Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Dec 21, 2010 21:50
13 yrs ago
French term
Spain
20 years producing 100% natural English
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: English, French to English
plouf
French to English
Science
Meteorology
cumulus clouds / thermals / gliding
There's one reference to "plouf" in KudoZ Eng>Fr, here: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_french/general_conversa...
However, I'm sure "dunking booth" doesn't fit the context here and I can't really see how to treat it as onomatopoeic e.g. splash. It's used three times in a long text about how paragliders can make the best use of the thermals found in and around cumulus clouds.
Here is the context around each usage:
3°) Avec un écart faible et se résorbant en 1000 à 1500m d’élévation:
Il faut beaucoup de soleil pour produire des thermiques mais qui s’étiolent avec l’altitude. Les cumulus ont un développement vertical faible à moyen. La, c’est faiblement instable, attention aux *** ploufs. ***
4°) Avec un écart inexistant ou très faible (se résorbant sur quelques centaines de mètres):
Ce sera juste *** un plouf. ***
....
b) L’iso-thermie est épaisse, au dessus existe un gradient thermique peu favorable à la croissance d’un thermique, et l’ensoleillement est modeste : il est fort probable que cela produise les mêmes effets qu’une situation stable, ou avec inversion. Ca sent *** le plouf *** à plein nez.
However, I'm sure "dunking booth" doesn't fit the context here and I can't really see how to treat it as onomatopoeic e.g. splash. It's used three times in a long text about how paragliders can make the best use of the thermals found in and around cumulus clouds.
Here is the context around each usage:
3°) Avec un écart faible et se résorbant en 1000 à 1500m d’élévation:
Il faut beaucoup de soleil pour produire des thermiques mais qui s’étiolent avec l’altitude. Les cumulus ont un développement vertical faible à moyen. La, c’est faiblement instable, attention aux *** ploufs. ***
4°) Avec un écart inexistant ou très faible (se résorbant sur quelques centaines de mètres):
Ce sera juste *** un plouf. ***
....
b) L’iso-thermie est épaisse, au dessus existe un gradient thermique peu favorable à la croissance d’un thermique, et l’ensoleillement est modeste : il est fort probable que cela produise les mêmes effets qu’une situation stable, ou avec inversion. Ca sent *** le plouf *** à plein nez.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 | turkey, land in the turkey patch |
Bourth (X)
|
| 5 | air pocket |
jardinero
|
| 4 | downdraft |
cc in nyc
|
| 3 | air pocket |
B D Finch
|
References
| plouf |
polyglot45
|
Proposed translations
40 mins
Selected
turkey, land in the turkey patch
But only if you're South African, I think.
• Plouf: nom masc. bruit caracteristique d'aquarissage d'un parapentiste qui préfère se poser dans une rivière, un lac , la mer plutôt que de faire comme tout le monde, un atterrissage sur l'attéro officiel Voir sens homonyme du mot "tas" plus haut, à la rubrique <faire un "tas"> (remarque: comme aurait dit ©Descartes: "toutes les hypothèses se recoupent")
http://desencyclopedie.wikia.com/wiki/Parapente
Un plouf est un vol durant lequel LE PARAPENTE NE FAIT QUE PERDRE DE L'ALTITUDE.
On peut faire un plouf PARCEQU'ON N'A PAS REUSSI A TROUVER/EXPLOITER LES ASCENDANCES ou en LES FUYANT VOLONTAIREMENT pour faire un tranquille vol contemplatif ou des exercices de pilotage. Tout parapentiste débute sa carrière par quelques dizaines de ploufs pour acquérir un niveau de pilotage suffisant pour se frotter aux turbulences associées aux ascendances thermiques.
Dans une masse d'air stable ou en début de journée lorsque la convection thermique n'est pas encore suffisamment en place les vols se résument souvent à des ploufs.
