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.
