French France

un pied-à-terre

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""

French France

péter plus haut que son cul

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.

French France

un avion de chasse

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!"

French France

passer l'arme à gauche

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."

French France

passez l'arme à gauche

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.

French France

je m'en bats les couilles

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!"

French French speaking countries

que dalle

Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone

Nothing at all.

"'Y a que dalle dans le frigo, faut qu'on fasse des courses."

"There's nothing at all in the fridge, we must do the grocery shopping."

French France

tout ça pour ça

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!"

Confirmed by 3 people

French France

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!"

Confirmed by 3 people

alt

French Suisse romande, Switzerland

natel

Word USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

(n.) • A mobile phone.

“J’ai perdu mon natel.”

“I lost my phone.”

Confirmed by 2 people

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French | Québécois Québec, Canada

tomber dans sa semaine

Expression USED Very frequently BY Usually younger people

(to fall in one's week) • Used as a euphemism to mean “starting your period”.

“As-tu un tampon? Je viens de tomber dans ma semaine.”

“Do you have a tampon? I just fell in my week.”

ety

French French speaking countries

avoir ses ragnagnas

Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

Used informally to refer to menstruation.

"J’ai mes ragnagnas."

"I’m on my period."

Confirmed by 2 people

French France

schlass

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."

French French speaking countries

monter sur ses grands chevaux

Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

(to ride on one's big horses) • Getting angry quickly and reacting violently.

"Tu devrais réfléchir avant de monter sur tes grands chevaux."

"You should think before you get on your big horses."

Confirmed by 2 people

French French speaking countries

Je m’en bats les couilles.

Expression USED Very frequently BY Young People

(I beat my balls about it.) • Used to say that you don't care at all about something. You don't give a damn.

"Je m’en bats les couilles de ces restrictions corona, je vais faire la fête dans tous les cas !"

"I beat my balls about the corona restrictions , I will party anyways!"

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French | French Canadian Québec, Canada

Saint-Clin-Clin-des-Meuh-Meuh

Expression USED On Occasion BY Everybody

(n.) • It is used to refer to a remote location, most often than not, a far away village, "in the middle of nowhere", because in Québec, a lot of small villages are named "Saint-(something)".

"Mon cousin habite à Saint-Clin-Clin-des-Meuh-Meuh."

"My cousin lives In-the-middle-of-nowhere."

French | Joual Québec, Canada

siffleux

Word USED On Occasion BY Older Generations, Countryside people

(n.) • (whistler) • Used to refer to a groundhog, mostly because of the sounds they make when angry (that sounds like a sharp whistle).

"J'ai fini par attraper le siffleux qui détruisait mon jardin !"

"I finally caught the whistler that was destroying my garden!"

French Québec

beurrer épais

Expression USED On Occasion BY Most People

(to butter thickly) • To exaggerate, like putting a very liberal coat of butter on a piece of toast. Also, in a way, to brag.

"Je crois qu'il en a beurré épais quand il a raconté son aventure." "J'ai l'air d'en beurrer épais, mais c'est vraiment arrivé comme ça !"

"I think he buttered thickly in his retelling of his adventure." "I do not mean to butter thickly, but it really happened that way!"

ety

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French Québec

pantoute

Word USED Very frequently BY Everyone

Not at all, none. Also used to insist on that idea.

"Ça ne me dérange pas pantoute !" "Je ne vois rien pantoute."

"It doesn't bother me at all" "I can't see anything."

French France

Pétaouchnok

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."

Confirmed by 2 people