a) it’s too loud !
Sorry, wrong answer. Please try again.
b) it sounds familiar !
Well done ! That’s the right answer.
’to ring a bell’ means that something sounds familiar and causes someone to remember something. If a phrase or a word, especially a name, ‘rings a bell’ you think you have heard it before.
French translation
j’ai déjà entendu ça quelque part, ça me dit quelque chose !
How NOT to translate : *ça fait tinter une cloche
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Examples in context
‘The app that can read your mind’
‘Wristbands are the latest craze in high-tech fitness hardware. Nike+ and Fitbit might ring a bell.
But could headbands be the next big thing ?
The Canadian company InteraXon is going there with the introduction of Muse, a headband that links with your mobile device to read your mind. Sure, brain stuff can be scary. But don’t worry. This one’s here for your own good.’
CNN.com , 25 Sept. 2013
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‘"Once the mark of sailors and bikers, body art is now sought after by the fashion-hungry," said the Observer in January 2011.
This line might ring a bell with (very) long-time readers of Vanity Fair, which told the world in 1926 that : "Tattooing has passed from the savage to the sailor, from the sailor to the landsman. It has since percolated through the entire social stratum ; tattooing has received its credentials, and may now be found beneath many a tailored shirt.".’
BBC News, 3rd Feb. 2014
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Everyday usage
Does the name ’Claramedia’ ring a bell ?
I’m sorry. I can’t say that the information you gave me rings any bells.
c) it’s really difficult !
Sorry, wrong answer. Please try again.
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