(The "thrice weekly" photo and regular edition will be back illico presto! Thank you for your understanding!)
le singe (sahnzh) noun, masculine
: monkey
faire le singe = to make funny faces
Do you know of any other "singe" expressions or idioms to add to this very modest list? Can anyone explain the expression "payer en monnaie de singe"? Click here to comment and thanks in advance!
A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse
I feel as guilty sneaking in to work as some feel sneaking out of it. Truth is we are away on "Harvest Break" and I promised to be here, in DoNothingLand and not there, in FrenchWordLand, so as to fully profiter from break and rejuvenate.
"Here" would be The Planet of the Apes (no kidding — seriously, je ne blague pas!). But more about that when Chef Grape, the kids, and I return to earth (façon de parler! ) on Wednesday.
Meantime, live from La Planète des Singes, I have two very important things to tell you:
1. Merci beaucoup! for taking the time to answer my plea for your profiles! It is a pure pleasure to read your bios and to visit your blogs and your sites. It is inspiring to read your words and fun to meet each and every one of you who take the time to read this word journal.
2. Secondly, I wanted to tell you about a book reading and wine tasting! Ann Mah, author of Kitchen Chinese: A Novel about Food, Family, and Finding Yourself, will be reading from her latest novel… about a female sommelier! and Jean-Marc will be serving his Rouge-Bleu wine after this event!
Here are the particulars and I hope to see some of you there…:
Monday, November 8, 2010, 7pm
Shakespeare & Co.
37 rue de la Bûcherie
75005 Paris
tel: 01 43 25 40 93
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French Vocabulary
illico presto = right away
profiter = to take full advantage of
je ne blague pas! = I'm not kidding!
façon de parler = manner of speaking
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One phrase I loved learning in France, was “il faut changer les idées de temps on temps” (hope I got that right; always a crap shoot, especially with accent marks).
If memory serves, it was not meaning you had to change your philosophy, but to literally or figuratively get out of town, go see a funny movie, get into a different mood, talk to some friendly faces, listen to some music you love—-in a big way for the sake of your sanity.
I always liked it because it was a deeper and more congenial way of saying “snap out of it”- (or “I’ve gotta get out of this now”). In a typically French way, it was saying take your mind (or body) to another place and find your right center again.
Have you ever talked about this unique French expression, Kristin? Or have I bollixed the whole thing even?!?
–Tom
Hi Kristin! I have an interview with Ann coming out on my blog tomorrow! The reading + wine tasting idea for Shakespeare & Co is pure genius! I look forward to it.
Another phrase using singe:
(la) monnaie de singe empty promises
Have you visited the “Foret des Singes” in the Dordogne region? It’s a refuge for a certain endangered species of macaques. It’s a huge enclosed area where you can walk around and interact (no cages or wires) with the 3 different clans of these highly entertaining primates! Once a clan is large enough, they are transported back to their original habitat in Africa. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon. Who would have guessed that there were monkeys in France?! As always Kristin, thank you for this wonderful site where everyone’s comments are welcome. Merci bien!
Here is the info from Wikipedia:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payer_en_monnaie_de_singe
As always your post are fun and informative.Have been passing them on to all who know even the slightest bit of french. When I was young and learning to play the game monopoly my grandfather refured to it as monnaiie de singe.Perhaps it means funny money??
Hi Kristin, you asked if anyone knew the expression “monnaie de singe” (monkey money?). Here you go, cut and pasted from “Le Dictionnaire Grand Robert”:
” Payer en monnaie de singe : récompenser ou payer par de belles paroles, des promesses creuses, comme les montreurs de singe qui s’acquittaient du péage en faisant faire des tours à leur animal (on dit aussi payer de grimaces). Moquer (se). — Par ext. Monnaie de singe : fausse récompense, paiement de dupe.”
I wish I could attend the reading and wine tasting but I am stuck in the land of the bean – Boston. I was surprised to see your post today when I came into work. Thank you, it is something I look forward to during the week. My favorite photos are of your home, family and les chiens. Looking forward to your return to work! Sophie Day
Hi, just popping in to say I enjoy this site so much. After taking French for many years in school, I am still hopeless! Thanks for making this so much fun. I am hoping something sinks in before my trip to France next year.
It’s like a girl batting her eyes at the ticket taker and because he likes being flirted with, he lets her in free. Payment in kind, of worth subjectively equal (plus ou moins) to what is owed.
@Julia Frey: Can you please translate that for those of us stuck out of town without our French dictionaries?
And deuxiemement: Anytime I hear the word “singe”, I am reminded of my days in France and Belgium as a missionary for the Mormon Church. We were always careful to help new missionaries properly pronounce the formal name of our church: L’Eglise de Jesus Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours. We never wanted to introduce ourselves as missionaries from L’Eglise de Jesus Christ des Singes des Derniers Jours.
Salut Kristin,
You should not feel guilty for taking a break with your family from life’s grind. These experiences will be the memories in the future for you and your family.
Here’s a poem I found years ago that says a lot.
On an ancient wall in China
Where a brooding Buddha blinks,
Deeply graven is this message –
“It is later than you think!”
The clock of life is wound but once
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own
The past’s a golden link
Go fishing now my brother,
It is later than you think!
Author unknown
À bientôt
The phrase “payer en monnaie de singe” is listed in “Dictionary of French Slang” by Henry Strutz: “Cet escroc de promoteur a payé ses ouvriers en monnaie de singe.” “That crooked real estate developer let his workers whistle for their money.”
