[General] Dog years & Sarkozy

[thedaffodils]

"This entire saga has been a sort of co-production directed equally by the newspapers and magazines and by Sarkozy himself. A symbiosis of needs, if you will. But there is only so far they can take him down before the ordeal he is enduring creates a new equilibrium. People will want to see him back on his feet – but to climb back, Sarkozy must regain a purposeful focus on the truly important matters of state."

In political years, not unlike dog years, Sarkozy has an eternity to get it right. Barely nine months into office, his presidential mandate will stretch to a distant 2012. Yet his UMP party is braced for a spanking in municipal elections next month, which many are now framing as a de facto referendum on the president.

Hello! What does "dog years" mean in the context? Thank you!

[colloquium]

Well for every 1 year a human ages, dogs age 7 (that's not exact, but the point is that dogs age much quicker than people).

Therefore I assume "In political years, not unlike dog years" is suggesting that political years seem to go by quickly.

However politics is something which, generally, does not interest me, so I might be missing the point altogether.

I'm not a teacher.

[thedaffodils]

Hi colloquium,

Thank you for your help.

Does it make sense if I say I had dog years in my happy school life? I mean my happy school life past away so quickly.

[bhaisahab]

Originally Posted by colloquium

Well for every 1 year a human ages, dogs age 7 (that's not exact, but the point is that dogs age much quicker than people).

Therefore I assume "In political years, not unlike dog years" is suggesting that political years seem to go by quickly.

However politics is something which, generally, does not interest me, so I might be missing the point altogether.

I'm not a teacher.

I think it means the opposite, that it will seem like 7 years for every actual year. I am speaking as someone who lives in France.

[colloquium]

Originally Posted by thedaffodils

Hi colloquium,

Thank you for your help.

Does it make sense if I say I had dog years in my happy school life? I mean my happy school life past away so quickly.

No, it isn't something someone would say. You could possibly say my years at school went by as quickly as dog years but it is an unusual thing to say.

Originally Posted by bhaisahab

I think it means the opposite, that it will seem like 7 years for every actual year. I am speaking as someone who lives in France.

Yes! Looking at the context of the quote I think you're absolutely right.

It suggests that Sarkozy has 7 years worth of time for every actual year.

[thedaffodils]

Hi, thank you two.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by thedaffodils

Hello! What does "dog years" mean in the context?

Sarkozy has an eternity (four years) to get it right. In this case, "dog years" means "a long time".

[thedaffodils]

Hi RonBee, thank you for your answer.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by thedaffodils

Hi RonBee, thank you for your answer.

You're quite welcome.

[Tdol]

I agree that it is longer, but I think it could be because of the length of the French presidential mandate, which, at seven years, is nearly as long as the maximum an American president gets, and a couple of years longer than in most systems.