lady bug?

[Joie]

Hello!
I am a french speaker and I need to translate some expressions about coccinellas. Please help me out.

I have 2 questions:

1- Is it better to say ''lady bug'' or ''lady bird'' when speaking of a red dotted black beattle?

2- In French, a coccinella is commonly known to be God's bug. Is it known in English too? If so, what is the proper expression? The expression used in French is : ''bête à bon Dieu'' or ''bibitte à bon Dieu''.

Thank you, Joie.

[sheena55ro]

Hello!
I am a french speaker and I need to translate some expressions about coccinellas. Please help me out.
I have 2 questions:
1- Is it better to say ''lady bug'' or ''lady bird'' when speaking of a red dotted black beattle?
2- In French, a coccinella is commonly known to be God's bug. Is it known in English too? If so, what is the proper expression? The expression used in French is : ''bête à bon Dieu'' or ''bibitte à bon Dieu''.
Thank you, Joie.

Hi, Joie!

I think it`s a lady-bird, but isn`t it a black spotted red beetle?

I mean : a red beetle with black dots on it.
I would like to hear some experts` advice.


Keep in touch.

ps I would like to ask you smth if you don`t mind. Does your name "Joie" mean "happiness" in English ?What`s the word for "happiness" in French?

[Joie]

Thanks for the correction, so a lady-bird is black spoted red. Now I just need to know if any English speaker has ever heard of a beetle being God's bug. If you answer me, please add where you are from. Thanks

PS. My name means ''Joy'' in English and ''Happiness'' in Fench is ''bonheur''.

[sheena55ro]

Thanks for the correction, so a lady-bird is black spoted red. Now I just need to know if any English speaker has ever heard of a beetle being God's bug. If you answer me, please add where you are from. Thanks
PS. My name means ''Joy'' in English and ''Happiness'' in Fench is ''bonheur''.

I am not so sure about the answer I have written earlier, I mean I am not sure if the base colour is red with black dots or the base colour is black with red dots. I ask an expert and I`ll answer you back.

I am from Romania. You can see my profile, clicking on username .

Joy is a beautiful name in either French or English

See you later,

[mykwyner]

In America, that beetle is always called a lady bug.

[sheena55ro]

In America, that beetle is always called a lady bug.

Thank you very much mykwyner, but I still have a question : is it red with black dots on it?

See you

[Joie]

It is officialy red with black dots on it.

I am still questionning the expression: God's bug. (or something like that)

[DavyBCN]

It is officialy red with black dots on it.
I am still questionning the expression: God's bug. (or something like that)

I have always used ladybird. Longmans dictionary confirms that it is red with black spots. No knowledge of God's bug or coccinella sorry. Back to Google!

[AlainK]

Chère Joie,
In France it doesn't matter if the ladybird is yellow or red with black spots on it. It's just a common name for this kind of insect, but entomologists must give them different names that would be all Greek to most of us I think, it's perhaps the same in English-speaking country.

And by the way, apart from Canada, when if you say "bibitte", people will be extremely shocked or roll on the floor laughing.
"Bite" is the most common slang word for, er, the penis
Another word that can be very embarrassing is "foufoune": in Québec = buttocks, in France = er... just google "Gustave Courbet" + "L'Origine du monde" and you'll see what I mean...

A bit as if you were an American being invited to a party in Britain and you asked your friend "Shall I wear my khaky pants tonight ?..."

Erm...

[Dan Quinton]

Hi Joie,
It seems there's been some confusion on this thread, but I'll answer as simply as possible. The 'red beetle with black spots' is called a "lady bug". In my culture (the US) it never has a reference toward God, but it is known (in superstition) to be a sign of good luck when it appears.