Re: OT: Humor: was Re: Profiles (WAS: Re: Conlang-to-body-shape connections)

Christophe Grandsire wrote:
> En réponse à Pablo David Flores :
>
>> Isn't it used in the figurative sense? Spanish has "defenestrar"
>> as a synonym for "destroying someone's career" or "dismiss
>> and humiliate publicly" and so on (especially referring to
>> politicians).
>
>
> No, French never uses this word in a figurative sense. It's *only* used in
> the concrete sense. But hey, we French've never had a tradition of throwing
> people from the windows. We rather cut heads ;))) . And indeed, "lui couper
> la tête" ("to behead him/her", as it happens, the expression in this form
> is epicene :) ) can sometimes be used to mean "destroy one's career". But
> it's not common.
While in America, "head-cutting" is dueling through guitar-playing. ;)