I'm reading a French novel from 1797-1801, in English translation. The translator used the phrase "drab robots" (as an insult to "idiot princes"), so out of curiosity I looked what it was in the original French.
"Tout ce qui les entoure les mène, et les plats automates en croyant gouverner par eux-mêmes, ne régissent que par nos passions."
"plats automates"
What were/are automatic dishes?
(And before anyone asks, yes, that novel.)
Actually, "plats automates" doesn't mean "automatic dishes". "Plats" is in this situation a adjective and means "plain", or as in the translation you were reading, "drab", which is a good translation. Placing the adjective before the noun is a commun figure of speech in french. "automates" is just another word for "robot",a more litteral translation would be "automaton" However, "plats" also mean "large dishes" in french, so that's why a automatic translator, or basic understanding of french would lead you to think that the novel talk about automatic dishes.