En flagrant délit. How to say "two-timing" in French? Beats me, but the definition might be: to have a longtime commitment to one's blog … when suddenly an obsession for another site takes over! (That site would be Instagram where I keep sneaking off to post another photo from home. Click here to follow this photographic affair and catch me en flagrant délit).
en flagrant délit (ahn flah-grahn-day-lee)
: caught in the act, caught red-handed
Audio File & Example Sentence: Download MP3 or Wav file
Le flagrant délit ou délit flagrant est une situation où une personne est prise sur le fait au moment de son infraction ou immédiatement après et en possession d'indices démontrant sa participation à cette infraction. Flagrant délit or délit flagrant is a situation where a person is caught in the act at the moment of the crime or immediately afterwards and holding clues showing his or her participation in this crime. (from Wikipedia)
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A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse
We had to cancel Wednesday's dégustation de vin after learning our kitchen renovation was about to start again.
Those concrete floors we had poured began to bleed, crack and spit. Then the builders ran off. Last week they called from a secret hiding place to announce their impending arrival: first thing Wednesday morning, et que ça saute! (And we'd better be ready!)
My husband is not touched by their change of heart. As for me, I hope it turns out to be a good idea to tile over that concrete. It'll add an inch or two to the already raised floor (up until now we've managed to cross over the kitchen-dining room threshold without tripping. The height has been so slight that even our feet did not detect the different niveaux.
The other night, with temperatures rising to caniculaire heights, I could not sleep and so decided to go for a midnight snack. It was easy-breezy to slip in and out of the kitchen, finishing up the rest of the herbed finger potatoes… but things may soon get complicated when a new level of difficulty arises on Wednesday.
Heureusement God gave us "tip toes" to navigate these hazards in the road. But then He also gave us a conscience that's hard to delete each time we sneak off to eat those illicit and delicious treats!
la dégustation du vin = winetasting
et que ça saute! = and get right on it!
le niveau, niveaux = level
caniculaire = scorching, sweltering
heureusement = happily, thankfully
Reverse Dictionary
tip toes = la pointe des pieds
Discover more of France with author Patricia Sands.
Thank you, Patricia Sands, for the wonderful and helpful mention on your blog. I know many of us will enjoy discovering the other France-related sites that you featured on your site Everyone Has a Story. To read the post, click here.
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Wouldn’t it be: Et que ça saute ? This is the conjugation of the verb sauter, not the noun form, un saut. 🙂
Wouldn’t it be: Et que ça saute ? This is the conjugation of the verb sauter, not the noun form, un saut. 🙂
Hi Kristin,
Good luck with the kitchen. We recently installed travertine over our stamped concrete pool patio. We were not happy with the stamped concrete….burned our feet in the hot summer sun. So far it has been wonderful and cool to the tootsies! I love your Instagram photos! It is a very addicting. I am just figuring out the hashtags, etc. Thanks for the fun blog and photos! Have a great week!
Hi Kristin,
Good luck with the kitchen. We recently installed travertine over our stamped concrete pool patio. We were not happy with the stamped concrete….burned our feet in the hot summer sun. So far it has been wonderful and cool to the tootsies! I love your Instagram photos! It is a very addicting. I am just figuring out the hashtags, etc. Thanks for the fun blog and photos! Have a great week!
Good Luck. I hope you have had a second opinion on applying tile to an active cracking concrete base !
Good Luck. I hope you have had a second opinion on applying tile to an active cracking concrete base !
Franco-Americaine reader, thank you for your helpful note. I will fix that at the next chance. Much appreciated.
Eileen, too late for the travertine, here, but great idea! Also, I love your Instagram photos!
Franco-Americaine reader, thank you for your helpful note. I will fix that at the next chance. Much appreciated.
Eileen, too late for the travertine, here, but great idea! Also, I love your Instagram photos!
I would get some opinions from people who have expertise with concrete before attempting to tile over your deteriorating floor. New concrete has to cure for a period (I think it’s 4 – 6 weeks depending on climate and humidity) before it can have tile applied. Your concrete is already actively cracking and spalling, and that will continue under the tile. It sounds as if the builders who poured the concrete in the first place aren’t the most competent.
I would get some opinions from people who have expertise with concrete before attempting to tile over your deteriorating floor. New concrete has to cure for a period (I think it’s 4 – 6 weeks depending on climate and humidity) before it can have tile applied. Your concrete is already actively cracking and spalling, and that will continue under the tile. It sounds as if the builders who poured the concrete in the first place aren’t the most competent.
