When coquelicots unite they set the French countryside aflame… solidaire (so-lee-dair) adjective standing together, united, interdependent Pourquoi nous haïr ? Nous sommes solidaires, emportés par la même planète, équipage d’un même navire. Why hate each other? We stand together, carried by the same planet, a crew of the same vessel. –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. … Continue reading solidaire
Minus Cancer: my mom (in 2003)–post-op and playing the game of life again. (That’s her, arms in the air, ever in praise, in the second to the last lane where her grandson, Max races beside her and into the shallow piscine in the town of St. Maxime). la piscine (pee-seen) noun, feminine swimming pool (slang) the French secret service En amour, il y a un … Continue reading La Piscine: Everyone in America has a Swimming Pool?
Home sweet home. We will miss it. effacer (ay-fas-ay) verb to efface, obliterate, delete; to wash out, wipe out Il faut des torrents de sang pour effacer nos fautes aux yeux des hommes, une seule larme suffit à Dieu. It takes torrents of blood to erase our mistakes in the eyes of men, a single tear suffices for God. –François René de Chateaubriand … Continue reading effacer
No blabbermouths in this corner of Biot; just books. le potin (poh-tehn) noun, masculine gossip, tittle-tattle noise, din, racket Duroy sentit brusquement une sensation de froid, une sorte de crispation nerveuse, un besoin d'injurier et de gifler ce bavard. Mais il l'interrompit simplement pour lui demander: "C'est votre nom, Saint-Potin?" Duroy felt a sudden chill, a sort of nervous contraction, a wish to insult this … Continue reading potin
An almost ramshackle façade gets a colorful lift with a charming trompe-l’oeil. délabré,e (day-lah-bray) adjectivedilapidated, impaired, broken, ramshackle délabrer (verb) = to wreck, ruin; to spoil Les grandes souffrances qui peuvent délabrer à jamais une vie affective ne se rencontrent que chez ceux qui connaissent la passion. Great sufferings that can forever ruin an emotional life only meet where those who know passion dwell. -Boris … Continue reading délabré
Beneath woodcarved porticos across France (and behind portes-fenêtres just above them) the French are mad about bread! une MAP (map) acronym (une) machine à pain (breadmaker) Que ceux qui ont faim aient du pain! Que ceux qui ont du pain aient faim de justice et d’amour! May those who are hungry have bread! May those who have bread be hungry for justice and love! —Abbé … Continue reading MAP
la camionnette (ka-me-oh-net) noun, feminine pick-up truck; small van, minivan La camionnette démarre avec fracas et la jeune fille ferme derrière elle la lourde porte, relique de temps moins sûrs. The truck starts up with a roar and the young girl closes behind her the heavy door, a relic from uncertain times. —from “La Nouvelle revue des deux mondes”. A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by … Continue reading What to get my son for his birthday: a grandmother’s idea
A missed catch: loop (+ screen) + cat = unloopable cat louper (loo pay) verb 1. to miss 2. to mess up, to flunk ("louper" is used in informal conversation) Il ne faut pas louper le coche,* mes amis! We musn't miss our chance, my friends! –Henriette Chardak *coach, barge; rater le coche = to miss the boat. A Day in a French … Continue reading louper
My husband "King Bee" looking for a Queen. Thanks to our neighbor, Jean-Marie, he found a swarm (see it in the photo? just above the word "bee". Now to pry the buzzing mass from the underarm of that branch… un essaim (eh-sehn [silent "n," nasal sound]) noun, masculine : swarm (of bees) : crowd, swarm (of people); bevy (of girls) Ce qui n'est point utile … Continue reading essaim
The French voted yesterday…and we have a new French president! le scrutin (skroo-tuhn) noun, masculine ballot; poll …ce scrutin marquera l’accession au pouvoir d’une nouvelle génération, après les 12 années de présidence de Jacques Chirac… …this ballot will mark the accession to power of a new generation, after twelve years of presidency for Jacques Chirac… –Radio Suisse Romande. … Continue reading le scrutin
