What the hell does "Et la" mean?

[EnoYls]

This has been bugging me.

[damianip]

Literally, "And there!"

Paolo

[scarlet_woman156k]

Do you mean et al? It means "and others." Typically used in journals, thesis papers, et al.

If you didn't mean that, then I have absolutely NO idea.

[rusty epee]

I think what you're referring to is really "et la" (with an accent grave over the last "a," which my keyboard is incapable of reproducing on this chat board). It is, I think, a sort of shorthand french for "et la-bas" (once again, accent grave over last "a" in "la"), which means "so there" if you don't translate too closely. Since I'm not french, I would suggest you ask someone who is. Any suggestions?

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Youth and enthusiam are no match for age and treachery....

[This message has been edited by rusty epee (edited 02-01-2001).]

[damianip]

I repeat: "And there!" Although it could be "There it is!" (spelled "est la!")

This assumes you're referring to the dreaded "Oh Pah! Et la!" so cherished by some fencers.

Paolo

[veeco]

The correct explanation is damianip's. "Est là!". Or "there it is!". Or, for the real fighters, it could be also interpreted as "In your face!".

It could also be referred to as a "verlan" version of "Allez!" (Come on!). Verlan is a French slang where you reverse the words' syllables, basically.

[Purple Fencer]

It means yer about to get nailed!

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I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

[Clean Touch]

Damianip is correct.

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Est-ce que l'attaque etait bon? Mais Oui!!

[scarlet_woman156k]

yes, I'm a dim-wit. I didn't know what et la meant, and really thought to myself, "why would he be asking a question about 'et al' here, and didn't even bother to spell it right?"

[Lumberg]

To scarlet_woman156k,
I think you've met your match, Clean Touch...a.k.a. scarlet_woman2001K

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Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"

[weezelbit]

Damianip,
You have explained so much. My old dad, who was once a saber fencer, had a stroke several years ago. He can only say a few words: Yes, No, What, Oh Bah, Et la. Now I know what he means by the last two. Once a fencer, always a fencer.

[mangofever]

weezelbit: that's great. can you imagine being in your old age and only being able to speak fencing? - wait i have a story:
Indiana 1985 working in a nursing home, a lady checks in - no one can communicate with her, she completely forgot english and went back to her native language. it was the oddest thing.

Here's a story: maybe it started this way:
A long time ago, some french guy yell Et La! He was fencing an Italian who yelled something back in Italian. The Hungarian next to him on the Sabre strip caught the spirit and yelled "oh pah", the lady in the eppee stuff felt left out and screamed "ACK" [for attack!] - then everyone got confused by it went "WAAAAAA" we all giggled self-consciously, until he calmed down a bit. They we all became quiet like ninja, until someone in the back strip grunted gutterally in german, then the whole thing started again. What do the Russians yell?
~/------z orro


[This message has been edited by mangofever (edited 03-08-2001).]