Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
la facétie
English translation:
humorous side
Added to glossary by
Taghreed Mahmoud
May 5, 2023 15:24
1 yr ago
43 viewers *
French term
Egypt
My Passion: Legal Language
Native in: Arabic 
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, English
la facétie
French to English
Art/Literary
Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
Dear all,
Could someone help me please understand the word "la facétie" in the following context?
Les connaisseurs apprécieront la facétie de cette œuvre aux formes en apparence si sages, qui porte encore en elle l’étincelle des Années folles.
The sentence is so vague for me that I can't get the meaning. I would highly appreciate it if someone could kindly rephrase or explain it in English.
Thank you so much in advance ..
Could someone help me please understand the word "la facétie" in the following context?
Les connaisseurs apprécieront la facétie de cette œuvre aux formes en apparence si sages, qui porte encore en elle l’étincelle des Années folles.
The sentence is so vague for me that I can't get the meaning. I would highly appreciate it if someone could kindly rephrase or explain it in English.
Thank you so much in advance ..
Proposed translations
(English)
References
| witticism |
José Patrício
|
Proposed translations
49 mins
Nicolas Gambardella
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in French
United Kingdom
Going the extra mile for premium results
Native in: French (Variants: Swiss, Belgian, Standard-France, Luxembourgish, Canadian)
Works in: English to French, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
humorous side
I do not think "facétie" has anything to do with "facettes" here (there might be a pun, but it would be pretty stretched). It means that despite a clean appearance, the shapes are actually pretty funny.
"Connoisseurs will appreciate the humorous side of this work, which shapes at first sight sensible still carry the sparkle of the Roaring Twenties."
"Connoisseurs will appreciate the humorous side of this work, which shapes at first sight sensible still carry the sparkle of the Roaring Twenties."
Note from asker:
| I am grateful to you for your clear explanation .. Million thanks |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
11 mins
FPC
Works in field
it means it's not to be taken too seriously, light to the point of being even farcical
there you go
Note from asker:
| Thank you so much |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
philgoddard
: I agree, but we're looking for a translation.
21 mins
|
|
Ok, I thought she asked whether someone could explain in plain English
|
+1
30 mins
philgoddard
United States
United States
Native in English
Specializes in field
United States
Six languages into flawless English
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
61
whimsicality
This is about a glass bowl. Its hard to be sure without seeing it, sounds like it's quite formal in style, but with jazzy, humorous notes harking back to the années folles, the Roaring Twenties. Facétie means prank or practical joke.
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/french-englis...
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/french-englis...
Note from asker:
| Can't thank you enough .. |
+1
1 day 8 hrs
Jennifer Levey
Chile
Chile
Native in English
Chile
Human-scale Globalization
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
playfulness
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/playfuln...
the quality of being funny and not serious:
She plays the part with a childlike playfulness.
The book combines complex plots with linguistic playfulness.
the quality of being funny and not serious:
She plays the part with a childlike playfulness.
The book combines complex plots with linguistic playfulness.
Note from asker:
| Thank you so much |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
philgoddard
: This is just a synonym of my answer.
13 hrs
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So what?
|
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| agree |
ormiston
: Sorry Jennifer, I've just posted my suggestion without noticing yours!
14 hrs
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Great minds ... and all that :)
|
1 day 23 hrs
The playful(nes)...
The playful blend/juxtaposition of its sober form and glittery hints of the twenties
My final contribution!
My final contribution!
2 days 1 hr
jocularity, facetiousness
I think this is much stronger than "whimsicality", "playfulness" or "not to be taken too seriously".
It is worthwhile looking up the word in TLFi (http://stella.atilf.fr ): "Plaisanterie d'un comique un peu gros qui se traduit par des gestes, actions ou paroles destinés à faire rire ou à récréer."; "Caractère comique d'une chose.".
It denotes unsubtle, coarse humour typical of farce.
The possibility that the author doesn't understand the meaning can't of course be ruled out: that could only be determined from contextual clues.
It is worthwhile looking up the word in TLFi (http://stella.atilf.fr ): "Plaisanterie d'un comique un peu gros qui se traduit par des gestes, actions ou paroles destinés à faire rire ou à récréer."; "Caractère comique d'une chose.".
It denotes unsubtle, coarse humour typical of farce.
The possibility that the author doesn't understand the meaning can't of course be ruled out: that could only be determined from contextual clues.
Note from asker:
| Thank you so much |
Reference comments
34 mins
Reference:
witticism
qui porte encore en elle l’étincelle de Années folles:
Je pense que 'witticism ' c'est la traduction que convient parce que:
étincelle:
Littéraire. Étincelle de vie, un peu de vie, une lueur de vie (Larousse)
Manifestation brève et brillante.
Exemple : Une étincelle d'intelligence. (Dictionnaire français)
facétie [fasesi]- witticism - https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/facét...
Synonyms of witticism
: a cleverly witty and often biting or ironic remark - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witticism
witty : marked by or full of clever humor or wit - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witty
wit - 1 a: the ability to relate seemingly disparate (divers) things so as to illuminate or amuse
Je pense que 'witticism ' c'est la traduction que convient parce que:
étincelle:
Littéraire. Étincelle de vie, un peu de vie, une lueur de vie (Larousse)
Manifestation brève et brillante.
Exemple : Une étincelle d'intelligence. (Dictionnaire français)
facétie [fasesi]- witticism - https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/facét...
Synonyms of witticism
: a cleverly witty and often biting or ironic remark - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witticism
witty : marked by or full of clever humor or wit - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witty
wit - 1 a: the ability to relate seemingly disparate (divers) things so as to illuminate or amuse
Note from asker:
| Thank you so much for your time and effort .. so kind of you indeed .. I appreciate your explanation .. |
Discussion
There's a disconnect between the content and the style.
The artist is playing a little game of cache-cache.