My old Cajun Pop used to say “monkeyshines” to describe that kind of behavior…Guess why I remember that.
Hi Kristin,
“Singe” could also refer to a prostitute in the nineteenth century–I only know this because the painting by Seurat in the Chicago Art Institute, whose title in English is Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte, features a couple in the foreground with the woman holding a monkey on a leash. This indicates she is not his wife…
Chere Kristin,
I can’t wait to see you, Jean-Marc and Ann at Shakespeare & Co! I have missed you…xo Robin
i was in Siem Reap in northern cambodia in 2006, ran into a frenchman who was a souvenir shop keeper. he would not accept the khmer riels — he said, “c’est de l’argent de singe”. he did not use the word “monnaie” (same thing, of course). he would accept only dollars (btw, if you ever visit cambodia — and i do recommend it highly) don’t even bother to change ANYTHING into riel. DOLLARS are the desiderata par excellence !!!
Merci, Kristin.
I love reading your posts. I studied French in high school and college, and while I am now an English teacher, I do try to teach my students a bit of French too. Thank you for making me happy every day.
—Beth
Sorry, I can’t think of any other expressions with “singe.” Michel, in the wikipedia citation, it mentioned people paying with tricks by monkeys ou “tours de passe-passe”. I looked up “passe-passe” in my Robert French Dictionary, and couldn’t find it. Do you kno what that is?
I can offer a monetary expression, based, of course, on really old French currency: “Pas un rouge liard,” which translates well as “Not a red cent.”
If you don’t have a French dictionary at your disposal, right now, or if you would prefer some explanations in English, you might find the following lines a bit useful.
-> “des grimaces” = funny faces (what monkeys are brilliant at making)
-> To pay “en monnaie de singe” = not paying with real money, but paying with flattering and amusing words, with smiles and gestures, with some entertaining behaviour – all that being considered as “des grimaces de singe” entertaining the person we owe money to, instead of paying in real money.
You entertain that person, display your talent and play your best tricks which are, somehow, ‘fake money’…
What “un chanteur “ (‘a singer’… sorry, nothing to do with the French word “singe”!) is best at? singing.
– so, a singer would pay “en monnaie de singe” if for ex, in a restaurant, instead of paying his meal with real money, he would simply sing a few songs at the end!
– a writer would pay “en monnaie de singe” if, in the same instance, he would pay his bill with a few smiles and a well written & most entertaining little story!
Got the idea?
The expression goes back to the XIIIth century, at the time of “Le roi Louis IX”. In Paris, who could avoid paying a tax to go across a certain bridge from La Rue St Jacques to L’Ile de la Cité? Who became allowed to pay “en monnaie de singe” instead of real coins?
The amusing answer can be found, in French, in Wikipedia and Expressio!
“de la monnaie de singe” has become the equivalent of fake money, something of no real value, of no value at all.
——————-
Kristin,
Please, do not worry about your FWADLand while you are on holiday. You shouldn’t have a single shred of guilt about the “thrice-weekly” being reduced to “once”! We ALL understand and are very very happy to know you are sharing a holiday life “au maximum” with your family, somewhere in a relaxing “donothingLand”! If that Land doubles as a “Planète des Singes”, well, how fantastic!
Whatever you call your holiday (“vacances de mi-trimestre” for your children, “vacances de Toussaint” for the general public, or “harvest holiday” for the Espinasse family who needed a massive rest from their very busy “vendanges”) I do hope you, and your dearest ones, are having a marvellous time together!
“Profite au maximum de tes vacances”!
(‘Make the very very best of your holiday time’!)
Hi Kristin! I’m so very excited to see you and Jean-Marc next week and to taste the nouvelle production. Thank you for posting details about the reading here! Can’t wait to see you and your wonderful blog readers!
Hello Kristin, Yes, please enjoy your time .. time to rejuvenate and enjoy your family. We will still be here when you get back. No worries! I have noted the date for the reading at S&Co.. Hope I will actually make it this time!
Beverly
Partager Paris
Kristin,
Everyone needs time away…..even you! So do not feel one bit guilty.
According to the paper back “La Puce a l’oreille” page 169, Saint Louis gave the “montreurs de singes” the right to cross the “Petit- Pont” in Paris without paying the passage fee, in exchange for the funny tricks of their monkeys. Hence “payer en monnaie de singe” got to mean not paying at all or only with grimaces and funny faces.( de nos jours on pourrait peut-etre essayer ca au peage de l’autoroute?)
Mille mercis Kristin from Melbourne Australie! Have a lovely day in La Planète des Singes 🙂
As others point out above, it clearly means not paying real money for something. Not monnaie fausse–(counterfeit money), but whatever one can get by with, including nothing at all. Monnaie singe, says Larousse, is money (change) of little value (pièces et billets de faible valeur). But payer en monnaie de singe is to let someone whistle for his/her money. I think in American English we might say this in different ways–he never paid him a dime, or he was left holding the bag, or some other expression. Larousse also gives another idiom: ce nést pas à un vieux singe qu’on apprend à faire la grimace (don’t teach your grandmother to suck eggs—I haven’t the slightest idea what that means in English or in French!)
I am a retired professor of Latin American literature and enjoy your web site very much.
Relax, enjoy, no guilt. We’ll all be here when you get back. Thank you from all us worry warts who would only imagine the worst if we didn’t hear from you.
Salut!