French Word of the Day December 2004

Sent: Thu 12/23/2004 12:43 AM

Although the FWotD is on vacation, this piece of news was too good not to forward

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20041220/od_uk_nm/oukoe_odd_france_prosecutor

Happy Holidays!

Sent: Fri 12/17/2004 1:46 PM

interdire = to ban, to prohibit

interdit / interdite = prohibited, banned, forbidden.

Il est interdit d'interdire = it is forbidden to forbid (one of the many colorful slogans of the '68 student protests)

Bonne fêtes à tous!

(will be back 1/3)

Sent: Thu 12/16/2004 11:27 AM

(un) moine = a monk

Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 12:06 AM

couci-couça = so-so (pronounced koossee-koossa). See also comme ci comme ça

Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 6:57 AM

(le) coltard. I'm not sure what it means by itself (if anyone does, please share), but it's useful in the slang expression être dans le coltard = to feel dizzy, foggy.

Sent: Mon 12/13/2004 5:47 AM

à gogo = adverbial expression: "lots of"

Il y avait du vin à gogo = There was a lot of wine

Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 12:48 AM

à foison = adverbial expression. Aplenty.

E.g. Il a des idées à foison = he's full of ideas

Il y a des pommes à foison = there's plenty of apples

Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 7:46 AM

It's been a while since we had a swear word, so here:

un(e) enculé(e) = an assh*le

I refuse to provide a literal translation, or explain the meaning of the associated verb. Just know that even someone like me would become violent if seriously called that

Quel enculé! = What an assh*le!

Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 7:17 AM

les méninges = familiar term for brains. It probably has an anatomical meaning when used in the singular, but it's mostly used in the plural form, in such expressions as:

Arrête de te triturer les méninges! = Stop racking your brains!

Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 7:17 AM

triturer (quelquechose) = to fiddle (with something)

Sent: Mon 12/6/2004 11:10 AM

rouspéter = to grumble, to complain about something.

Arrête de rouspéter! = Stop complaining!

and today's unrelated piece of French news:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/04/searchedjet.ap/index.html

Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 8:02 AM

un énergumène = an oddball, a strange character

Quel énergumène celui-la! = What a strange fellow!

Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 7:09 AM

(la) prestidigitation = fancy, unpronounceable word for "magic" (la magie)

un prestidigitateur / une prestidigitatrice = a magician

Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 12:08 AM

l'argot = slang (the 't' is silent) un mot d'argot = a slang word