entre chien et loup
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Calque of Latin inter canem et lupum (“between a dog and a wolf”), because at that time in the day, one can't see the difference. Traditional sentiment, dating to antiquity (found in 2nd century CE texts), in French from the 18th century.[1]
Pronunciation[edit]
Adverb[edit]
- (literally) between a dog and a wolf
- (by extension, idiomatic) at dusk, at twilight; gloaming
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1999, Anna Gavalda, “Petites pratiques germanopratines”, in Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part, →ISBN:
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Entre chien et loup, le boulevard s’est apaisé et les voitures sont en veilleuse.
- At dusk, the boulevard is quiet and the cars have their side lights on.
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- (photography) golden hour (used in same technical sense for “good photographic light at twilight”)
Usage notes[edit]
If used in poetic sense, witching hour, which describes a different time of day, when it is darker, but is similarly idiomatic, may provide a more evocative translation.[2]
Synonyms[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Entre chien et loup, L’Internaute
- ^ Entre chien et loup, Naked Translations, February 6, 2004