French Word of the Day May 2003

Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 8:45 AM

S'enfuir = to run away

E.g. "il s'est enfui à toutes jambes" or "il a pris ses jambes à son cou" = he ran away as fast as he could

(une) jambe = leg

(un) cou = neck

Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 7:43 AM

French fries = des frites

French kiss = (un) patin (literally "a skate" :-| E.g. rouler un patin = to French kiss

French toast = (un) pain perdu ("lost bread" :-|

Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 9:02 AM

Déjà vu = déjà vu :-|

Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 7:27 AM

Subject: RE : French word of the day 07/24/2002 - 05/27/2003

Déborder = to overflow. E.g.:

"C'est la goutte d'eau qui fait deborder le vase" = It's the drop of water that makes the vase overflow

(literally, i.e. "it's the last straw")

Also a sports term meaning "to outflank", as in "Ronaldinho déborde et centre pour Aloisio qui marque!!!"

Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 10:08 AM

Maudit = cursed / damned

E.g. "M le maudit", French title of Fritz Lang's "M"

Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 9:41 AM

(une) loque = rag, mostly used in the plural, e.g. "vêtu de loques" = dressed in rags

The singular is mostly used to refer to a human wreck. E.g.:

Je suis une vraie loque aujourd'hui = I feel an absolute wreck today

Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 5:05 PM

Vaudou = Voodoo

Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 7:24 AM

(la) chance = luck

(la) malchance or (la) poisse (slang) = bad luck

avoir la poisse = to be jinxed

porter la poisse = to bring bad luck

Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 8:46 AM

(un) bizut (or bizuth) = a freshman. Pronounced "bi - zu"

(le) bizutage = the bullying ceremony that welcomes freshmen

Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 12:47 AM

chafouin(e) = adjective: sly

Actually this is one I like but nobody uses. Use "sournois(e)" instead.

Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 9:09 AM

(une) escorte = an escort (military or otherwise)

Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 9:36 AM

un bon-à-rien / une bonne-à-rien: someone who's good for nothing

Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 11:57 PM

Subject: RE: just-in-time French word of the day

The wonderful world of French apéritifs (nothing like a drink or two or three before lunch)

· Vermouth: Martini is probably the most popular. Exists in red, white or dry: http://www.martini.com/ (no relation with the cocktail of the same name)

· Wine: sweet wines like Muscat (http://www.rasigueres.com/muscat_eng.html)

· Bitter: Picon (http://www.webtender.com/db/ingred/218) Suze (bitter gentian liquor http://www.suze.com) etc

· Aniseed: very popular in the south, with Pastis (http://www.ricard.fr/) and variants

(and many others)

Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 8:57 AM

Anticonstitutionnellement = unconstitutionally.

Supposedly the longest word in French...

Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 8:19 AM

A synonym for porte-bonheur that I personally like: (un) gri-gri

Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 8:28 AM

(une) caisse = a box/case. Also, slang for car ((une) voiture)

E.g.

"La nuit c'est plaisir, c'est risque

Entre soirées délire et sirènes de flics,

Chaque moment vécu reste unique

Fait de choses simples

Comme se retrouver dans une caisse à cinq"

Fonky Family - Tonight (interesting hip-hop band from Marseille -- southern accent and all)

Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 9:08 AM

(un) porte-bonheur = a lucky charm.

(le) bonheur = happiness

Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2003 8:33 AM

(une) victoire = a victory

E.g. Ne crie pas victoire trop tôt ! = Don't claim victory too soon !

Sent: Monday, May 05, 2003 8:57 AM

(une) rue = a street

être à la rue = to be completely lost, to have no idea what's going on

E.g. il est complètement à la rue = the guy has no idea what's going on

Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 8:44 AM

07/24/2002 - 05/02/2003

(un) jour ferié = a holiday

E.g. In France, May 1st is the equivalent of Labor Day, so it's a jour ferié. Meaning instead of barely working, French people do not work at all on May 1st. And most companies give May 2nd too, because it wouldn't make sense to come back to work for a day. To recover from this long week-end, there is another one the week after, on May 8th, another jour ferié celebrating the end of WWII. Oh and one more at the end of the month (Ascension) too. Combined with the 35-hour week, that makes May the perfect month to work in France :-)

Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2003 8:19 AM

While we're at it…some more French-speaking bande dessinée. Lucky Luke is a lonesome cowboy, the man that fires a gun faster than his shadow, fights crime and injustice along with his horse Jolly Jumper. Other characters include the four evil Dalton brothers Joe, Jack, William and Averell, and Rantanplan, the most stupid dog of the universe. The stories feature many other western heroes like Calamity Jane and Billy the Kid.

http://fandeluckyluke.online.fr/