Le plouf s'intègre très bien dans la pratique du vol rando, lorsqu'après une longue montée il est agréable de faire un vol tranquille en contemplant le paysage plutôt que de consacrer de l'énergie à exploiter des ascendances.
http://www.wiki-parapente.fr/wiki/Plouf
I found that the "turkey patch" is the designated landing zone for people that don't find lift, so looked for "turkeying" and found this :
On several flights at Porterville and other sites in Cape Town, I managed to get away where others TURKEYED, topped out higher than the rest, and made transitions I would have thought impossible on my Jumbe.
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2326
However, "turkey patch" and therefore "turkey" as a verb seems to be distinctly South Offrikan:
as a rule, on days that i am dressed in arctic clothing, i usually end up sweating and cursing in the TURKEY PATCH at the bottom
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=71935
If you are a mega competitive racing pilot you get to bomb out in TURKEY PATCH on the first day and ...
www.eternitypress.co.za/freshair/compclass.htm
The possibilities are endless but I in the meantime would just be happy to “foefie” (fly straight down to landing) down to THE TURKEY PATCH [ ... ] The real pilots were waiting for the ‘conditions to be right’. Finally I get the all clear and get airborne without publicly humiliating myself. I fly out and immediately hit some lift which my brother on take off assured me drew a gasp from the crowd who noticing the lift suddenly got eager to get airborne. I floated high above the endless fields of the farmlands, ALL TOO SOON LOSING HEIGHT (unlike those real pilots now circling high above) AND LANDING IN THE TURKEY PATCH. Rather chuffed with my ‘little foefie I returned to takeoff and with conditions getting considerably stronger, my flying was done – time to watch the pros in action
http://www.livecapetown.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Lea...
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Note added at 45 mins (2010-12-21 22:36:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Yes, I realize that first ref. IS in the Désencyclopédie, but I still can't help thinking it's true to at least some extent.
• Plouf: nom masc. bruit caracteristique d'aquarissage d'un parapentiste qui préfère se poser dans une rivière, un lac , la mer plutôt que de faire comme tout le monde, un atterrissage sur l'attéro officiel Voir sens homonyme du mot "tas" plus haut, à la rubrique <faire un "tas"> (remarque: comme aurait dit ©Descartes: "toutes les hypothèses se recoupent")
http://desencyclopedie.wikia.com/wiki/Parapente
Un plouf est un vol durant lequel LE PARAPENTE NE FAIT QUE PERDRE DE L'ALTITUDE.
On peut faire un plouf PARCEQU'ON N'A PAS REUSSI A TROUVER/EXPLOITER LES ASCENDANCES ou en LES FUYANT VOLONTAIREMENT pour faire un tranquille vol contemplatif ou des exercices de pilotage. Tout parapentiste débute sa carrière par quelques dizaines de ploufs pour acquérir un niveau de pilotage suffisant pour se frotter aux turbulences associées aux ascendances thermiques.
Dans une masse d'air stable ou en début de journée lorsque la convection thermique n'est pas encore suffisamment en place les vols se résument souvent à des ploufs.
Le plouf s'intègre très bien dans la pratique du vol rando, lorsqu'après une longue montée il est agréable de faire un vol tranquille en contemplant le paysage plutôt que de consacrer de l'énergie à exploiter des ascendances.
http://www.wiki-parapente.fr/wiki/Plouf
I found that the "turkey patch" is the designated landing zone for people that don't find lift, so looked for "turkeying" and found this :
On several flights at Porterville and other sites in Cape Town, I managed to get away where others TURKEYED, topped out higher than the rest, and made transitions I would have thought impossible on my Jumbe.
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2326
However, "turkey patch" and therefore "turkey" as a verb seems to be distinctly South Offrikan:
as a rule, on days that i am dressed in arctic clothing, i usually end up sweating and cursing in the TURKEY PATCH at the bottom
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=71935
If you are a mega competitive racing pilot you get to bomb out in TURKEY PATCH on the first day and ...
www.eternitypress.co.za/freshair/compclass.htm
The possibilities are endless but I in the meantime would just be happy to “foefie” (fly straight down to landing) down to THE TURKEY PATCH [ ... ] The real pilots were waiting for the ‘conditions to be right’. Finally I get the all clear and get airborne without publicly humiliating myself. I fly out and immediately hit some lift which my brother on take off assured me drew a gasp from the crowd who noticing the lift suddenly got eager to get airborne. I floated high above the endless fields of the farmlands, ALL TOO SOON LOSING HEIGHT (unlike those real pilots now circling high above) AND LANDING IN THE TURKEY PATCH. Rather chuffed with my ‘little foefie I returned to takeoff and with conditions getting considerably stronger, my flying was done – time to watch the pros in action
http://www.livecapetown.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Lea...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 45 mins (2010-12-21 22:36:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Yes, I realize that first ref. IS in the Désencyclopédie, but I still can't help thinking it's true to at least some extent.
