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English translation: don't get in a huff

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	prendre la quinte
English translation:	don't get in a huff
Entered by:	Catharine Cellier-Smart

13:19 Mar 2, 2012

French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

French term or phrase: prendre la quinte

This is fiction, set in the 1930s in the underground blues scene.

Two musicians have just had a disagreement. Regardless, one musician tells the other to join him in playing that night. He tells him not to forget his bouzouki, and the other man responds:

"Ne prends pas la quinte!"

I know that there are quartets who played within this group, and that we could be talking about a musical 'fifth', but can't see what the comment means in this context, or why it includes an exclamation point.

The same passage is discussed here, but I'm not sure they have the right end of the stick:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1674480

Nora Mahony KudoZ activity Questions: 47 (1 open) (1 without valid answers) (5 closed without grading) Answers: 49 Ireland
Local time: 23:21

don't get in a huff

Explanation:
suggestion - see my reference comment

This comes from one of my old dictionaries first published in 1934 so it fits with your time period. As far as I know this sort of meaning isn't found in the more recent dictionaries.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2012-03-02 15:28:17 GMT)
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They're not always right - there was a question the other day about "clovisse" which my old dictionary translated as 'cockle' and that's completely wrong (today anyway)!

Selected response from:

Catharine Cellier-Smart
Reunion
Local time: 02:21

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +4

don't get in a huff

Catharine Cellier-Smart

Hey, man -- keep coo!

Anne McConnell

Summary of reference entries provided

Different meanings

Catharine Cellier-Smart

Discussion entries: 6

Answers

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

don't get in a huff

Catharine Cellier-Smart
Reunion
Local time: 02:21
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 79

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Notes to answerer

Asker: I absolutely need a better selection of old dictionaries – this is my second between-the-wars book... Thanks!

1 day 11 hrs confidence:

Hey, man -- keep coo!

Explanation:
In the 4th edition of the Dictionnaire de l'Académie, a "quinte" is a fit of ill humor: "QUINTE, signifie aussi Caprice, bizarrerie, mauvaise humeur qui prend tout d'un coup. Quelle quinte vous a pris? Cet homme est sujet à des quintes. Quand sa quinte le tient. Quand sa quinte le prend." Here I'm trying to express it in the language of a 1930's musician.

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Note added at 1 day11 hrs (2012-03-04 00:53:49 GMT)
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Oops! Typo! That's "Keep cool!"

Anne McConnell
United States
Local time: 15:21
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Reference comments

1 hr peer agreement (net): +1

Reference: Different meanings

Reference information:
Apart from in a musical context, and of course a "quinte de toux", "quinte" can have a number of meanings, although I don't know if any would fit here.

"renvoyer qqn de quinte en quatorze" - to send/drive s.o. from pillar to post
"avoir quinte et quatorze"- to suffer from syphilis (or VD complications)

it can also just mean a caprice, crotchet, or fit of ill-temper.

The last one is probably the most likely here.

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Note added at 1 hr (2012-03-02 14:34:39 GMT)
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I suppose the last meaning could be translated "don't get in a huff"

Catharine Cellier-Smart
Reunion
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 79

Note to reference poster

Asker: Hey now – that looks like a winner. Put in an answer so I can vote for it!

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