Lizzie's List: 'Pick-Up' Vocabulary

French classes typically have many more girls than boys, so when Miss Lizzie goes to France with her class, they are likely to encounter an attempt at a 'pick-up'. These guys are called 'draguers' and the verb 'draguer' means to hit on somebody or come on to them or to flirt. If they want to tell him to get lost or beat it, they can say 'casse-toi' (also good for subway encounters). 

Of course, if they meet a really cute French guy and form a crush on him, they would 'avoir le béguin pour lui'. The Beguines were a lay religious order and they wore bonnets called béguins. The saying is similar to 'setting one's cap for someone'.

Now those of us of a certain age know the Cole Porter song Begin the Beguine. Cole Porter says he went to a show in Paris around 1925 and saw "the Black Martiniquois...do their native dance called The Beguine." He enjoyed the rhythm, like a rumba but faster. He was traveling around the world in the 1930's and at a stop in New Guinea, he remembered The Beguine danceand wrote his now famous song.

Here's Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire (and others) in a version with great costumes (heavy on a tap interpretation):

 

This is a more Caribbean version of the dance:

 

 

 

If you want to learn the dance, here are some instructions:

 

 

Artie Shaw's swing interpretation of the song was probably the most popular: 

But I'm sure by now the younger readers are ready to tell me to "Casse-toi" à propos the old fart music.

 

 

 

Comments

[Barbara]

In high school classes, Lizzie, you learn that when someone asks you if you have(or haven’t) understood, they say : As-tu compris? (or in its negative form: Comment? N’as-tu pas compris?
(Well, perhaps that’s the way they’re supposed to ask you, Lizzie, but, once in France, you learn very quickly that is not the way French people really speak the first time you hear:
"T’as compris?" (or in its negative form) "Quoi? T’as pas compris?"

A few (familiar without being vulgar) expressions :
“Je me suis éclatée!” = « I had a ball!”
"Tu me fiche la paix?” = Will you please bug off ?" (Another version for Tut’s « Casse-toi ! »
« J’en ai ras-le-bol ! » or « J’en ai marre ! » = I’m fed up
“J’ai eu le train à l’arrache !» = “I caught the train at the last minute!
Quoi ? = What ?
“Cela vaut le coup” or “Cela ne vaut pas le coup” = It’s worthwhile / It isn’t worthwhile
"Je suis surbookée" (débordée) = I’m overbooked (I haven’t got time.)
"Tu vois ce que je veux dire ?"= You see what I mean ?
"un truc" (or) "un machin" (or) "une bidule" = "a thingamajig » « C’est quoi ce truc ? » = What the devil is this?
“Il m’a posé un lapin .” = "He stood me up!" (If you think of a shooting stand, with the little pipes or balloons that you shoot with a bibi gun? = Hze placed me up there like a rabbit!)
"zut!" = a polite way to say “darn” (the less polite being “merde! = damn!)

Ones that can also be used in Emails (called “mels” or “courriels” in French)
A plus / @ + ( A plus tard) = See you later. / Speak to you later.
MDR (mort de rire) = Dying from laughing so hard / lol

I think that's maybe (largely) enough for one evening's "lesson"? Happy New Year!/ Bonne année ! to all from Burgundy, Barbara

[Barbara]

that should have been : "Tu me fiches la paix ?"