un klaxon (klak-sohn) noun, masculine
  1. a horn

And the verb klaxonner (klak-soh-nay) = to hoot or sound one's horn, to honk

Expression:
klaxonner quelqu'un = to hoot at someone; to give somebody a hoot

Citation du Jour
La plupart des automobiles du monde marchent à l'essence. Les autos françaises marchent au klaxon. Surtout quand elles sont arrêtées.

Most of the automobiles in this world run on gasoline. The French autos run on horns. Especially when they're stopped. –Pierre Daninos

A Day in a French Life…
by Kristin Espinasse

If you want to buy or sell a car in France, a good place to start is with a free publication called "l'Argus". Most people start there. Most.

I woke up Wednesday morning to find a sign taped to the back window of my car. It reads:

             A VENDRE
année 2001 – 1ère main – 35 000 kms
            toutes options
Clim / VE / Airbags / ABS / Radio / CD
            3,900 Euros

My husband must have been busy during the night. Busy taping a notice to the inside rear window of my bagnole.* I knew he was considering selling my car. Just not this soon. Not in this way.

Re-reading the sign, I'm surprised he didn't add, "woman driver, gearshift grinder, (who) occasionally backs into lampposts." That's just how exposed I feel, driving around with a "for sale" sign glaring from the back window.

In Greek mythology, Argus is a giant with one hundred eyes. A clever name for an auto trader publication whose marketing approach must be, "All eyes on your car when you advertise with us."  But when your car isn't listed there, and you drive around with a rainbow-colored sign scotched to the back window (thanks to gigantic strips of packing tape) the effect is the same, just a bit more disconcerting.

I'm learning that there's a little bit of Argus in each villager. Tape a sign on something, and the collective village eyes are redirected. The collective village lips begin to flap. To "faire parler les gens" or give the people something to talk about, all you need is a roll of 4-inch wide duct tape and a colorful message. No use being discreet when you're trying to sell something.

I hope the car will sell, and illico!* or I just might turn into a one hundred-eyed monster and scotch tape my husband's mouth shut while I slowly enunciate each and every word from each and every story in "A Day in a French Life". That ought to make him think twice about peddling my bagnole.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~French Vocabulary~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
à vendre = for sale; l'année (f) = year; la première main (f) = first hand; la clim (la climatisation) = air-conditioning; VE (vitres électriques) = electric windows; une bagnole (f) = car; illico = pronto