repérer les alentours

[beri]

Adventure boardgame
In the game, there is an action called "Repérer les alentours". Basically, you are in an area and you can "repérer" an adjacent area to check if it safe enough for you to step into it. This means you can have a sneak peek at the place or its surroundings (e.g. you notice a predator's tracks in the dirt) before going there. This is close to a military or cinematographic "repérage".
Repérer les alentours
Identify the area

I hope "identify" works.
Other ideas I have had include a verb constructed with "pre-" and the idea of "scouting" (BTW, this is mainly a solo game with only one adventurer, although it can be played with more adventurers).

Tenkyu

 

[CarlosRapido]

map-out / scout-out the area

 

[Kelly B]

I'd support scout or scout out, too, but without a hyphen.

 

[catheng06]

Hi,

I'd like to know if one can use "scout out the place " when talking about a criminal preparing his crime ?
Is it colloquial ?

 

[SteveD]

I'd like to know if one can use "scout out the place " when talking about a criminal preparing his crime ?
Is it colloquial ?

"To case the joint" is the usual slang expression.

 

[catheng06]

Thanks

Though my question was

is scout the premises / place a colloquial expression or could you use it in a police report for instance ?

 

[CarlosRapido]

My original 'scout out' suggestions is mostly used in the sense of finding a target or suitable location in a general area

scout someone or something out
to search for and discover someone or something. I will scout a new salesclerk out for you if you want. I'll scout out a new clerk for you.
Source; Scout out - Idioms by The Free Dictionary

Scope out is used, as 'case the joint', to have an actual look at a specific place

scope out
1. To make a preliminary investigation, inspection, or analysis of something [or someone]. A noun or pronoun can be used between "scope" and "out." [ Steve has been scoping out bar patrons of the female persuasion. Let's scope this bar out for our gig next weekend.]
Source; Scope out - Idioms by The Free Dictionary

[my additions]

 

[catheng06]

Thanks a lot

 

[trellis]

My original 'scout out' suggestions is mostly used in the sense of finding a target or suitable location in a general area

Agreed.
I have not heard 'scope out' before so maybe AE?
You might want to consider 'reconnaissance' 'survey' 'inspection' 'exploration'...

 

[franc 91]

In BE slang there is/or at least there used to be - to nosey round the neighbourhood, or - to have a quick look round the back streets.

 

[CarlosRapido]

Agreed.
I have not heard 'scope out' before so maybe AE?
You might want to consider 'reconnaissance' 'survey' 'inspection' 'exploration'...

Merriam-Webster tags it as US, Informal

 

[catheng06]

Merci pour vos réponses.

Je viens de penser à quelque chose comme :

Did you reconnoiter the place/premises ?

(puisque je trouve dans les exemples du Merriam-Webster : Apollo 10 had reconnoitered the landing area, and Armstrong had spent hours studying those photographs, committing landmarks to memory.— Stephen Witt, WIRED, "Apollo 11: Mission Out of Control," 24 June 2019 )

Est-ce applicable à un malfaiteur qui repère les lieux avant de commettre une infraction ?

 

[Kelly B]

I think of reconnoiter as chiefly military, so to me it sounds a little weird in a criminal context, but that's not to say I think it is wrong. Curious to see other thoughts.

 

[trellis]

Adventure boardgame
In the game, there is an action called "Repérer les alentours"

Check out the surroundings
Make a reconnaissance of the vicinity
reconnoiter and reconnaissance are French words and mean the same thing in English - usually reduced to 'recce'

 

[CarlosRapido]

Check out the surroundings
Make a reconnaissance of the vicinity
reconnoiter and reconnaissance are French words and mean the same thing in English - usually reduced to 'recce'

As Kelly said, we usually restrict certain words to specific context. Not saying it is good, but it is what it is. I, for one, would much prefer that such words be 'liberated' and applied to all fitting contexts without restrictions, which would remove the need to invent new words, or borrow from other languages, (sometimes with cringe-worthy results) just to express something that would be perfectly clear if the 'restricted' word was used in the first place. This is exactly the type of thinking that led to the proliferation of euphemisms for 'penis', leading to the word 'cock' and many others being deemed bad words...