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est à ripiquer sur l'alimentation
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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

se faire lever les jupons

English translation:

to hike up one's petticoat

Added to glossary by Barbara Cochran, MFA
Jun 28, 2007 17:49
16 yrs ago
French term

se faire lever les jupons

French to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature British General Chiding His Servant
Dialogue in a play. A British general is impatient because the servant (Dorotha) hasn't come the first 3 times he has called for her.

Context: "Nom de Dieu, Dorotha! **Vous vous faites lever les jupons en cuisine, ma parole! Voila trois fois que je vous appelle. apportez-moi un petit dejeuner...Et ma bouteille de rhum..."

I know what it means, but I'd like to know if any of you have a very colorful way of expressing this.

Merci beaucoup!

femme
Proposed translations (English)
1 +1 someone getting into your skirts/hiking your skirts
3 +4 (are you) having it off (in the kitchen?)
4 screwing around
3 +1 up to hanky-panky, up to no good
3 to have a tumble
3 having your fanny exposed
3 to have one's underskirts lifted
Change log

Jul 3, 2007 03:23: Barbara Cochran, MFA Created KOG entry

Discussion

Barbara Cochran, MFA (asker) Jun 28, 2007:
I think it's "petticoats" rather than "skirts," in this case.
NancyLynn Jun 28, 2007:
I don't know; hiking your skirts sounds good to me, true to the original and old-fashioned too, with skirts in the plural
CMJ_Trans (X) Jun 28, 2007:
then none of the answers so far will work - they are all too 21st century.
Barbara Cochran, MFA (asker) Jun 28, 2007:
You're right, CMJ_Trans. I should have mentioned that the play takes place in 1776.
CMJ_Trans (X) Jun 28, 2007:
this sounds pretty old-fashioned - probably a period piece. If so, the tone should match

Proposed translations

+1
6 mins
Selected

someone getting into your skirts/hiking your skirts

but don't know if this is what is really meant here...

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Note added at 7 mins (2007-06-28 17:56:43 GMT)
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getting into your pants

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Note added at 9 mins (2007-06-28 17:58:49 GMT)
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getting your rocks off/doing the dirty

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Note added at 16 mins (2007-06-28 18:05:30 GMT)
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stop screwing around and bring me my breakfast (might try this on my wife tomorrow morning...)

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Note added at 24 mins (2007-06-28 18:13:42 GMT)
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someone prying your pinafore??
Peer comment(s):
neutral Richard Benham : I would suggest you consult a lawyer before trying any of those suggestions on your wife.
13 mins
agree NancyLynn : are you hiking your skirts
23 mins
neutral Charlie Bavington : All sound a bit modern to me (NB: OED says "hike" in sense of lift up dates from 19th cent - I appreciate you didn;t know date of piece when you posted your answer, though
1 hr
Something went wrong...
2 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: ""Hiking" is what I was looking for. Thanks."
5 mins

screwing around

or more mildly, fooling around
or more vividly, getting busy, getting laid, wrestling with the help, tearing a strip off, getting a piece (of tail)

tearing a strip off is my husband's contribution
Peer comment(s):
neutral Richard Benham : Slight problems: to me "screwing around" suggests going from one partner to another, she is the help, "getting a piece of tail" is used more for what men do with women than vice versa.... I suppose "getting laid in the kitchen" is good though.
10 mins
neutral Charlie Bavington : just for future ref, "tearing a strip off" in the UK = "to give a severe reprimand to" :-)
1 hr
for Jonathan's answer: hitching your skirts or petticoats, would that work?
Something went wrong...
+4
6 mins

(are you) having it off (in the kitchen?)

or any of the other numerous possibilities for getting laid!

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-06-28 18:50:06 GMT)
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in that case possibilities include fornicating, taking your pleasure, wenching ...

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-06-28 18:51:40 GMT)
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is someone getting into your petticoats?
Peer comment(s):
agree NancyLynn : wenching is good too
1 hr
thanks NancyLynn :-)
agree Charlie Bavington : I thought "wenching" was the activity as seen from the male perspective, but I think "petticoats" is good - "are you showing some knave your petticoats in the kitchen?" - something like that?
1 hr
thanks Charlie ... have found a couple of references to wenching activities by girls but you're probably right there given that wench means young lass! ... Like the knave :-)
agree daruuntje (X) : support the petticoats ;)
4 hrs
thanks daruntje
agree Paul Cohen : with getting into your petticoats
6 hrs
thanks Paul
Something went wrong...
+1
3 hrs

up to hanky-panky, up to no good

"Getting tupped" might be too Shakespearean.

"Fornicating in the kitchen, I'll be damned!"

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Note added at 3 hrs (2007-06-28 21:15:06 GMT)
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Getting up-ended ...

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Note added at 3 hrs (2007-06-28 21:15:32 GMT)
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Sharing your charms ...
Peer comment(s):
agree Ben Gaia : dilly-dallying in that kitchen? skirt around this issue...whatever blows ya skirt up squire!
3 hrs
Would that there were a jupon in sight!//Nowt to get one's knickers in twist over.
Something went wrong...
6 hrs

to have a tumble

tumbled clothes=vêtements chiffonnés and to have a tumble in the hay=folâtrer dans le foin. In French we have the expression "trousser (les jupes d')une femme", literally to tuck her skirts up and get her laid, with the rude French "la culbuter".
Something went wrong...
14 hrs

having your fanny exposed

just a wild guess !
Something went wrong...
20 hrs

to have one's underskirts lifted

Were you having your underskirts hitched up to the waist in the kitchen?
Were you having your skirts lifted in the kitchen?

The term "skirts" actually comprises the outer and under skirts plus the petticoat. Jupon is still often used to designate an ordinary skirt today.

I don't think you need anything more colourful or explicit than that.
Something went wrong...
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