Literal translation
to have fear
Meaning
to feel shy or ashamed
Explanation
This expression names the fact of feeling shy or ashamed. Agué (to have, from the verb agué, which can also mean to strike with a projectile or to possess) here introduces an emotional state, distinct from a material possession, following the very common use of the verb to have for naming an emotion ; crento (fear, shame, but also modesty) specifies the nature of the feeling, somewhere between social apprehension and moral discomfort. The word crento indeed covers a fairly broad range in Provençal, from simple shyness before others to a more pronounced sense of shame, passing through modesty, which gives the expression some flexibility depending on context. The register is neutral and everyday, usable to describe a child's passing embarrassment before strangers as much as an adult's remorse or discomfort in a delicate situation. The expression, very simple in construction, a verb followed by a single bare noun, belongs to the ordinary stock of the language, with no particular figurative turn.