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Pas un chat

English translation: Not a soul to be seen, not a cat's chance in hell of anyone appearing ... although it's not cats ...

08:53 Jun 3, 2020
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
French term or phrase: Pas un chat
Help! Here there is a play on words with the French expression "pas un chat" (not a soul?). This is the story of someone lost in the mountains, who fears dogs, and therefore the writer plays with this expression, implying that what he fears is dogs, not cats. If someone finds me a pun that can transcribe this into English, it would be great! It's a real challenge...

Extrait :

"Je n’ai aucune idée de ma position. Ces collines sans horizons ne livrent aucun secret, et leur haleine se fait glacée à mesure que le soleil dégringole. PAS UN CHAT... même si CE NE SONT PAS LES CHATS que je crains. Comme jailli de ma peur, un chien de berger grec apparait soudain, surplombant le talus, à vingt mètres à peine de moi"
Hugues Roumier
France
Local time: 18:50
English translation:Not a soul to be seen, not a cat's chance in hell of anyone appearing ... although it's not cats ...
Explanation:
A suggestion to get the ball rolling. I also though of using 'scaredy-cat' but I don't think the register is correct, looking at the extract you've posted.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2020-06-03 11:04:39 GMT)
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Glad you like it. Strictly speaking, 'not a cat in hell's chance' is the usual phrase: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/not-have...
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/not-a-c...
So you could change it to 'Not a soul to be seen, not a cat in hell's chance of anyone appearing ... although it's not cats ...
Selected response from:

Danielle Coleman
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:50
Grading comment
Thanks Danielle! That was challenging
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +11Not a soul to be seen, not a cat's chance in hell of anyone appearing ... although it's not cats ...
Danielle Coleman
3 +3Not (even) a cat in sight
AllegroTrans
4Cat steps
Anais Devenish
3 -2I was as nervous as a cat on hot bricks
MoiraB


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


55 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -2
I was as nervous as a cat on hot bricks


Explanation:
Or: I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. Or (for either): I was like a cat.... Not the same idea but I took my cue from the fact he's afraid.

MoiraB
France
Local time: 18:50
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: A quite different metaphor, not at all appropriate here, and an awfuly clumsy way to try and shoe-horn it in.
18 mins
  -> Well, that's me told :-) I *did* point out it's a different idea, but unfortunately it's not always possible to find the same image.
disagree  AllegroTrans: Much "too different" an idea
12 hrs
  -> Possibly, but it does tie in with another element in the text.
neutral  Ben Gaia: Yep. That's you told.
2 days 9 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Not (even) a cat in sight


Explanation:
That's all I can make of it

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:50
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Melanie Kathan: Nice and simple. Without the following sentence, I would go with "not a soul in sight," so this works best to me.
1 hr
  -> thanks
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: don't see what the problem is with this?//prefer "to be seen" https://books.google.ie/books?id=-9owDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT133&lpg=P...
2 hrs
  -> thanks
neutral  philgoddard: I don't think this works, because a cat is just an arbitrary object, not commonly found in the wilds of nowhere. They might just as well say computer or swimming pool.
3 hrs
  -> well yes but that's what he says, maybe he's disorientated or having hallucinations....
neutral  MoiraB: agree with Phil. Talking about not seeing a cat is so random in English, whereas it's a well-known phrase in French.
20 hrs
  -> don't you think the whole of this monologue is of a rambling nature?
agree  Eliza Hall: Something like this is the best possible under the circumstances.
1 day 9 hrs
  -> thanks
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +11
Not a soul to be seen, not a cat's chance in hell of anyone appearing ... although it's not cats ...


Explanation:
A suggestion to get the ball rolling. I also though of using 'scaredy-cat' but I don't think the register is correct, looking at the extract you've posted.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2020-06-03 11:04:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Glad you like it. Strictly speaking, 'not a cat in hell's chance' is the usual phrase: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/not-have...
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/not-a-c...
So you could change it to 'Not a soul to be seen, not a cat in hell's chance of anyone appearing ... although it's not cats ...

Danielle Coleman
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:50
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks Danielle! That was challenging
Notes to answerer
Asker: I like it. But is "a cat's chance in hell" an actual English phrase?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: Good idea. I think "cat in hell's chance" flows better.
2 hrs
neutral  ormiston: The wee problem will be tying this in with the dog and the writer's anxiety. Actually you have introduced the idea...
3 hrs
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: "not a cat in hell's chance of anyone appearing" is over-interpretation surely?
3 hrs
agree  Chris Pr: Not a soul to be seen...
6 hrs
agree  EirTranslations
7 hrs
agree  SafeTex: Nice but maybe "not a soul in sight"?
8 hrs
agree  Rocsana Guignaudeau
10 hrs
agree  MoiraB: cat in hell's chance. I don't think it's over-interpretation, as it seems pretty key to get the cat/dog contrast in there.
22 hrs
  -> Thanks - that's what I thought.
agree  James A. Walsh
23 hrs
agree  Rebecca Reddin
1 day 4 hrs
agree  Carolyn Brice
1 day 7 hrs
agree  RBell01
3 days 5 hrs
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1 day 23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Cat steps


Explanation:
If it is a play on words, I am going to refer to the Ballet phrase "pas de chat", which is "step of the cat" or "cat step".

PAS UN CHAT... même si CE NE SONT PAS LES CHATS que je crains. = "Cat steps, although it is not cat steps I fear."

Example sentence(s):
  • Pas de chat
  • Step of (the) cat
Anais Devenish
Australia
Local time: 00:50
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: the text does not say "pas de chat" so why make up a non-existent scenario?
4 hrs
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