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Jacques Herzog y Pierre de Meuron
Travailleuse

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

cow-boy de comptoir

English translation:

barroom brawler/hellraiser

Added to glossary by Carol Gullidge
Apr 9, 2008 13:57
16 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

cow-boy de comptoir

French to English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters metaphor used in interview
Si je veux faire le bilan de ma vie, je dois tenir compte des sept dernières années, je n'en suis pas très fier..." Silence. Silence encore. Il a des choses sur le cœur, ____** le cow-boy de comptoir**_____ Brusquement, changement de ton: il raconte une histoire sur XXX...

________

a film actor reminiscing over his rather wild past. It would help if I only knew what "comptoir" refers to - bar brawls, possibly? He was well known for drinking, brawling, womanising...

Once again, no g-hits, so assume that this is another creative invention of the author. Any help would be much appreciated - many thanks!
Proposed translations (English)
4 barroom brawler
4 +2 drugstore cowboy
3 +1 Pretend cow-boy
4 two-bit cowboy
3 bar-stool baddy
3 pillar of the bar
3 Lager Lout
3 bar jockey
2 Tresen Cowboy

Discussion

Carol Gullidge (asker) Apr 17, 2008:
Thanks so much, everybody!
This was really hard to grade, as there are so many great suggestions. The fact that you're pretty much split down the middle regarding the actual meaning hasn't made it any easier! In fact, I was veering towards the wannabe cowboy side, but the client eventually went for "barroom hellraiser", which suits the character down to a Tl. Sheila, Emma, celandine, Joanne, and CMJ all came close to this, in various ways.
Carol Gullidge (asker) Apr 10, 2008:
Oh dear! This is really difficult, as you're split right down the middle. He's either a wannabe cowboy, or a bar-room hell raiser! But it's hard to reconcile the two into one sensible answer. At the moment, not counting agrees, it's 4-all. I might have to put this to the client for adjudication...
Carol Gullidge (asker) Apr 9, 2008:
Wow! What a lot of lovely answers - some of which really gave me a chuckle. And, come to think of it, a bit of subtle irony wouldn't go amiss in this article. Thanks, everyone, so far!
Julie Barber Apr 9, 2008:
more a drunken bad boy in English? a bar fly, but trouble causing....!
Carol Gullidge (asker) Apr 9, 2008:

Not sure what a "bar-room cowboy" is, but wonder if it might fit the bill...

Proposed translations

5 hrs
Selected

barroom brawler

Retains the spirit of the original French expression, and the alliteration. A well-known term that makes you think of Westerns, cowboys and shoot-outs, but also the modern-day equivalents.

barroom - Encyclopedia.com
- [ Traduire cette page ]
U.S. News & World Report; 1/28/1991; Duffy, Brian Lief, Louise; 796 words; A barroom brawler, he may turn to terror next Even if the United States and its ...
www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-barroom.html

Barroom Brawler's Baby Born Drunk
- [ Traduire cette page ]
Barroom Brawler's Baby Born Drunk. ... Barroom Brawler's Baby Born Drunk. Sunday October 5, 2003. A New York woman who went into labor during a barroom ...
alcoholism.about.com/b/2003/10/05/barroom-brawlers-baby-born-drunk.htm
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thanks, Sheila! This is the closest to what was eventually accepted - perhaps because it best fits the personality concerned"
+1
3 mins

Pretend cow-boy

just for show at the bar but not the real guy.

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Note added at 4 mins (2008-04-09 14:02:50 GMT)
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or bar-room ball-room cowboy if he dresses up just for the occasion.
Note from asker:
thanks for the convincing suggestion!
Peer comment(s):
neutral Julie Barber : I don't think it's pretend, but bad behavoir at the bar counter and the surrounds!
1 hr
not necessarily bad behavior.
agree Claire Chapman : This is what it is, someone who sits at the bar as if he were a cowboy but who never actually does the work of a cowboy; but, it's not what we say :-)
5 hrs
Thank you Claire.
neutral writeaway : pretend isn't a word I'd use in the context. sounds childlike and not terrible masculine.
9 hrs
Something went wrong...
6 mins

Tresen Cowboy

don't know much about the person you are writing about, but if his past includes heavy drinking etc. this might fit, low confidence level, as I don't know anything about the context hope it gets the ball rolling; the expression seems to be "home-made"
Note from asker:
thanks Ingeborg! I couldn't have used Tresen, but your answer was helpful nevertheless!
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : afaik Tresen is a German word, not used in En
41 mins
Something went wrong...
20 mins

bar-stool baddy

I think it's just a vague reference to the time spent being a bad boy in bars. Cow-boy is just for alliteration with comptoir IMO.

Bad boy of the bars...
Note from asker:
thanks Emma! I love the alliteration, and, not for the first time, really wish one could dish out double the points, and split them! This was pretty close...
Something went wrong...
53 mins

pillar of the bar

is probably all they mean
Note from asker:
thanks CMJ! I think the irony of the unexpected juxtaposition (pillar of society/wisdom) could have gone down well. I like it!
Something went wrong...
1 hr

Lager Lout

Maybe this would be another way of putting it - keeping the alliteration
Note from asker:
thanks Joanne! A nice idea, although I think this bloke is probably more the bourbon type. I should have mentioned that before!
Something went wrong...
+2
1 hr

drugstore cowboy

Is not this just a French translation of the American expression "drugstore cowboy" which means a make-believe cowboy?
Note from asker:
thanks emil! I agree with the idea, although celandine has a point about connotations - possibly due to a film with that theme?
Peer comment(s):
agree Claire Chapman : or urban cowboy http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bar cowboy
4 hrs
Oui, merci.
agree Ladda McLaren
4 hrs
Thank you.
neutral celandine : this has drug/medication connotations
1 day 5 hrs
Not to my knowledge; drugstore being the social gathering place of a small town (at the counter). the drugstore is a pharmacy and general store all in one.
Something went wrong...
16 hrs

two-bit cowboy

The expression immediately made me thing of that other popular French expression "philosopheur de comptoir" - the person leaning against the bar, after one drink too many, who will insist on putting the world and everyone else to rights but it's really just that much hot air.

Here, I think this man is saying he thought he was rough and tough like a cowboy but it was all just for show, all bravado.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2008-04-10 06:45:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, "think of" with a K!
Note from asker:
thanks Sandra! I like this too - if the client hadn't opted to go down the other route!
Something went wrong...
1 day 6 hrs

bar jockey

someone who spends a lot of time at the bar - like a bar fly - seems a bit tame compared to the French and lacks the imagery - however drugstore cowboy is sth different and would imply some kind of addiction to medication/drugs... so perhaps not appropriate

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Note added at 1 day7 hrs (2008-04-10 21:18:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

bar stool cowboy - American bf's suggestion : )
Note from asker:
thanks celandine - another great idea!
Something went wrong...
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