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-old
balayer (ba-lay-yay) verb = to sweep
la voiture-balai = the last car in a line of wedding guests’ cars (usually with saucepans attached to it)

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Expressions:
Du balai! = (Get) out!
un coup de balai = a massive employee layoff
passer le balai = to sweep the floor
balayer devant sa porte = (to sweep before one’s door) to correct one’s own errors before criticizing another’s

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Proverb:
Un vieux balai connaît les coins.
An old broom knows the corners.
(A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows the corners.)

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A Day in a French Life…

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