I think it's a set phrase, but I can't find a translation of it anywhere. Context is a novel about a train. It says that no one knows how much they need to pay for a ticket anymore and even the ticket inspectors "s'y melangent les pinceaux". Any help would be greatly appreciated, and, please, no literal translations! Thank you!
2006-10-07 03:37:48 · 14 answers · asked by jammycaketin 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
to get confused during a job of any kind, including jobs organising people.
2006-10-07 03:41:29 · answer #1 · answered by MEAMEAMEA 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Se mélanger les pédales" and "se mélanger les pinceaux" =
to get (oneself) into a muddle (witj sth)
to get (sth) muddlep up
Basically, you use it when you're getting confused about something, and you don't understand things anymore. Here, because the prices of the tickets have changed, and because it's not really clear how much people have to pay (probably discounts for some people but not others, depending at what time you travel, if you get a reservation, etc.), even the ticket
inspector gets confused, and can't really figure out how much that person has to pay.
PS: it's a familiar set phrase (but not slang nor rude). But pretty common.
2006-10-07 04:24:07 · answer #2 · answered by Offkey 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a french idiom ( "se mélanger les pinceaux") that means "get confused".
2006-10-07 10:05:58 · answer #3 · answered by Beauty_Queen 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
se melanger = to mix up together
Les pinceaux = french image to describe the legs
The concept = to mix up both legs
Literaly it means :
to stumble , to trip
By extension of meaning it can be : to get confused, to become erratic, to mix up ideas and fail in a presentation or a speech or an exam ...
2006-10-10 11:10:37 · answer #4 · answered by Sweet Dragon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
literally it means get their brushes mixed up (as in paint brushes)
So I would imagine it is a way of saying they are very confused about the ticket prices themselves. Maybe "Even the Ticket Inspectors are unsure of the correct pricing" would be an appropriate translation
2006-10-07 04:03:43 · answer #5 · answered by langsteacher 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
To get the cart before the horse, or to get everything mixed up. Faffing around not knowing what you're doing and confusing everyone else.
Think about getting the wrong brush in the wrong colour pot...what a mess.
2006-10-07 18:32:48 · answer #6 · answered by anna 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Les pinceaux" are paint brushes and if you get them confused, then the result is a what one might term a right mess! I'd say it meant something of the order of "can't get their act together".
2006-10-07 08:09:56 · answer #7 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well.. it does not make a lot of sense without knowing something more but it is French.. and
Se Melanger: You mix up
les pinceau: The Brushes
You mix up the brushes
2006-10-07 03:43:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Suggest " His eyes crossed " - in confusion perhaps. Beats shaken , not stirred!
2006-10-07 03:53:35 · answer #9 · answered by MIKE D 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
There's a free translator in this blog, also check this Hot Alert: Latest Telecommunication scam http://lost-newbie.blogspot.com/
2006-10-07 03:47:32 · answer #10 · answered by Tashi Khoo 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