gaspiller (ga-spee-yay) verb  1. to waste; to squander (money) Also:le gaspillage = wasteun gaspilleur/une gaspilleuse = a squanderer, spendthrift Expressions:Quel gaspillage! = What a waste!gaspiller son argent/son talent/temps = to waste one’s money/talent/time ………………………Citation du Jour:Nous avons gaspillé nos richesses car nous nous sommes laissés aveugler par l’attrait de l’avoir au détriment de notre bien-être intérieur… paraître devient plus important qu’être… We have wasted our … Continue reading gaspiller

le pépin (pay-pehn) noun, masculine  1. pip, seed  2. snag, hitch  3. (informal) umbrella Also:sans pépins = seedlessune pépinière = nursery (of young trees) Expressions:avoir avalé le pépin = to have swallowed the seed (to be pregnant)avoir un /des pépin(s) = to have a problem(s) ………………………Citation du Jour:Serrer trop fort le pressoir donne un vin qui sent le pépin.Where the wine-press is hard wrought, it … Continue reading un pépin

un balai (ba-lay) noun, masculine 1. a broom, brush 2. windshield-wiper blade Also:les balais = (informal) years "avoir trente balais" to be 30-years-oldbalayer (ba-lay-yay) verb = to sweepla voiture-balai = the last car in a line of wedding guests’ cars (usually with saucepans attached to it) ……………….Expressions:Du balai! = (Get) out!un coup de balai = a massive employee layoffpasser le balai = to sweep the … Continue reading un balai

Jean-Marc and I trekked north over the weekend, to les Alpes du Sud or the Southern Alps. While we didn’t spot an ours, I’ll tell you what we did see tomorrow… un ours (oors) noun, masculine  1. a bear Also:un ours polaire = a polar bearun ours savant = a trained or performing bear …………………Expressions:être un peu ours = to be a bit gruffavoir ses … Continue reading un ours

la grève (grev) noun, feminine1. strike Also:un(e) gréviste = a strikerune grève de la faim = a hunger strikeune grève surprise = a lightning strikeune grève sur le tas = a sit-down strike Expressions:faire grève = to strikese mettre en grève = to go on strikeêtre en grève = to be on strike …………………….Citation du Jour:Dans grève, il y a rêve.In the strike, there is … Continue reading la grève

une coquille (ko-kee) noun, feminine  1. a shell  2. a scallop (decoration) 3. a misprint (typo) Citation du Jour: La vie est ce que notre caractère veut qu’elle soit. Nous la façonnons, comme un escargot sa coquille. Life is what our character wants it to be. We fashion it, as a snail does its shell. –Jules Renard A Day in a French Life… When I … Continue reading une coquille

la moelle (mwal) noun, feminine  1. marrow; pith, core Also:la moelle de boeuf = beef marrowla moelle épinière = spinal marrowla moelle osseuse = bone marrow Expressions:corrompu jusqu’à la moelle = rotten to the coren’avoir pas de moelle dans les os = to be weakse ronger les moelles = to worry a lottirer la moelle = to extract the essential in somethingsucer la moelle de … Continue reading la moelle

transpirer (trahns-pee-ray) verb  1. to sweat, to perspire  2. to transpire; to come to light synonym: suer Also:la transpiration (f) = perspiration, sweat; transpiration …………………….Citation du Jour:Le génie est fait d’un pour cent d’inspiration et de quatre-vingt-dix-neuf pour cent de transpiration. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. –Thomas Edison ………………………………..A Day in a French Life… (The story that appeared in this column, … Continue reading transpirer