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passer à l’honneur

English translation: pass close aboard/alongside

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:passer à l’honneur
English translation:pass close aboard/alongside
Entered by: Comunican

12:31 Feb 14, 2011
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - History / Piracy
French term or phrase: passer à l’honneur
"On lance enfin le branle-bas ! Alors que les marins entreposent leurs hamacs et leurs sacs contre le bastingage, la mitraille jaillit des petits canons du sloop et vient balayer le pont. Les hommes tombent comme des mouches et le sang recouvre le tillac. On glisse dessus et on est gêné par les corps. La mer devient noire et rouge autour du Heureux Hasard. Le sloop passe à l’honneur – à ras – derrière la flûte, en fait le tour et aborde à tribord. "

Many thanks
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:41
pass close aboard/alongside
Explanation:
*

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Note added at 37 minutes (2011-02-14 13:09:04 GMT)
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e.g. The ships came close aboard to pass messages

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Note added at 39 minutes (2011-02-14 13:10:58 GMT)
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i.e. as close as possible, without touching, without boarding.
Selected response from:

kashew
France
Local time: 21:41
Grading comment
Many thanks Kashew and everyone; much appreciated
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4pass close aboard/alongside
kashew
4pass alongside (of)
Euqinimod (X)
4cut close astern
Bourth (X)
3 -2to make do without the honour
Kirsten Bodart
Summary of reference entries provided
maritime term
Martin Cassell

  

Answers


36 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
pass close aboard/alongside


Explanation:
*

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 37 minutes (2011-02-14 13:09:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

e.g. The ships came close aboard to pass messages

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 39 minutes (2011-02-14 13:10:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

i.e. as close as possible, without touching, without boarding.

kashew
France
Local time: 21:41
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Many thanks Kashew and everyone; much appreciated

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Martin Cassell: exactly
25 mins
  -> Cheers
agree  B D Finch
5 hrs
agree  emiledgar: alongside
6 hrs
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: alongside
7 hrs
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22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -2
to make do without the honour


Explanation:
I have the impression that it is not an expression per se, but a kind of sarcastic remark at the sloop passing behind a fluyt, both kinds of ships, and thus escaping the canons. 'Passer' as in 'to pass' a question in a game show.

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Note added at 23 mins (2011-02-14 12:55:29 GMT)
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See Wikipedia for the types of ships.

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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-14 13:32:41 GMT)
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And a play on words of course as to the meaning of 'passer'.

Kirsten Bodart
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Martin Cassell: see ref.
41 mins
disagree  B D Finch: Particularly with specialist subjects, guessing/supposing is a bad idea.
5 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pass alongside (of)


Explanation:
On trouve la définition suivante dans le dictionnaire Littré :
"Terme de marine. Faire honneur à un banc, à une roche, en passer près, mais sans le toucher et, pour ainsi dire, en se tenant à une distance respectueuse.
    On dit dans le même sens : ranger à l'honneur les roches, un écueil, etc."

Euqinimod (X)
Local time: 21:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 8
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
cut close astern


Explanation:
My French naval glossary provided by a client many years ago gives:

ranger a l'honneur
pass dangerously close to

So: cut close astern –

As the tow line extends at an low angle from the ferry you must not CUT CLOSE ASTERN or risk hitting the tow line. Bateau Channel narrows ...
www.cruising.ca/thousand/j_docs/th-bateau.html

Cleaning lines by towing >
>> I was doing this with a long warp that had been in Bembridge harbour
>> when somebody CUT CLOSE ASTERN .... fortunately I didnt manage to win
>> the boat fishing contest.

In a busy area like the Solent, would it be worthwhile to attach some kind
of float to the other end of the line to show that it's there?
http://www.sporttaco.com/uk.rec.sailing/Halyard_cleaning_344...

I had a boat CUT CLOSE BEHIND us at high speed while we were trolling a ... and ran to the stern to cut both lines in an attempt to prevent ...
www.boatersed.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=105843

By now, pissed-off boy is buzzing us again, CUTTING IN REAL CLOSE BEHIND Residual. Poor little thing bounces up and down as if she’s gonna jump out of the water
http://www.weekendcruiser.com/st_joe_sound.htm
[read more of the passage to see what's going on]

I had a boat CUT CLOSE BEHIND US at high speed while we were trolling a couple of years ago. Both lines started screaming. I yelled out at the guy (who was oblivious to what he had done), pulled out the knife I keep next to the helm seat, and ran to the stern to cut both lines in an attempt to prevent burning out the drags on both reels.
http://www.boatersed.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=105843


Bourth (X)
Local time: 21:41
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 154
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Reference comments


1 hr
Reference: maritime term

Reference information:
− MAR. Ranger un navire, une terre à l'honneur. ,,Passer avec un navire très près d'un autre navire ou d'une terre sans les toucher`` (Gruss 1952). La brise (...) nous permit de doubler cette île à l'honneur (Dumont d'Urville, Voy. Pôle Sud, t. 4, 1842, p. 331).
[http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/honneur]

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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-14 13:44:31 GMT)
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highly recommend CNRTL/ATILF as a resource for rarer/historical terms

Martin Cassell
United Kingdom
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thanks very much Martin

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