French Expressions

"Thou shalt not insult yours truly if thou wishes to recieve respect from yours truly!" Doesn't have much of a ring to it, does it? While overly-formal vintage French does sound beautiful, it's not always the best way to communicate. And while during study abroad my goal is to learn correct French, it's also my goal to learn slang! But what is slang? Well, slang is made up of many things; vocabulary and cultural references such as expressions and phrases. Of the two categories, cultural references are the hardest to master. While vocabulary comes with day to day life, cultural references are concepts and expressions that one has to live with to understand. So, today I will be sharing with you some of my favorite French expressions!

• Trop se mêle: Literally translated to "too much mixes", this expression doesn't really make any sense at all unless it's been explained to you! Basically, trop se mêle is a name that you call someone who sticks their nose into the business of others. For example, if you just got back your BAC grades (very private information) and your friend pesters you to find out your grade, you would say "Trop se mêle! Laisses-moi tranquile..."
• Occupes-toi de tes fesses: Basically the same as trop se mêle, occupe-toi de tes fesses translates to "Mind your buttocks" It's basically the French version of "mind your own beeswax!" However, be careful with this phrase because it includes the word fesses (buttocks) and though this is the socially correct word for butt, some people do find it offensive.
• Entre chien et loup: "Between dog and wolf" This is referring to the twilight time of night when the outline of the horizon is so similar to the sky's shade of black that you can't be sure where the horizon ends and the sky begins. The connection to the dog-wolf relationship is pretty obvious (if you put a dog next to a wolf, especially at sunset, how can you possibly tell the difference?)
• Grasse matintée: "Fat morning" This phrase is used to describe a lazy morning when you sleep in until 11am... or maybe noon... or maybe 3pm...
• Pleurer comme une madeleine: "To cry like a baby" however, instead of baby, it's "To cry like Mary Magdalene". Interesting bible reference!

• Ne pas faire un tour à vide: "Don't do that for nothing!" This phrase is used to keep people from making useless journeys (or doing useless jobs). For example, a tour à vide that I constantly make is going to the closet to get the broom, then after sweeping returning to the closet for the dustpan.  In this way, I have made 3 trips to the closet rather than one.
• Attacher un fil à la patte: "A string on their paw" This expression is used to describe someone who is, in english terms, "whipped". If someone is in a relationship and their partner always tells them what to do or not do, then the whipper has "a attaché un fil à sa patte" of the whipped party. Despite the negative connotations of this phrase, I do respect it more than "whipped" because unlike "whipped" this phrase is very gender neutral
• Excité comme un pou: Literally, "Excited as a flea" You know how fleas are always hopping around? Well, if you're excited, you're probably bouncing around as well!
• Lancer des fleurs: Literally translated "Throwing flowers", but the human translation is "To shower with compliments"
• Se lever bon pied bon oeil: "To get up with good feet and good eyes", the French version of "Bright eyed and bushy tailed"
• Pique nique douille c'est toi l'andouille: "Blah, blah, blah. You are the numbskull" the French version of "eenie meenie miney mo... and you are NOT it" Note that "pique nique douille" is just jibber-jabber, like eenie meenie. As for the word andouille, this is actually the name for a sausage but...
• Tu es un andouille: "You are a numbskull" an andouille may be a name for a butcher's product, but in this context it means a troublemaker, class clown or numbskull.

These phrases only make up a miniscule fraction of French cultural expressions, but nevertheless, I thought you might enjoy them!