face ca trenul

Romanian

FWOTD – 10 December 2024

Alternative forms

• face ca trenul în gară

Etymology

Literally, “make like a train” (make train noises).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfa.t͡ʃe ka ˈtre.nul/ (formal)
• IPA^(key): /ˈfa.t͡ʃe ka ˈtre.nu/ (informal)

Verb

a face ca trenul (third-person singular present face ca trenul, past participle făcut ca trenul) 3rd conjugation

1. (idiomatic, colloquial) to go ballistic, blow a fuse (lose one’s temper)
   • 2012 November 28, Cristian Voinea, quoting Nicole Manea, ProSport, number 5710, page 2:

     „E ceva incredibil ce a făcut femeia asta! A sunat doi fotbaliști de-ai mei și i-a întrebat dacă vor juca împotriva lor. Dacă făceam eu așa, ea ar fi făcut ca trenul”.

     “It’s unbelievable what this woman did! She called two footballers of mine and asked them if they were going to play against them. Had I done such a thing, she would’ve blown a fuse.”

   • 2020, Luminița Gavrilă, transl., Nouă străini‎^[1], Bucharest: Trei, translation of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, →ISBN:

     Cum zicea Zach când se înfuria maică-sa?

     ― Mama face ca trenul.

     Închise ochii. În clipa asta, mama face ca trenul.

     What would Zach say when his mom got angry?

     “Mom is making like a train”.

     She closed her eyes. In this moment, mom was making like a train.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see face,‎ ca,‎ tren.