What does this photo have in common with the next photo?
Both show une punaise. Yes, a punaise is both a bedbug and a pushpin or thumbtack. It's also a verb (punaiser means to pin or tack something up).
Photo Albums
Mots Favoris
Kristin Espinasse
- French Word-a-Day
Stop the War in Iraq!
Currency Converter
Smurf = Schtroumpf
Did you know that the Smurfs are Belgian and actually named Schtroumpfs? Yes, like Tintin, the Smurfs were created by a Belgian. Georges Rémi created the Tintin empire, but it was Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, pen name Peyo, who gave birth to the Smurfs/Schtroumpfs. Smurf is the Dutch translation of Schtroumpf.
Legend has it that Peyo wanted a friend to pass him the salt, but the word momentarily escaped him, so he called it "schtroumpf" (passe-moi le schtroumpf). The two friends spent the weekend goofing around with the word, creating a whole schtroumpf language. The schtroumpfs first appeared in a magazine in 1958.
The smurf cap is based on the Phrygian Cap, adopted as the symbol of French liberty during the French Revolution.
I prefer the name Schtroumpf to Smurf. It sounds almost Yiddish: schmuck, schlemiel, etc. Too bad Hannah-Barbera didn't use it when they began producing the cartoons in 1981
Question
Which of the following photos depicts a pair of 'tongs'?
Answer: It depends on the language.
In English, it's the metal hinged tool of course. But in French, les tongs (fem, pl) are flip-flops or thongs.The metal device is called pince à aliments (fem, pl) in French. To add to the confusion, flip-flops and beach slip-ons are sometimes called claquettes which is also the name for tap dancing and tap shoes.
This discovery made me wonder about other types of shoes in French beyond chaussures, hauts talons and pantoufles*.
Now I adore the type of 'flats' called ballerines (fem, pl) in French because they resemble the dance shoes.
Most people know that sneakers/athletic shoes are les baskets and that high heels are called hauts talons, but did you know that stilettos or spike heels are called talons aiguilles? And heels/pumps are also called escarpins (mas. pl)?
What are your favorite shoes?
*note: a pantouflard is a term used for a homebody or couch potato, but is also a derogatory term for a civil servant when he takes a job in the private sector.
a BIG petit problème
I have a big problem with the word petit in French. Such a little word to cause me such grief. Somehow along my French language path I developed the bad habit of pronouncing it PETT-ee. And it's grating to French ears. That's IF they understand what I'm trying to say.
And the word is everywhere. It's #242 on the list of the two thousand words most commonly used in the French language. It's in books, like this one about Tom Thumb, known in France as le petit poucet:
It's in stores and restaurants:
I'm trying to think of it as having only the briefest of first syllables. In fact, you often see it written as such:
But I continue to backslide. I've taken to listening to the Serge Gainsbourg song, Le Poinçonneur des Lilas, over and over again because of its refrain of "...des petits trous, des petits trous, des petits trous..." Listen to him pronounce it correctly (the video has an English translation on it). The French lyrics follow below it.