Instagram…what a wonderful way to tide your eager readers over between FWAD posts, Kristin. Especially since a picture can be worth a thousand words! The story about your kitchen floor reminds me of the years my family lived in France in century old houses. When something went wrong, my mother would smile and say “the challenge of living in a very old home”. Then she would sigh and say “and the greater challenge of fixing it”. Hope your illusive builders will be able to do it right for you this time!
Instagram…what a wonderful way to tide your eager readers over between FWAD posts, Kristin. Especially since a picture can be worth a thousand words! The story about your kitchen floor reminds me of the years my family lived in France in century old houses. When something went wrong, my mother would smile and say “the challenge of living in a very old home”. Then she would sigh and say “and the greater challenge of fixing it”. Hope your illusive builders will be able to do it right for you this time!
I DO BELIEVE THAT A SECOND OPINION IS CALLED FOR ! CONCRETE NEEDS TO CURE AND BREATH ! TILING OVER IT WHEN ITS STILL YOUNG IS `NOT` WISE. PLUS, I WOULD HATE THE INCREASE IN HEIGHT THAT THE TILE WOULD ADD. MAKE SURE `ALL ` APPLIANCES ARE PULLED OUT, FIRST. WE HAD TO RE- DO AN ENTIRE KITCHEN BECAUSE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD INSTALLED TILE WITHOUT REMOVING ANYTHING.GOOD LUCK !
I DO BELIEVE THAT A SECOND OPINION IS CALLED FOR ! CONCRETE NEEDS TO CURE AND BREATH ! TILING OVER IT WHEN ITS STILL YOUNG IS `NOT` WISE. PLUS, I WOULD HATE THE INCREASE IN HEIGHT THAT THE TILE WOULD ADD. MAKE SURE `ALL ` APPLIANCES ARE PULLED OUT, FIRST. WE HAD TO RE- DO AN ENTIRE KITCHEN BECAUSE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD INSTALLED TILE WITHOUT REMOVING ANYTHING.GOOD LUCK !
Bonjour! J’aime votre blog et photos de sa jolie vie en France! Mais, j’inquiète à l’idée de couvrir le cement aussi. AH! Kirsten, I am working on my French, but really want to say that I agree with the warning posts from other readers. Bonne chance!
Bonjour! J’aime votre blog et photos de sa jolie vie en France! Mais, j’inquiète à l’idée de couvrir le cement aussi. AH! Kirsten, I am working on my French, but really want to say that I agree with the warning posts from other readers. Bonne chance!
I cannot understand how to look at the pictures on Instagram. It wants my username which I don’t know. How do I set up a username?
I cannot understand how to look at the pictures on Instagram. It wants my username which I don’t know. How do I set up a username?
Now I’m worried, too, after reading the comments above. I do know that concrete almost has “a life of its own” with certain rules which must be closely followed. Find someone in your area who is well established and known for his expertise with concrete to give you some advice about tiling the floor at this point with the ongoing problems you have described. Bonne chance! (My parents had beautiful, smooth concrete floors which were marked to look like large tiles. The pale green color was mixed in with the concrete; they were so cool to walk on during the hot summers of South Florida.)
Now I’m worried, too, after reading the comments above. I do know that concrete almost has “a life of its own” with certain rules which must be closely followed. Find someone in your area who is well established and known for his expertise with concrete to give you some advice about tiling the floor at this point with the ongoing problems you have described. Bonne chance! (My parents had beautiful, smooth concrete floors which were marked to look like large tiles. The pale green color was mixed in with the concrete; they were so cool to walk on during the hot summers of South Florida.)
Our dear Kristi,
You did so well to get those guys to show up and get on with things!
When we were doing similar renovations(tile over the concrete floor) our workmen just decided they’d head on to another job,leaving our front door open on the way out.They then had enough nerve to come back for a brush they’d forgotten and request payment. Needless to say,they didn’t get either and(also needless to say)no recomendations .We ended up getting other people to finish things.
HANG IN! You’ll get it done and it will be beautiful!
Love
Natalia XO
Our dear Kristi,
You did so well to get those guys to show up and get on with things!
