"C'est un vrai supplice de Tantale"

[alan gould]

I came across this in a blog.  It means "It's very frustrating."  Since everyone expresses frustration at times, I figure I may need to recognize this expression.  Is it common?  Might people just say "C'est un vrai supplice"?  

merci d'avance

           

[George Hunt]

I am sure they might.The reference to Tantalus  would seem to give it an extra force though as well as suggesting the repetitive nature of the hardship invoved -even if only as an exaggeration.

I have never come across the expression before and I would guess it might be used sparingly. (sexual seduction suggests itself to  me as a possible context -No particular place to go  by Chuck Berry?) 

[Chantal Savignat]

Hello

I know this expression but it's not often used.

We heard that sometimes. But I think it's used without its real meaning.

I think nobody know the difference between "c'est un supplice" and "c'est un supplice de Tantale" except some very educate people.

[George Hunt]

Maybe you are right .I thought I knew the story behind the expression but was mistaken.

I thought it refered to the man whose punishment was to roll a boulder up a hill repeatedly  because the boulder always fell back just before the summit.

However I now realise that that man was King Sisyphus.

Tantalus  ,it appears was punished by being "made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp, and the water always receding before he could take a drink." (Wikipedia)

These old stories are very entertaining  and I am pleased that they remain in the language.

In English "tantalising" is quite a common usage.As you say most people (including myself as it turns out) don't quite understand the reference.

It would be interesting to know how this idea is expressed in languages that don't use the Greek Myths in this case.

Perhaps there would be no exact equivalent . (I cannot think of an exact synonym in  English ) 

 

[Chantal Savignat]

oh "Sysiphe" yes, this one, I knew his story because in my first work, a lot of years ago, I was on a folder called "sysiphe" and the man who gave this name was very ...  it was exactly that !!!

often when someone use an expression with a Greek myths or other unsual reference, he explains the reference.  Tantale, I had forgotten the meaning too, and I went in wikipedia too ;-)

Here it's heard sometimes, but rarely and never in a conversation. The next time I'll hear that I'll be attentive.

I looked for and  "supplice de Tantale" means that someone is punished giving him something he really needs and removing this thing when he wants to catch it.