The French expression “faire une frite” literally means “to make a fry” or “to make a French fry.” However it has nothing to do with cooking. Instead it means to use the backs of your fingers to whip someone’s bottom in a downwards direction. This action, often done by kids teasing each other, will leave temporary marks that resemble French fries on the recipient’s backside.
The French expression « le nez de Cléopâtre » (“Cleopatra’s nose”) comes from a famous line by the 17th-century philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. In his Pensées (1670), he wrote: « Le nez de Cléopâtre, s’il eût été plus court, toute la face de la terre aurait changé. »If Cleopatra’s nose had been shorter, the…
The French adjective nouveau (new) and its variations (nouvelle, nouvel, nouveaux, nouvelles) can appear either before or after the noun. The position changes the meaning. When placed before the noun, it refers to a new instance or a different version of something already known. When placed after the noun, it emphasizes that the thing is…
Pousser un cri is a common French phrase. It means to let out a cry, or to utter a cry. The cry may be loud or soft. It may show fear, pain, shock, joy, anger, or surprise. The verb pousser normally means to push. In this phrase, it means to produce or utter a sound….
“Faire vinaigre” means literally to “make vinegar.” What could “make vinegar” possibly mean? It means to hurry up, to go faster. It’s also used by kids playing jump rope to indicate that they want the rope holders to turn the rope faster. The jump rope usage gives a clue as to the origin of this…
Verlan is a form of French slang created by inverting syllables within words. The term verlan itself comes from l’envers (“the reverse”), reversed phonetically. It’s like changing “flipside” to “sideflip.” Verlan is mostly used in informal spoken French, often to mark social identity, humour, or secrecy. While once associated with street slang, many verlan words…
The French verb franchir means “to cross,” “to overcome,” or “to break through.” It is often used in both literal and figurative contexts and appears frequently in formal and journalistic French. It is a regular verb of the second group, conjugated like finir, choisir or réussir. Etymology Franchir comes from the Old French franchir (12th…