French Word of the Day October 2004

Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 7:58 AM

Le b a ba (pronounced le béaba) = the rudiments.

Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 8:24 AM

tac

Not very meaningful in itself, but:

Répondre du tac au tac = to snap back, to answer quickly

Et tac! = So there!

Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 9:53 AM

(une) encre = ink

E.g.

L'encre de Chine = India ink

L'encre sympathique = invisible ink (literally friendly ink)

Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2004 8:03 AM

(un) parpaing = a cinder block. The 'g' is silent, except maybe in the South of France.

Sent: Monday, October 25, 2004 10:05 AM

censé(e) = supposed to. Used in forms such as:

Je suis censé travailler aujourd'hui = I'm supposed to work today

Not to be confused with

sensé(e) = sensible

c'est un homme sensé = he's a sensible man

Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 9:20 AM

moult = deliciously old-fashioned way to say "many". Pronounced "moolt"

Après moult aventures, nous sommes arrivés = after many adventures, we made it

If you really want to employ the refined French the first part of the sentence implies, you should even say:

Après moult aventures, nous arrivâmes

But it's sooo 19th century

Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 12:18 AM

(un) mensonge = a lie

Ce ne sont que des mensonges! = It's only lies!

Mensonges et trahisons = Lies and treachery

Title of a recent French comedy

http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm.html?cfilm=54019

Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 12:15 AM

Really bad words today - remember to use with extreme caution

un salaud (pronounced 'salo') = a bastard. You can also use un salopard (the 'd' is silent), and note that it can also (surprisingly) be affectionate:

T'en as de la chance, mon salaud = You're a lucky bastard

The feminine version is une salope = a b*tch

Quelle salope! = What a b*tch!

Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 9:21 AM

(un) zigoto = a guy (slang)

C'est un drôle de zigoto = He's a funny guy

Il fait le zigoto = He's clowning around

Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 12:39 PM

(un) bouton = a button, a knob, a pimple

(une) manche = a sleeve (and it has other meanings too)

un bouton de manchette = a cuff link

Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 8:47 AM

(un) bâtard = a bastard (the 'd' is silent). Works very well as an insult in French as well

Espèce de bâtard! = You bastard!

Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 7:14 AM

(un) chien = a dog

(un) loup (the 'p' is silent) = a wolf

entre chien et loup = at dusk (literally: between dog and wolf, i.e. when it is just dark enough that they look the same)

Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 8:31 AM

déluré(e) = crazy, wild (for a person)

Kind of similar as dévergondé(e), but not quite. I don't feel capable of discussing the subtle nuances.

une jeune fille délurée = a wild girl

Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 8:59 AM

(un) bloc-note = a notepad. Not a very exciting word in itself, so I'm adding a question: what would the plural be ?

1 - des bloc-note

2 - des blocs-note

3 - des bloc-notes

4 - des blocs-notes

5 - des blox-note

Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 11:20 AM

Family members (formal / informal / "verlan"):

un père / Papa / reup = a father / Dad

une mère / Maman / reum = a mother / Mom

un oncle / Tonton = an uncle

une tante / Tata = an aunt

un grand-père / Papy or Papi = a grandfather / granddad

une grand-mère / Mamy or Mamie = a grandmother / granny

Sent: Friday, October 08, 2004 7:54 AM

After baba:

(un) bébé = a baby

(un) bobo = a scratch (baby talk)

Bibi = forgotten singer from the 80's, who had a fantastic hit with "Tout doucement" ("very slowly")

(un) boubou = traditional African piece of clothing (http://www2.ac-toulouse.fr/lyc-saintex-ouaga/cyber/Boubou/Boubou.htm)

Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 7:07 AM

baba = as an adjective, staggered

E.g. J'en suis resté baba = I was staggered

As a noun, a pastry (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_24350,00.html) or a hippie:

un baba cool = a hippie

And finally:

Il l'a eu dans le baba! = He was really had!

Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 10:19 PM

(un) toutou = a doggie

Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 8:44 AM

(une) fête = a holiday / a celebration / a party.

faire la fête = to party

You can also use the "verlan" version, "la teuf", as in "faire la teuf"

Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 9:10 AM

époustouflant(e) = amazing, breathtaking

Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 8:36 AM

(le) qu'en dira-t-on = gossip (literally: what will be said). Les commérages, les potins (slang) and les ragots (slang) are more common synonyms.

je me moque du qu'en-dira-t-on = I don't care what people say