When we were doing similar renovations(tile over the concrete floor) our workmen just decided they’d head on to another job,leaving our front door open on the way out.They then had enough nerve to come back for a brush they’d forgotten and request payment. Needless to say,they didn’t get either and(also needless to say)no recomendations .We ended up getting other people to finish things.
HANG IN! You’ll get it done and it will be beautiful!
Love
Natalia XO
Bonjour Kristin
et que ça saut! should be et que ça saute!
Bonne semaine 🙂
Alain
Bonjour Kristin
et que ça saut! should be et que ça saute!
Bonne semaine 🙂
Alain
Concrete is oftentimes not so easy as it initially appears..As a landscape designer I started using stamped concrete in jobs almost 20 years ago..not every concrete co is the same, I guess like every “landscape co”…actually there are more land “landscapers”..I have looked at some of your hashtags..this is new to me and such a great idea.
Concrete is oftentimes not so easy as it initially appears..As a landscape designer I started using stamped concrete in jobs almost 20 years ago..not every concrete co is the same, I guess like every “landscape co”…actually there are more land “landscapers”..I have looked at some of your hashtags..this is new to me and such a great idea.
sorry that should be bad landscapers, bad design, bad/awful pruning, bad installation….bad!!!
sorry that should be bad landscapers, bad design, bad/awful pruning, bad installation….bad!!!
I’m adding nothing useful to the concrete discussion here but thought of an old expression that would really capture the meaning of “Que ça saute.” How about “And make it snappy!” (Unless that’s too old-fashioned for anyone to remember!)
I’m adding nothing useful to the concrete discussion here but thought of an old expression that would really capture the meaning of “Que ça saute.” How about “And make it snappy!” (Unless that’s too old-fashioned for anyone to remember!)
Judie, love the expression: make it snappy! Thanks 🙂
Judie, love the expression: make it snappy! Thanks 🙂
Cheryl, I noticed that Instagram doesnt seem to work well in all browsers. Not sure if Firefox or Chrome or… Which is the one to use. Sorry for the hassle. My Mom is trying to log on to Instagram, too, but she reports the same problem (the site works well with tablets and smatphones, Ive noticed. This way you can download the Instagram application.
Thanks to those who wrote in concerned about the tile. It was poured several months ago and the cracks are tiny surface cracks. Will see what happens….
Cheryl, I noticed that Instagram doesnt seem to work well in all browsers. Not sure if Firefox or Chrome or… Which is the one to use. Sorry for the hassle. My Mom is trying to log on to Instagram, too, but she reports the same problem (the site works well with tablets and smatphones, Ive noticed. This way you can download the Instagram application.
Thanks to those who wrote in concerned about the tile. It was poured several months ago and the cracks are tiny surface cracks. Will see what happens….
As far as houses go, if it ain’t one thing, it’s another. Hopefully the travertine will rest easy on the concrete. It will surely be more attractive. I love that crazy red truck you’re driving. It’s a very original contraption
As far as houses go, if it ain’t one thing, it’s another. Hopefully the travertine will rest easy on the concrete. It will surely be more attractive. I love that crazy red truck you’re driving. It’s a very original contraption
Ooo, always surprises when renovating. I hope the new project goes well. Our house is only a century old, but no telling how it will respond to pounding and shifting and mangling when we begin our own renovations in the next year.
I’ve not gone to your instagram account yet because it’s just too tempting. I need to stay away from the fun stuff on my computer and get tons of writing done in the next couple of months. Perhaps, however, I’ll use your Instagram photos as a reward when I make a certain amount of progress in a week.
Ooo, always surprises when renovating. I hope the new project goes well. Our house is only a century old, but no telling how it will respond to pounding and shifting and mangling when we begin our own renovations in the next year.
I’ve not gone to your instagram account yet because it’s just too tempting. I need to stay away from the fun stuff on my computer and get tons of writing done in the next couple of months. Perhaps, however, I’ll use your Instagram photos as a reward when I make a certain amount of progress in a week.
I’m amazed at people’s knowledge of concrete! I remember an epsode of MASH with a do-it-yourself project with cement, and Klinger said “I know cement; it’s not hard,” and unfortunately it was prophetic. We’ve learned to trust the experts.
Joan L.
I’m amazed at people’s knowledge of concrete! I remember an epsode of MASH with a do-it-yourself project with cement, and Klinger said “I know cement; it’s not hard,” and unfortunately it was prophetic. We’ve learned to trust the experts.
Joan L.