- J’ suis l’ poinçonneur des Lilas
- Le gars qu’on croise et qu’on n’ regarde pas
- Y’ a pas d’ soleil sous la terre
- Drôle de croisière
- Pour tuer l’ennui j’ai dans ma veste
- Les extraits du Reader’s Digest
- Et dans c’ bouquin y’ a écrit
- Que des gars s’ la coulent douce à Miami
- Pendant c’ temps que je fais l’ zouave
- Au fond d’ la cave
- Paraît qu’ y a pas d’ sot métier
- Moi j’ fais des trous dans des billets
- J’ fais des trous, des p’tits trous, encor des p’tits trous
- Des p’tits trous, des p’tits trous, toujours des p’tits trous
- Des trous d’ seconde classe
- Des trous d’ première classe
- J’ fais des trous, des p’tits trous, encor des p’tits
- Des p’tits trous, des p’tits trous, toujours des p’tits trous
- Des petits trous, des petits trous,
- Des petits trous, des petits trous
- J’ suis l’ poinçonneur des Lilas
- Pour Invalides changer à Opéra
- Je vis au cœur d’ la planète
- J’ai dans la tête
- Un carnaval de confettis
- J’en amène jusque dans mon lit
- Et sous mon ciel de faïence
- Je n’ vois briller que les correspondances
- Parfois je rêve je divague
- Je vois des vagues
- Et dans la brume au bout du quai
- J’ vois un bateau qui vient m’ chercher
- Pour m’ sortir de ce trou où je fais des trous
- Des p’tits trous, des p’tits trous, toujours des p’tits trous
- Mais l’ bateau se taille
- Et j’ vois qu’ je déraille
- Et je reste dans mon trou à faire des p’tits trous
- Des p’tits trous, des p’tits trous, toujours des p’tits trous
- Des petits trous, des petits trous,
- Des petits trous, des petits trous
- J’ suis l’ poinçonneur des Lilas
- Arts-et-Métiers direct par Levallois
- J’en ai marre j’en ai ma claque
- De ce cloaque
- Je voudrais jouer la fille de l’air
- Laisser ma casquette au vestiaire
- Un jour viendra j’en suis sûr
- Où j’ pourrai m’évader dans la nature
- J’ partirai sur la grand-route
- Et coûte que coûte
- Et si pour moi il n’est plus temps
- Je partirai les pieds devant
- J’ fais des trous, des p’tits trous, encor des p’tits trous
- Des p’tits trous, des p’tits trous, toujours des p’tits trous
- Y’ a d’ quoi d’venir dingue
- De quoi prendre un flingue
- S’ faire un trou, un p’tit trou, un dernier p’tit trou
- Un p’tit trou, un p’tit trou, un dernier p’tit trou
- Et on m’ mettra dans un grand trou
- Où j’ n’entendrai plus parler d’ trou plus jamais d’ trou
- De petits trous de petits trous de petits trous
French Spam
Twice a year, the General Delegation for the French Language (DGLF) publishes a guide called "You Can Say It in French" («vous pouvez le dire en français »), a list of words which must be used by state services. The August 2009 edition focused on computer jargon, declaring it the largest source of Anglicisms in French. This site is a wonderful source of specialized French words, not only computer jargon.
Some of the suggested computer vocabulary makes a lot of sense. For example, they encourage you to use 'ver' instead of 'worm'. But other mandates provoke a big 'huh?' Like using 'arrosage' for spam. Arroser means 'to water or sprinkle'. I've seen 'pourriel' used for spam on many French sites, which seems better. Spam has that rotten connotation of pourrir rather than the refreshing implications of sprinkling.
Others are improvements over English. I like filoutage (filching, swiping, chiseling) over 'phishing'. But why did they specify this over hameçonage (fish hook, baiting) which is what most people had been using?
And then there is numéro d'urgence instead of hotline: why use the longer word? Isn't that a little like saying 'freedom fries' to avoid 'french fries'?
Bonus tip: hoaxbuster.com is the French version of snopes.com, a site to investigate rumors, urban legends and hoaxes. Use this when you receive an email (courriel) with questionable claims.
New Word: Coqueluche
I stumbled across a new word I like: une coqueluche. It has a nice sound, a 'Q', and two unrelated meanings, a feature that always tickles me.
La coqueluche is Pertussis (whooping cough), a nasty bacterial infection that has resurged because so many parents have eschewed DPT immunization for their children.
But it also means idol, sweetheart or darling.
Bonus fact: Nouvelle Star is the American Idol of France:
Slippery French
There are certain French words and phrases that I can't hold onto and use spontaneously. In France, you frequently hear people saying "tout à fait" (right, totally, quite, exactly) and "quand même" (nevertheless, all the same, still, finally, really, anyway, indeed). I understand people when they use these phrases, but I'll consider myself fluent when these spring forth automatically from my mouth.
And then there are the pronouns, like this one:
And then there are the pronouns, like this one:
Ceci, cela, laquel, celui-ci......oy vey. Will they ever enter my usage? By contrast, Yiddish slides out effortlessy: schmuck, goyim, meshugeh.
