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Note added at 30 mins (2013-03-02 22:32:18 GMT)
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oops, forgot my reference:
http://www.lapresse.ca/le-nouvelliste/actualites/200909/11/0...
Note from asker:
Perfect, thanks! Now that last night's fog has lifted it all looks so much clearer. I'll wait the recommended 24 hours before grading :)
Peer comment(s):

agree Daryo
28 mins
thanks Daryo :-)
agree Claire Mercier
40 mins
Thanks ClaireTech :-)
agree Carol Gullidge : yes, role reversal, although it isn't clear if they're merely dabbling in it. But anyway...
2 hrs
Thanks Carol :-) I get the impression that it is gently mocking... but of course the context is - of stylistic necessity - limited
agree Jean-Luc Dumont : Sometimes, she wields the hammer he does the boo-boo care
1 day 19 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you so much for your help."
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