French Word of the Day April 2004
Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 8:36 AM
sécher = to dry / to skip (school etc)
E.g. il a séché le cours de maths = he skipped the math class
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 10:57 PM
(une) poignée = a handful / a handle
E.g. Pour une poignée de dollars = A fistful of dollars
Les poignées d'amour = love handles
Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 7:41 PM
(un) bobo = a scratch (baby talk)
je me suis fait bobo! = I got a scratch!
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 8:22 PM
(un) palmier = a palm tree
un palmito = a palm tree-shaped cookie. Mmmmmmh.
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 10:20 PM
débile = weak (in its original and literary sense) / moronic, stupid
E.g. ce film est débile = this movie's stupid
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 9:57 AM
Another swearword
un con / une conne = someone extremely stupid
Quel con! = What an @sshole!
T'es conne! = You're stupid!
Use responsibly.
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 8:04 AM
(une) galère = a galley. By extension, a very painful situation, a mess.
E.g. Qu'est-il allé faire dans cette galère ? = Why did he get involved in that mess ?
C'est la galère! = It's a mess!
Je suis en galère = I'm in a messy situation (rather modern slang)
Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 8:07 AM
(une) secrétaire = an administrative assistant
(un) secrétaire = no, it doesn't refer to a male administrative assistant, but rather to the piece of furniture. I don't think we have a word for male administrative assistants (do we need one?)
Happy Administrative Assistant Day!
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 8:03 AM
(un) ménage = 1/ a household 2/ a couple/relationship (hence the famous ménage à trois) 3/ cleaning
E.g. ils vivent en ménage depuis 2 ans = they've been living together for 2 years
elle fait le ménage = she's cleaning up
faire bon ménage (avec) = to go well (with)
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 11:08 AM
Subject: RE: French movie of the day
Man bites dog (C'est arrivé près de chez vous)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103905/
Mock documentary on a serial killer. Extremely funny in a dark and violent way.
Pigeon,
Oiseau à la grise robe,
Dans l'enfer des villes,
A mon regard tu te dérobes,
Tu es vraiment le plus agile.
Ben
(and actually the movie's Belgian...same difference)
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 9:05 AM
(un) canular =a hoax
E.g. on m'a monté un canular = I've been hoaxed
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 8:02 AM
(une) bise = a kiss
E.g. (se) faire la bise = to kiss on the cheeks (to say hi)
On se fait la bise ? = nice way to ask permission before kissing someone on the cheeks, in case you're not sure.
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 12:52 AM
Subject: RE: French poetry of the day
Quand le ciel bas et lourd pèse comme un couvercle
Sur l'esprit gémissant en proie aux longs ennuis,
Et que de l'horizon embrassant tout le cercle
Il nous verse un jour noir plus triste que les nuits;
Quand la terre est changée en un cachot humide,
Où l'Espérance, comme une chauve-souris,
S'en va battant les murs de son aile timide
Et se cognant la tête à des plafonds pourris;
Quand la pluie étalant ses immenses traînées
D'une vaste prison imite les barreaux,
Et qu'un peuple muet d'infâmes araignées
Vient tendre ses filets au fond de nos cerveaux,
Des cloches tout à coup sautent avec furie
Et lancent vers le ciel un affreux hurlement,
Ainsi que des esprits errants et sans patrie
Qui se mettent à geindre opiniâtrement.
- Et de longs corbillards, sans tambours ni musique,
Défilent lentement dans mon âme; l'Espoir,
Vaincu, pleure, et l'Angoisse atroce, despotique,
Sur mon crâne incliné plante son drapeau noir.
Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du Mal
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 8:47 AM
(les) déboires = disappointments, difficulties (always plural)
E.g. Il me racontait ses déboires amoureux = He was telling me about his disappointments in love
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 8:53 AM
(le) misérabilisme = tendency to dwell on the dark side
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 10:31 AM
Pâques = Easter
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 9:23 AM
(une) mine = a mine, in all sense of the English term. Also means "expression, look on someone's face"
tu en fais une mine! = What's wrong ? (meaning: you look funny, is anything wrong ?)
mine de rien = casually, without being obvious. E.g. mine de rien, il est doué = He may not look like it, but he's gifted
ne pas payer de mine = not to look like anything special. E.g. il ne paye pas de mine, mais il est doué = same as above
And an interesting expression
se mettre une mine = to get hammered
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 7:59 AM
(un) trou = a hole
être au fond du trou = to hit rock bottom (literally to be at the bottom of the hole)
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 9:47 AM
un connard / une connasse = bastard / bitch (the 'd' is silent)
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2004 8:55 AM
déménager = to move (out) / to be crazy
E.g. Il déménage samedi = He moves out on Saturday
Il déménage complètement = He's totally crazy
ça déménage! = It's great!
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 9:35 AM
(un/une) casse-cou = a daredevil (literally, a neck-breaker)
not to be confused with
(un/une) casse-couilles = a pain in the ass (literally, a ball-breaker). Not very polite as you can easily imagine.
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 8:49 AM
jeudi = Thursday
posted by Mandor at 5:30 PM
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