Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
usine à gaz
English translation:
complicated solution
Added to glossary by
Stephanie Mitchel
Apr 28, 2004 20:17
20 yrs ago
12 viewers *
French term
usine à gaz
French to English
Bus/Financial
Finance (general)
investing
Figuratively speaking - the phrase is used in an article on François Pinault's involuntary partial nationalization at the hands of the French Treasury (Libération, 1997):
"Nos amis inspecteurs des finances ont donc imaginé une superbe usine à gaz : l'EPFR (Etablissement public de financement et de restructuration), une structure tampon chargée de financer les pertes du CDR [Consortium de Réalisation], va elle-même lancer une offre de rachat sur les 24,5% d'Artémis."
"Nos amis inspecteurs des finances ont donc imaginé une superbe usine à gaz : l'EPFR (Etablissement public de financement et de restructuration), une structure tampon chargée de financer les pertes du CDR [Consortium de Réalisation], va elle-même lancer une offre de rachat sur les 24,5% d'Artémis."
Proposed translations
(English)
4 +4 | complicated solution | Mark Nathan |
3 +2 | - | eirinn |
4 | bloated project/dysfunctional project | Hervé du Verle |
3 -1 | gas factory | Marina Kutsnashvili (X) |
1 | quango | CMJ_Trans (X) |
Proposed translations
+4
9 mins
Selected
complicated solution
a wonderfully complicated solution
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
1 min
|
agree |
Guylaine Ingram
1 hr
|
agree |
Charlie Bavington
: or 'unnecessarily complicated solution'
3 hrs
|
agree |
Steve Arra
: Usine à gaz is a generic French expression for over-complicated and costly schemes that tend not to work. It is always used with irony. The most generic English expression is "a white elephant", giving an albino eleph. bringing about recipient's ruin.
932 days
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Thanks, I don't think anyone has ever agreed with me two and half years after a question was asked!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "merci mark!"
+2
11 mins
-
It means that the thing described as an "usine à gaz" is very complicated and usually not quite necessary. It also can mean that it costs a lot of money that may be better spent.
Let's see what the others say.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
sarahl (X)
: eirinn go braz!
23 mins
|
Thank you :)
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|
agree |
Guylaine Ingram
1 hr
|
Thank you:o)
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1 hr
bloated project/dysfunctional project
par exemple
9 hrs
quango
I know quangos are usually something else but I have a vague idea that the term is also loosely used for superfluous institutions, even though I can't find any confirmation of this. I offer this contribution in the hope of learning something myself
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Note added at 2004-04-29 09:10:11 (GMT)
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\"a quango is something like a standards council or committee where the government can influence the appointment of members yet say that the work done or the advice given is \"independent\" - I suppose that the \"Strategic Rail Authority\" or certain national \"Council\"s fit the bill. a quango can have money eg for regional projects (e.g. SEEDA - South East England Development Agency) but the hallmark of a quango is that it purports to carry out a governmental function with the appearance of an independence, which it may not in fact have.
The reason why they are villified to some extent is that being selected to head or steer them is usually a financially lucrative reward for the friends and cronies of the political party in power, often unrelated to ability or expertise. \"
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Note added at 2004-04-29 09:10:11 (GMT)
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\"a quango is something like a standards council or committee where the government can influence the appointment of members yet say that the work done or the advice given is \"independent\" - I suppose that the \"Strategic Rail Authority\" or certain national \"Council\"s fit the bill. a quango can have money eg for regional projects (e.g. SEEDA - South East England Development Agency) but the hallmark of a quango is that it purports to carry out a governmental function with the appearance of an independence, which it may not in fact have.
The reason why they are villified to some extent is that being selected to head or steer them is usually a financially lucrative reward for the friends and cronies of the political party in power, often unrelated to ability or expertise. \"
-1
10 hrs
gas factory
As far as the mentioned financial specialists figured it out, and as soon as it is discussed in terms of privatization, why it cannot be as simple as such? They have just figured out the case and a gas factory is just a model to analyse. The complete solution mentioned above is a meaning of this factory, but I don't think that it is OK to replace the word with its meaning in this case.
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
CMJ_Trans (X)
: because it is a common expression in French with quite another meaning
31 mins
|
disagree |
Steve Arra
: because it is an overcomplicated, costly project akin to a quango, the adjective superbe being extra irony
932 days
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Discussion
Rube Goldberg machine