Monday, December 12, 2005

Quoi ma gueule ?

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 ?"

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