Tintin Forums

Tintin stories have influenced the way I use Finnish. I have picked some funny words or expressions and started using them more frequently. Perhaps I test if my interlocutor has read Tintin. A little smile on his/her face reveals "I like Tintin too".

For example In Picaros on pg. 6 in the 4 th frame Willoughby-Drupe (de la Batellerie) asks Captain "You deny it then?" In Finnish translation the word 'to deny' is 'to dement', which sounds funny and dated. (I don't know if 'to dement' is a word at all in English) Do you 'dement' the news? is an established expression among my friends.

By accident Ranko and Gray invented a new funnysounding idiom.

to have a Phostle moment =
to get scared of a spider

This is fun, the stories are fruitful source of idioms. I'll give you one.

to study astronomy=
to booze

Let's study some astronomy, the first chapter, cheers!

Any other suggestions?

It means “to drive insane” or “to send out of one’s mind” (from Latin: dementare), which I suppose the news could do on many occasions…

In French 'dementir' is 'to cancel', 'to disagree', 'to correct'.

If 'dementir' is the original verb then everything fits. The Finnish verb 'dementoida' has a French root.

How about

to be in a panic =
to run from a train (Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, page 28)

to be exhausted =
to chase a car thief (Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, page 65)

to be confused =
to let a dog smoke a pipe (Prisoners of the Sun, page 53, frame 4)

to dance =
to run from a spider (Shooting Star, page 55)

to be unknown =
to cling to the port wing of aircraft (Shooting Star, page 44)