I give myself an 'atta-girl' whenever I use 'dont' or 'en' or 'mienne' (which is infrequent). These pronouns are lodged with the subjunctive tense on an inaccessible shelf in my brain. Help!
I give myself an 'atta-girl' whenever I use 'dont' or 'en' or 'mienne' (which is infrequent). These pronouns are lodged with the subjunctive tense on an inaccessible shelf in my brain. Help!
"Moo....."
I was about to toss this packaging until I 'Found French' on it. And a 'moo' word at that. Maybe now I can conquer my pesky 'moo' problem - I frequently confuse un mousquetaire (musketeer) with un moustique (mosquito). So now I either confront 'moo' in all its aspects or I add another moo (un mousqueton - a snaphook) to the muddle.
A moose (un élan) is not the same thing as la mousse (moss, foam, suds, lather). Bonus word: bubblebath is le bain moussant. In case you were getting cocky, did you notice the change in gender? Suds are feminine, but bain is masculine. And I sew and quilt and thus have to know that la mousseline is not a small dessert (à la mousse au chocolat) but muslin, a type of fabric used for draping a pattern. Don't forget that hair mousse is la mousse coiffante. I wonder if the French have to remind themselves that 'mouse' in English is not the same thing as their mousse with a double 's'?
And don't get me started on moule. Une moule (feminine) is a mussel, while un moule (masculine) is a mold or type of pan.
Oh,there are just too many French moo words! Un mou is slack (like slack in a rope) or colloquial French for a wimp, but une moue is a pout or a grimace. I'm not in the mood (moo-d) to go through the rest of my list so I'll end with one final moo:
- a French cow does not say "moo", it says "meuh". To moo is meugler in French and mooing is le meuglement.
les poches
I was up late last night into the early morning. This is not my face, but this morning I also have les poches sous les yeux and les cernes. Yes, in French you don't have 'bags' under your eyes, you have 'pockets'. And today les poches are more like duffle bags. Les yeux cernés are eyes with dark circles under them. Not to be confused with a black eye which un œil au beurre noir or un coquard or un coquart. In any case, you can use this to hide (or fool yourself into believing you have hidden) les poches, les cernes ou l'œil au beurre noir:
Email Madame Tut
Google Search
French Saint Day
Recent Posts
J'adore:
- Do it in Paris, le Paris de la Parisienne – Tendances Mode, Beauté, Sorties
- Bonjour Paris - Guide to Paris France, Paris Hotels, Paris Restaurants, Food, Wine, and Culture
- The Paris Blog
- Eye Prefer Paris
- Colleen's Paris Newsletter
- The Bold Soul
- Why Travel To France
- Polly-Vous Francais?
- paris breakfasts
- Paris Daily Photo
- Fluent French Audio
- French Word-A-Day
A desert rat in Provence since 1992 - Bookslut
- A Sip of Burgundy
- Chocolate and Zucchini
- A Day in Paris
No longer active but read it if you haven't already done so. - petite anglaise
Paris Blog Ring
!-- début WEBRING : PHPMyRing -->Parisblog
Site au hasard
Voir la liste
Categories
- Books
- Current Affairs
- Dish du Jour
- Elsewhere in France
- Expat Issues
- Fairs, Fêtes and Salons
- Faux Amis
- Film
- Food
- Food and Drink
- Found French
- Give-Away
- History
- Holidays
- La Pub
- Manifestations
- Marchés
- Music
- Musées
- Obsession
- Obsession [1]
- Pardon my French
- Paris Dog of the Day
- Paris Door of the Day
- Paris Fashion
- Paris Life
- Paris Pussycats
- Paris Secrets
- Paris Sights
- Paris Stores
- Paris Wish List
- Parks
- Petaluma is the New Paris
- Plaisanteries
- Quotidien
- Religion
- Science
- Slippery French
- Social Issues
- Sports
- Stores
- Street Art
- Television
- The Metro
- Transportation
- Travel
- Trompe-l'oeil
- Unrelated Meanings
- US vs France
- Vehicles
