Standard Phrase USED Very frequently BY Everyone
(to have a wooden mouth) • To have a hangover or to feel hungover after a heavy night of drinking alcohol.
J'ai une affreuse gueule de bois.
I have an awful wooden mouth.
Submitted April 2023 by charlotteashton
Word USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(change of scenery) • When you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings either purposely, for a change of scenery on a holiday or because you feel homesick.
Pour un vrai dépaysement, allez passer une semaine à Bali!
For a real change of scenery, go and spend a week in Bali!
Submitted March 2023 by anonymous
Word USED On Occasion BY Anyone talking about travel
(“discountried”, “discountriment”) • Refers to the culture shock and/or the feeling of being lost one may feel when visiting a foreign country. Can be used in either the positive or the negative sense.
“J'étais au Japon la semaine dernière. Le dépaysement total !”
“I was in Japan last week. It was a total ‘discountriment’!”
Submitted March 2023 by rebecca
Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(To leek) • Waiting motionless for a long time, like a leek planted in the ground.
"Il y avait tellement de monde au magasin, le vendeur m'a fait poireauter pendant une heure."
"There were so many people at the store, the salesman made me leek for one hour."
Submitted January 2023 by anonymous
Slang USED Very frequently BY Young People
This means woman or can often mean girlfriend.
"J'ai vue une belle meuf hier!"
"I saw a pretty woman yesterday!"
Submitted May 2022 by anonymous
Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(a foot on the ground) • A small house or apartment in a city you do not live in, and where you stay when visiting that city for a short time
"Vivre à Paris ne m'empêche pas d'aller souvent à Rome, j'y ai un petit pied-à-terre."
"Living in Paris does not prevent me from going to Rome. I have a small pied-à-terre there""
Submitted January 2022 by anonymous
Idiom USED Frequently BY Everyone
(to fart higher than one's arse) • To be conceited.
Les étrangers disent souvent que les Français pètent plus haut que leur cul.
Foreigners often say that French people fart higher than their arse.
Submitted July 2021 by 3010g
Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone
(fighter plane) • Used to describe someone that is very beautiful or attractive.
"Woah, la nouvelle serveuse est un avion de chasse!"
"Wow, the new waitress is a fighter plane!"
Submitted June 2021 by anonymous
La poêle qui se moque du chaudron
Expression USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(The pan mocking the cauldron) • Used to point out hypocrisy towards another in a joking manner.
-"Il est vraiment pas doué de ses mains." -"C'est la poêle qui se moque du chaudron !"
-"He's really not good with his hands." -"It's the pan mocking the cauldron!"
Submitted June 2021 by anonymous
Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(to pass the weapon to the left) • To die.
"Elle a passé l'arme à gauche."
"She passed the weapon to the left."
Submitted June 2021 by anonymous
Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(to pass the weapon to the left) • To Die.
Elle a passé l'arme à gauche.
She passed the weapon to the left.
Submitted June 2021 by anonymous
Expression USED Very frequently BY French people
(I beat my testicles with it) • I don't care.
"As-tu vu le nouveau film des Avengers?" "Franchement, je m'en bats les couilles!"
"Did you see the new Avengers movie?" "Frankly, I beat my testicles with it!"
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(all of this for this) • Used when you have put much effort into something and are disappointed of the outcome.
"J'ai révisé toute la semaine pour cet examen et je n'ai eu que 8 !" "Tout ça pour ça !"
"I studied the whole week for this exam and I only got an 8!" "All of this for this!"
C'est comme pisser dans un violon.
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People
(It's like pissing in a violin.) • Used to describe something useless and ineffective, or to complain about not being listened to after asking somebody to do something. Pissing in a violin is ineffective, it won't make a sound.
"Quand je demande à ma fille de ranger ma chambre, c'est comme pisser dans un violon !"
"When I ask my daughter to clean her room, it's like pissing in a violin!"
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People
(adj.) • A word originated from German and used by some French speakers, used when someone has reached a level of great fatigue or exhaustion.
"Quelle journée !" "Ouais, je suis complètement schlass."
"What a day!" "Yeah, I'm completely schlass."
Submitted December 2020 by anonymous
Word USED On Occasion BY Some People
(n.) • Used to talk about a far away and/or unknown place.
"Il est parti à Pétaouchnok."
"He went to Pétaouchnok."
passer comme une lettre à la poste
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some
(to fit like a letter in the letterbox) • Used to describe a situation where everything goes smoothly or as planned. To go off without a hitch.
"J'ai été obligé d'expliquer pourquoi je n'étais pas en classe hier." "Et ?" "Mon histoire est passée comme une lettre à la poste"
"I had to explain why I did not attend class yesterday" "And?" "My story fit like a letter in the letterbox"
Ça rentre comme papa dans maman.
Expression USED Frequently BY Young and middle-aged people
(It fits like daddy in mommy.) • To fit like a glove.
"- T'as pu rentrer la voiture dans le garage ? - Ouais, elle est rentrée comme papa dans maman."
"- Did the car fit in the garage? - Yeah, it fits like daddy in mommy."
Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Everyone
(to have a spider on the ceiling) • Describes someone who is not the brightest or someone crazy. If a spider has the space to make a net inside your head, it is not a good sign, as the spider lives in a room that is not used a lot.
"N'écoute pas ce mec, il a une araignée au plafond." "Ton pote est un peu bizarre, il doit avoir une araignée au plafond."
"Don't listen to this guy, he has a spider on the ceiling." "Your mate is a bit weird, he must have a spider on the ceiling."
Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Anyone
(Well seen, the blind!) • This is something you may say to someone who just discovered something obvious. This is obviously a pun, and "bien vu" actually translates to "well spotted", "good catch".
"T'as déjà remarqué que presque tous les salons de coiffures ont un jeu de mot dans leur nom ?" "Bien vu, l'aveugle !"
"Have you ever noticed that almost every hairdressing salon has a pun in its name?" "Well seen, the blind!"
