Vast topic today:
(une) gueule = mouth (for animals only, at least originally). Pronounced something like '
guhl'. E.g.:
la gueule du loup (pronounced '
loo')= the wolf's mouth, as in the expression:
tomber dans la gueule du loup = to fall in a trap (literally
to fall in the wolf's mouth)
But more importantly,
gueule is slang for face, mouth or the look of someone/something:
casser la gueule à quelqu'un = to beat somebody up (literally
to break someone's face)
ferme ta gueule! = shut up!
il fait une drôle de gueule = he's got a strange look on his face
une gueule de bois (the 's' is silent) = a hangover (literally
a wooden mouth), as in
avoir la gueule de bois
faire la gueule = to be sulking
se bourrer la gueule = to get drunk (literally
to stuff someone's mouth)
Strangely enough, the word also started being used as a synonym for "friend, pal":
ça va ma gueule ? = what's up pal ?
And finally, a famous quote:
Atmosphère, atmosphère, est-ce que j'ai une gueule d'atmosphère ? Arletty in
Hôtel du Nord, responding to someone who says he needs a change of air ('atmosphere' in the French expression). You could translate this by "Do I look like an atmosphere to you ?"