TODAY’S WORD: coller au cul : to be right on someone’s heels
PRONUNCIATION: [koh-lay oh kew]
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Il me colle au cul, celui-là ! → That person is right on my heels!
The French word cul literally means “bottom,” and while it can sound a bit cheeky (or downright rude) in some contexts, it’s also part of many everyday expressions. You’ll see it in perfectly polite phrases like cul-de-sac (a dead-end street) or à pied du cul (meaning “way out in the middle of nowhere”). In other cases, though, cul can take on a more colorful (avoir du cul = to be lucky) or pejorative meaning, depending on how it’s used—so it’s one of those words best enjoyed with a little cultural caution. In today’s phrase, coller au cul, most French speakers use it casually in everyday conversation, though it’s best to keep it for informal settings among friends.
New York, tu me colles au cul!
by Jackie Espinasse
I was hesitant to write this week’s story, when it occurred to me maybe it’ll help me make peace with it? And honestly, it’s kind of funny if you take it with a grain of salt, so here we go!
First, let’s go back in time to a road somewhere in the South of France. “Il me colle au cul, celui-là,” my dad snapped from the driver’s seat, glancing in the rearview mirror and grumbling at the car that was too close behind us. It made me laugh, but I never really understood how he felt at that moment.
Back to today…New York City has 8,804,190 residents. With that number in mind, you can be sure that wherever you go, someone will be right behind your butt.
The other day I was walking on a busy avenue in Manhattan with my French friend (and former Miami roommate) Jennifer when I spotted this delicious-looking petit resto and wanted to check out the menu. But I swear, if I’d dared to stop on that sidewalk, it would’ve caused a full-on domino effect; so many people were walking behind me at such a fast pace.
Imagine yourself for a minute, standing in front of a treadmill; it’s at full speed. The moment you jump on, you can’t stop running, because if you do, you will fall. That’s what walking in Manhattan feels like.
Speaking of my friend Jennifer, she works as an art broker in the city. One day, I stopped by her gallery and met the owner. “If you are weak, cette ville te mangera toute crue,” he said to Jennifer and me. I call him le grand méchant loup—the big bad wolf—because he’s tall, intimidating, and sometimes scares Jennifer with all the pressure she’s under to keep up with those art sales.
The other day at work, my boss snapped, “Pourquoi sont-ils toujours collés à ma fenêtre ?” She was staring at the nannies and parents waiting for their toddlers to leave kindergarten. It seems I’m not the only one in this city who just wants people to give me a break—a break from always breathing down my back.
So, with that being said, wherever you go in New York, you can be sure you’ll never feel lonely, because there will always be someone collé à tes fesses. I now understand that feeling, Dad.
🇫🇷 FRENCH VOCABULARY
Il me colle au cul, celui-là = That person is right on my heels
petit resto = small restaurant
cette ville te mangera toute crue = this city will eat you alive
le grand méchant loup = the big bad wolf
Pourquoi sont-ils toujours collés à ma fenêtre ? = Why are they always glued to my window?
collé à tes fesses = stuck to your butt / right on your heels
REMERCIEMENTS
Thank you to the following readers for your donation this past week to this journal!
Jed M.
Dawn B.
Holly R.
Linda A.
Rajeev B.
Marjorie E.
Maureen D.
Love, care, and reader support—that’s what has sustained this journal for nearly 25 years. If these letters bring a little France, friendship, or inspiration to your inbox and you’d like to help keep French Word-A-Day going, your contribution means so much.
🌿 Zelle – to Kristin.espinasse@gmail.com
🌿 PayPal – Click here
🌿 Credit card – Click here
Merci beaucoup.
FURTHER READING
Don’t miss Alexis Steinman’s article Sweat, dirt and grape juice – it’s incredibly rewarding’: volunteer harvesting on a vineyard in France
📣 Join Me, Kristi, November 19th for a Special (Free!) Online Event
I’m delighted to invite you to an upcoming conversation hosted by the Alliance Française, in partnership with La Renaissance Française, USA, the American Society of the French Academic Palms, and the American Association of Teachers of French.
🕓 November 19th: Event time: 1 pm PT / 2 pm MT / 3 pm CT / 4 pm ET
I’ll be chatting with Renée Amory Ketcham, Vice-President of the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA and President of the Alliance Française de Greenwich, about my new book, A Year in a French Life, and about what it means to find home—and humor—in another language and culture.
This event is free for all readers with registration. I hope you’ll join us!
(Psst! For daily updates, including colorful photos and news, follow my WhatsApp channel.)
Discover more from French Word-A-Day
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Bonjour
Well done on the “cul” word. You are too polite, it is after all, also the word for “derriere”, the butt. We even have a noun for these drivers: a “coloculsard”…
Emmanuel
Thank you Emmanuel ! Funny words
Have followed your mom’s posts off and on for years. I’m sorry Jules has been under the weather. Beautiful, strong women. