I need the english translation to words found on a rubber stamp with lot's of bunnies.?

Question

lapineau
lapinette
et je tire
sur la
chevillette.

What I've come up doesn't make sense;
boy rabbit
girl rabitt
and I pulled
on the
ankle.

Thank you, I'd like to know for sure before I sent out the cards I'm making with this rubberstamp.

Answer 1

Lapineau et Lapinette are child words for male & female rabbits.

Chevillette is an old word, mostly used in tales. You can find it, for instance, in 'The Little Red Riding Hood': "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up." is translated into French by 'Tire la chevillette et la bobinette cherra'.

I would translate in this way:
Bunny boy
Bunny girl
And I'm pulling the bobbin.

Answer 2

A chevillette is also a wooden peg, such as is attached to the rubber stamp, and "tire" means, in this case, handled. The phrase means that the boy bunny, the girl bunny, and you all handled the stamp's peg (i.e. the three of you all stamped this together). Sounds kind of cute.

Answer 3

That sounds close -- perhaps the ankle reference is more accurately translated as "and I pull on the rabbit's foot" (for good luck).

As I recall, je tire is "I pull", not "I pulled".

Just a thought.

Answer 4

That's a tough one. Tirer also means 'to print/to draw' - which may make more sense - but not much.

PS Tire is 1st and 3rd p.sing. pres. tense, so it's 'and I draw/print/pull'.