Apr 5 16:26
1 mo ago
32 viewers *
English term

blank driving

Non-PRO English to French Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Hi there!

I have the following sentence: "Or you're in a car with Uncle Joe and Uncle Joe goes, that must be a blank driving!"

Any idea what "blank driving" refers to?

Thanks!
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (1): Cyril Tollari

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Discussion

AllegroTrans Apr 7:
Can't think of anything logical... other than fill in the *blank* - a noun, not an adjective
No doubt a derogatory term
Daryo Apr 6:
Agree, and as a point of method "context" includes ALSO such things as the formatting of the text, the fact that the ST is a form or not, or that the ST is quoted from the source code of some software (I've seen really entertaining wild guesses from people who missed that fact) etc.

I have the nagging feeling that "that must be a blank driving!" is a quotation of direct speech, i.e. that it's what's Uncle Joe is/would be saying to "you" in some situation described in the preceding text. IOW it's possible that the formatting of the text is sloppy to the point of being misleading.

Short of it: with what we have so far, only wild guessing is possible. That may be an interesting game, a kind of Rorschach test with words, but if the aim is a reliable suggestion for a translation, a total waste of time.

Some more context?
writeaway Apr 5:
In US, this isn't unknown There must be a 'fill in the blank' driving is how I read it. Naturally this is just my take...
Bourth Apr 5:
??? What exactly are we talking about here?

1. "Or you're in a car with Uncle Joe and Uncle Joe goes [says], 'That must be a blank driving!' "

2. "Or you're in a car with Uncle Joe and Uncle Joe goes [dies], that must be a blank driving!"

There might be other possibilities I haven't thought of.
The article in 'a blank driving' is a puzzle. Non-native writer?

writeaway Apr 5:
Sounds like the word 'blank' is being used to avoid saying a gross/unacceptable word.....
Cyril Tollari Apr 5:
that must be a [blank] driving!
AllegroTrans Apr 5:
Absolutely no idea, and very little point in guessing
Probably something personal and unknown. None of us "out here" know Uncle Joe or anything about your text.

Proposed translations

+4
3 hrs
Selected

[à compléter] qui conduit

C'est sur les préjugés, le sexisme, etc
https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/career-succe...

That must be a [blank] driving
C'est sûrement un [à compléter] qui conduit
Peer comment(s):

agree Alison MacG
9 hrs
Merci
agree Sammy Dowidar : D'accord. On peut mettre aussi C'est sûrement un [...] qui conduit
19 hrs
Merci
agree AllegroTrans : The only way to go. Absolutely pointless trying to guess what is "blank". I completely fail to see how Daryo can possibly object to this. Maybe he can come up with a cast iron answer in his infinite wisdom.
19 hrs
Merci
disagree Daryo : CL5 with so little to rely on? Can I borrow your crystal ball? // Point of method: NOT EVERYTHING is available on the publicly accessible Web - one sample found through search engines is NOT the only one possibly relevant.
23 hrs
agree writeaway
1 day 16 hrs
Merci
agree Yvonne Gallagher : Yes, it's "A blank"= expletive (presumably) i.e. a noun not adj. Can also be completed with symbols e.g. "...un [&#%!!] qui conduit"
2 days 16 hrs
Merci
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
1 hr

Having a mind blank while driving

Just a guess. Could refer to someone driving with no clear direction, because his thoughts are frozen or he's just spacing out. Your mind can go blank because of driving anxiety too.
Peer comment(s):

neutral writeaway : English to French translations
3 hrs
En effet, lol. Malheureusement je ne peux pas éditer.
neutral Daryo : never mind la gaffe, it's plausible - but so are many other interpretations.
1 day 1 hr
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

conduire de façon automatique, en auto-pilote

Hi!

I'd say it means it's when your mind wanders and you drive without thinking about it, automatically, in "auto-pilote".

Have a nice day!
Peer comment(s):

neutral AllegroTrans : This is a wild guess and IF it means this then "a blank driving" would be totally ungrammatical in the context
19 hrs
neutral Daryo : a distinct possibility, very plausible, but with what's available so far, we can't be sure.
23 hrs
Something went wrong...
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