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
Slang USED On Occasion BY Young people
Very unfamiliar and childish way to say hello. When you want to say hi to your friends in a cute way, comes from “coucou” which means hi/hey.
"Kikou!"
"Hi!"
Submitted May 2021 by anonymous
Breton
| Breton
West Bretagne,
France
Interjection USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(my blessed god) • It literally means "my blessed god." Even though "benniget" isn't a common word to say "blessed," everyone around me (in Bretagne) uses it from time to time. It's used like "oh my god !" Older people, who speak more Breton than French use it often. The younger generation, however, sometimes use it in a funny or ironic way because there isn't a lot of breton speakers nowadays.
"Jean a eu un 20/20 en maths!" -"Va doue benniget! C'est un génie."
"Jean has a 20/20 in maths!" -"Oh my blessed god! He's a genius."
Submitted May 2021 by anonymous
French
| Breton
Bretagne,
France
Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone from northwest France
(n.) • (leftovers ) • It is mostly used by old people who still know Breton, but can be used by younger people as a funny way to say that there is nothing to eat, or when you don't remember something well, or when there are only some traces of something left.
"Je n'ai plus que des restachoú, allons manger au restaurant." "Je n'ai pas parlé anglais depuis longtemps, je n'ai que des restachoú de grammaire." "Ma grand-mère est mal à l'aise quand elle entend de l'allemand, des restachoú de l'occupation probablement."
"There's only leftovers at home, let's eat at the restaurant instead." "I haven't spoken English for a while, I only remember leftover grammar." "My grandmother is uncomfortable when she hears German, probably some leftovers of the occupation."
Submitted May 2021 by anonymous
Word USED Very frequently BY Some People
(n.) • (fat) • Similar to the French words mec (M.) and meuf (F.), this pair, gros and grosse, mean dude. It's very informal, it can only be used with friends, and the literal meaning, fat, is not relevant at all here.
"Salut gros, ça fait longtemps ! Ça va toi?" "bah ouais grosse ! J'étais en vacances dans le sud et toi?"
"Hi fat, it's been a while! How are you doing?" "yeah fat ! I was in the south for the holiday and you?"
Submitted May 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!"
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(to have the IQ of an oyster ) • Used to say that someone is really stupid, that someone has no brain.
"Elle est vraiment débile, elle a le QI d'une huître !"
"She's so dumb, she has the IQ of an oyster !"
Slang USED On Occasion BY Mostly used by young people
(to be in the sauce) • You can use this expression to say that you are in trouble.
"Il n’aurait pas dû dire ça, il va être dans la sauce."
"He should not have said that, he is gonna be in the sauce."
Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(to be bored like a dead rat) • It is used to express extreme boredom.
"Il n'y a rien à faire ici." "Ouais, je m'ennuie comme un rat mort."
"There's nothing to do here." "Yeah, I'm bored to death."
aimable comme une porte de prison
Expression USED Frequently BY Adults/old people
(as friendly as a prison's door) • Used to describe someone being rude or cold.
"Il ne m'a pas adressé un seul sourire du séjour, il est aimable comme une porte de prison."
"He didn't smile at me the whole trip, he is as friendly as a prison's door."