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trop de joker

English translation: many aces left up our sleeve / chances left

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:trop de joker
English translation:many aces left up our sleeve / chances left
Entered by: Brainstorm

12:58 Dec 2, 2010
French to English translations [PRO]
Sports / Fitness / Recreation
French term or phrase: trop de joker
In an interview with a footballer.
The complete sentence reads: "Mais à nous de gagner le maximum de matches car je pense qu’on a plus trop de joker. "

Joker? Wilcard? We'd appreciate your help. Thank you!
Brainstorm
Austria
Local time: 05:01
we don't have many aces left up our sleeve / chances left
Explanation:
"je pense qu’on *n'*a plus trop de joker."

i.e. we don't have many jokers/chances left. If we want to do well in this competition, we simply have to start winning a few more matches.

Jokers used figuratively here in a similar context to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". If you can no longer "phone a friend", "ask the audience", "50/50", etc., you have to answer the questions right for yourself.

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Note added at 21 mins (2010-12-02 13:20:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Nothing to do with wildcards in this particular context.
Selected response from:

Colin Rowe
Germany
Local time: 05:01
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4we don't have many aces left up our sleeve / chances left
Colin Rowe
4 +2running low on trump cards
Sarah Bessioud
4 +1much in reserve
kashew
3not many get out of jail free cards left
Sandra Mouton
3 -1substitute/replacement
Linda Sansome (X)
Summary of reference entries provided
wildcard definition in sporting context
Catharine Cellier-Smart
Context:
kashew

Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
we don't have many aces left up our sleeve / chances left


Explanation:
"je pense qu’on *n'*a plus trop de joker."

i.e. we don't have many jokers/chances left. If we want to do well in this competition, we simply have to start winning a few more matches.

Jokers used figuratively here in a similar context to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". If you can no longer "phone a friend", "ask the audience", "50/50", etc., you have to answer the questions right for yourself.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2010-12-02 13:20:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Nothing to do with wildcards in this particular context.

Colin Rowe
Germany
Local time: 05:01
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  James Calder: Definitely "chances" Colin. You'd only used "jokers" in a footballing context to describe the England team.
19 mins
  -> Good point! Thanks!
agree  Colin Morley (X)
1 hr
  -> Thanks from one Colin to another!
agree  philgoddard: Definitely prefer your first suggestion as it preserves the card-playing metaphor perfectly.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks! Second option essentially a "plain text" explanation of the first.
agree  Verginia Ophof
4 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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37 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
running low on trump cards


Explanation:
Another option, often used in football when chances are running low, hope is dwindling and things are looking desperate.

http://football.uk.reuters.com/teams/t413/news/2010/07/07/LD...
Spain still possess all the trump cards

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:YJTMp7Z...
York took the lead, making the score 6-5. York now only needed one more victory to take home the trophy. Their pool of players however was drying up, and they were running out of trump cards


Sarah Bessioud
Germany
Local time: 05:01
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 40

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  amanda solymosi: I don't see a problem with this, matches the French version more accurately.
2 hrs
  -> Thank you Amanda
agree  philippe vandevivere: definitely
4 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
substitute/replacement


Explanation:
I really am not sure about this at all - but it may mean a substitute or replacement player - I am thinking of the context of TF1 at the moment (see refs.) where Harry Roselmack is the 'joker' for Laurence Ferrari, the regular news reader on TF1. I have also included a ref. to the joker needed for Rennes - that is a football context. (Another below.)
www.eurosport.fr/football/ligue-des-champions/2010-2011/nou...


    Reference: http://actualites.leparisien.fr/huit_laurence+ferrari.html
    Reference: http://www.rmc.fr/editorial/127602/quel-joker-pour-rennes/
Linda Sansome (X)
France
Local time: 05:01
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  David Goward: "Joker" has 2 meanings, a new recruit to replace an injured player being one of them. The Eurosport link however uses the term in the same way as the Q, i.e. being in a position where the team can afford to lose without affecting their long-term chances.
1 day 32 mins
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
much in reserve


Explanation:
*points or strong players

kashew
France
Local time: 05:01
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 62

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charlie Bavington: the points lead and games in hand all frittered away such that are left with 1 game in hand and are effectively marking time, as it says. "Reserve" seems decent enough to refer to their fast disappearing advantage they have wasted.
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, C.
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4 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
not many get out of jail free cards left


Explanation:
This is the idea but I am not sure how it sounds to native ears.

Sandra Mouton
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:01
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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Reference comments


5 mins
Reference: wildcard definition in sporting context

Reference information:
"Sports .
of, being, or including an unseeded or unproven participant or team, as a team in a championship tournament that has not placed first in its league or area."
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wildcard

HTH

Catharine Cellier-Smart
Reunion
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 41
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2 hrs peer agreement (net): +3
Reference: Context:

Reference information:
"Même si Rennes traverse une période difficile (cinq points pris lors des six dernières journées), vous pouvez redevenir leader en cas de succès au Vélodrome...
Nicolas Douchez : C'est surtout une façon de relativiser la défaite de Lorient. On se fait beaucoup critiquer pour notre jeu, notre revers à Lorient, par ci, par ça... Mais si on gagne notre match en retard, on sera en tête ! Et ce sera notre façon à nous de dire qu'on n'est pas si nuls que ça ! On marque certes le pas, mais on reste dans la course, dans les équipes du haut du classement. On avait un matelas en cas de baisse de forme... Là, on n'a plus trop de joker. A nous de repartir vite de l'avant."

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Note added at 2 heures (2010-12-02 15:54:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"matelas" = "cushion" of points in hand?

kashew
France
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 62

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Yolanda Broad: Nice solution.
4 hrs
  -> Thank you
agree  Charlie Bavington: I'd be careful how you use "in hand" (usu. = played fewer matches than the rest), but cushion is bang on. They don't have much "joker" left because they have frittered away the points cushion & only have one game in hand.
8 hrs
agree  David Goward: I like Charlie's suggestion of "frittering away".
22 hrs
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