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French Word of the Day: Funambule

The Local France
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French Word of the Day: Funambule
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

This French word can be used metaphorically to describe the balancing acts that life imposes on us.

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Why do I need to know funambule?

Because sometimes you need to strike a compromise. 

What does it mean? 

Funambule, pronounced foo-nam-bool, means tightrope but can also be used to mean tightrope-walker. 

France has had a number of famous funambules including Charles Blondin, who famously walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls in 1859. 

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In 2021, French funambule Nathan Paulin walked across a 670 metre tightrope between the Eiffel Tower and the Theatre National de Chaillot - the longest such crossing ever achieved in an urban environment. It was the second time he achieved such a feat. 

French tightrope walker Nathan Paulin walks along a 670 meter wire between the Eiffel tower and the Theatre National de Chaillot in 2021.

French tightrope walker Nathan Paulin walks along a 670 meter wire between the Eiffel tower and the Theatre National de Chaillot in 2021. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)

In a literal sense, you can can use funambule like this.

Lorsque je suis allé au cirque, j’ai assisté à un numéro de funambule absolument incroyable - When I went to the circus, I saw an absolutely incredible tightrope act

Un funambule se déplace sur un fil tendu à une certaine hauteur du sol - A tightrope walker movers along a tense line at a certain height above the ground 

But you can also use funambule metaphorically, when describing a balancing act between two competing interests. In this case, you would use exercise de funambule or numéro de funambule

La pratique politique se traduit par un exercice de funambule perpétuel, oscillant entre espoir et déception - Politics is a perpetual balancing act, oscillating between hope and despair

Le producteur doit se livrer à un véritable exercice de funambule lors qu'il essaie d'agencer ces divers éléments - The producer must deliver a try balancing act when he tries to bring together these various elements

Jusqu'à quand la commissaire est prête à jouer ce numéro de funambule ? - How long is the officer willing to play this balancing act

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Similar expressions 

There are a number of related expressions to describe the act of compromising. 

The most straightforward is faire un compromis - to make a compromise. 

Transiger, réconcilier, mettre d'accord, mettre en harmonie also carry the same meaning. 

But there is an expression that reflects the fact that balancing two competing interests is not always easy. 

Ménager la chèvre et le chou literally translates as: to house the goat and cabbage. But it is used to suggest that someone is trying to please two opposing parties at the same time. 

The logic is that if you leave a goat and a cabbage together, the goat will eventually eat the cabbage. So the idea is that they should be stored separately. 

Nous avons un gouvernement qui pense qu’il peut ménager la chèvre et le chou – We have a government that thinks it can satisfy everyone

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Anonymous 2022/04/11 21:06
And let's not forget Phillipe Petit, who walked between the Twin Towers in New York City in 1974. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit

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