Literal translation
to make sour
Meaning
to hurry, to make an effort
Explanation
This phrase means 'to hurry, to make an effort'. The verb 'to make' combines here with the adjective 'sour', which does not appear on its own in our attested dictionaries in this precise form; its basic sense of acidity or sharpness on the tongue recurs across several Romance languages to convey, by extension, something sharp, brisk, and tense. Applied to effort, this shift suggests pressing the pace, adding a touch of briskness or tension comparable to a sharp taste on the tongue, as opposed to slowness or sluggishness. The pronunciation note attached to the entry flags the importance of the rolled r, light and close to an l sound, a characteristic trait of authentic Provençal accent as opposed to a Frenchified pronunciation, which shows the expression belongs to the old, oral core of the language, predating any recent or written usage. The register is familiar and down-to-earth, used in manual or physical work to urge someone to pick up the pace.