Note from asker:
| Actually, I found your first ref really useful. A lot of terms from my text are in there correctly, if somewhat weirdly, defined. I think the turkey is actually a red herring, though.:-) |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Spot on, Bourth, with "turkey" and "foefie" being used in S.Africa. "Sled" turns out to be the more general jargon verb. Thanks."
1 hr
air pocket
"The plane hit an "air pocket" which caused it to drop 300 feet. Nine passengers including one pregnant woman and three crew members suffered ..."
www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread398591/pg1
Though they don't really exist:
"The first type of turbulence is found at high altitudes, often referred to as ‘air pockets’. There is no such thing as an air pocket, it is not physically possible to get a ‘pocket’ of air, but it is a commonly used term that describes the feeling of a sudden drop when flying."
http://www.fearfreeflying.co.uk/why-turbulence-not-usually-d...
www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread398591/pg1
Though they don't really exist:
"The first type of turbulence is found at high altitudes, often referred to as ‘air pockets’. There is no such thing as an air pocket, it is not physically possible to get a ‘pocket’ of air, but it is a commonly used term that describes the feeling of a sudden drop when flying."
http://www.fearfreeflying.co.uk/why-turbulence-not-usually-d...
9 hrs
air pocket
not usual way in french ,we would better say "trou d'air " than plouf that is used here for the fun and give "life" to the story ,
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
B D Finch
: I realise you are new to the site, but it is usual to agree with or comment on an answer already given rather than post the same proposed answer oneself. Might be worth looking at the KudoZ rules.
1 day 2 hrs
|
1 day 16 hrs
downdraft
Ah, so the context is paraskiing (not plane gliding).
Still... my answer is entirely prosaic, and without onomatopoeia.
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Note added at 1 day16 hrs (2010-12-23 14:20:19 GMT)
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Or perhaps a downwind landing? " Shifting winds can cause a crosswind or downwind landing which have a higher potential for injury due to the wind speed adding to the landing speed." (same Reference)
Still... my answer is entirely prosaic, and without onomatopoeia.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day16 hrs (2010-12-23 14:20:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Or perhaps a downwind landing? " Shifting winds can cause a crosswind or downwind landing which have a higher potential for injury due to the wind speed adding to the landing speed." (same Reference)
Example sentence:
In conditions of strong winds, and turbulence during hot days the parachutist can be caught in downdrafts close to the ground.
Reference:
Reference comments
8 mins
polyglot45
Native in French
&
English
Native in: English 
, French
Works in: English to French, French to English, German to French, and 4 more.
Reference:
plouf
Plouf - WikipédiaPlouf » est une onomatopée reproduisant le bruit émis par un objet tombant ... L'Abord-à-Plouffe désigne une partie du quartier de Chomedey à Laval, Québec. ...
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plouf - En cache - Pages similaires
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plouf - En cache - Pages similaires
Discussion
Anyone any other suggestions?
de parachute. Il ne peut se maintenir en l'air que s'il rencontre et exploite des thermiques ou de l'air ascendant. Si le
parapentiste ne rencontre rien de rien sur son chemin, il descend jusqu'au sol irrémédiablement. On dit alors qu'il fait un
"plouf", ou bien un "tas", ou bien un "plomb" ou bien encore "une flechette". Le vol est dans ce cas rapide, car il simple, en
descente régulière, et ... sans intérêt ! C'est pour cela que l'on dit un "plouf" aussi. C'est comme à la piscine. On se jette à
l'eau, on fait un plouf, c'est vite fini et sans intérêt.