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  3. Poetry & Literature

l'oeil revolver

English translation: gunshot gaze

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:l'oeil revolver
English translation:gunshot gaze
Entered by: Barbara Cochran, MFA

02:46 Jun 5, 2007
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Police And Prisoners
French term or phrase: l'oeil revolver
In a poem about street scenes in New York City.

Context:

"...Un camion se vide de ses prisonniers,
Les jambes et les poignets enchaines,
Ils montent dans un autre vehicule,
Sous **l'oeil revolver** des policiers."

Can anyone come up with anything better than "under the revolving eyes of the police?"

Merci!

femme
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 22:06
gunshot eyes
Explanation:
my touch of poetic licence ...
Selected response from:

Alison Jeffries-Thierry
Local time: 12:06
Grading comment
Went with "gunshot gaze." Thanks!
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3trigger-happy/quick-eyed/sharp-eyed gaze/watch .... but
suezen
3 +2gunshot eyes
Alison Jeffries-Thierry
3 +2threatening glare
Melzie
4probing eyes
narasimha (X)
4their eyes shot daggers
Emma Paulay
4gun-cocked eyes
Michele Fauble
4murderous swivelling eye/gaze
Carol Gullidge
3as the police officers give their ready-to-shoot look
MatthewLaSon
3under the service pistol eyes of the police officers
Robert Frankling
3looks-could-kill glare
Alanguelaise
3under the watchful and menacing eye of the police
CMJ_Trans (X)
2piercing
Jana Cole (X)


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
piercing


Explanation:
I'm not much of a poet, but I'm thinking the idea is that the eyes of the police are like guns watching and ready to fire.

the piercing eyes of the police
the glaring eyes of the police

something along those lines

Jana Cole (X)
Local time: 19:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
gunshot eyes


Explanation:
my touch of poetic licence ...

Alison Jeffries-Thierry
Local time: 12:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 3
Grading comment
Went with "gunshot gaze." Thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Najib Aloui: I don't "feel" English as much as a native speaker but I like this..
3 hrs
  -> merci Najib !
agree  jean-jacques alexandre: this is the one I like best also
7 hrs
  -> merci jean-jacques !
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
as the police officers give their ready-to-shoot look


Explanation:
Hello,

This is how I read it.

I think "revolver" means "ready to shoot" here.

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 22:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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46 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
probing eyes


Explanation:
You can use probing or scrutinizing or searching, so that all that gone down one lorry have got into the next vehicle.


narasimha (X)
India
Local time: 07:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
l\'oeil revolver
under the service pistol eyes of the police officers


Explanation:
*

Robert Frankling
Local time: 21:06
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Richard Benham: What's wrong with "revolver eyes"??
11 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
threatening glare


Explanation:
poetry can go just so far.

Melzie
Local time: 04:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nathalie Elson
3 hrs
  -> Thank you, Nathalie.
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X)
9 hrs
  -> thank you, Ingeborg.
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
looks-could-kill glare


Explanation:
Another idea to keep the ball rolling!!

Alanguelaise
France
Local time: 04:06
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
under the watchful and menacing eye of the police


Explanation:
this sort of thing

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2007-06-05 07:52:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

under the BEADY eyes of the police

CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 04:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 94
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
their eyes shot daggers


Explanation:
The policemen's eyes shot daggers at them as they got in the other car..


Emma Paulay
France
Local time: 04:06
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 56

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  CMJ_Trans (X): you LOOK daggers....
6 mins
  -> You shoot looks with daggers in them.http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/shoot
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
trigger-happy/quick-eyed/sharp-eyed gaze/watch .... but


Explanation:
but ....I actually like revolver eyes because this is a poem and you have poetic license to use it as it stands ... revolver sums it all up ... trigger-happy, eyes everywhere at the same time, dangerous etc.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2007-06-05 08:39:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sorry, yes, as CMJ points out and I forgot to mention, it's a French song by Marc Lavoine
he's got revolver eyes he's got a killing look he's the first one who fired he touched me i'm done" si quelqu'un sait de duquel chanson est la lettre s'il ...
fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070521210721AAMJqj1&show=7 - 130k

suezen
Local time: 04:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 82

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Cervin
44 mins
  -> thanks Cervin
agree  Julie Barber: I'd go for 'revolver eyes' too. I think it also literally means that they are armed
1 hr
  -> thanks Julie
agree  katsy: yes, why not 'revolver eyes'; otherwise I like trigger-happy. Bonne journée suezen :-)
5 hrs
  -> thanks Katsy ... you too!
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
gun-cocked eyes


Explanation:
'pistol-cocked eyes'
'revolver-cocked eyes'




Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 19:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 11
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
murderous swivelling eye/gaze


Explanation:
to capture both aspects of "revolver" as I see it

under the murderous swivelling eye/gaze of...

some 'literary' examples - :

Dime Novels -- Jesse James, the OutlawCrack!! went his revolver, directed by the murderous eye that had never been known to miss its deliberate aim, and I, too, stood unharmed. ...
www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/texts/216.html - 13k - Cached - Similar pages

Amazon.com: The 'I' of the Camera: Essays in Film Criticism ...Hitchcock: The Murderous Gaze (Harvard Film Studies) by William Rothman ... Key Phrases - CAPs: The Murderous Gaze, Cary Grant, The Rules of the Game, ...
www.amazon.com/Camera-Criticism-History-Aesthetics-Cambridg... - 117k - Cached -


Maggie’s Tree

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
to catch his beady swivelling eye as she approaches the bar but, with. the briefest of glances, he turns his back on her. She stares at the large ...
www.orionbooks.co.uk/extras/JulieWalters_MaggiesTree.pdf


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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2007-06-06 07:46:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------


OR

swivelling, brutal eyes

their brutal eyes darting about

their mean, piggy eyes darting around (pig also has negative connotations with the police, as well as not being very flattering)



Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 80
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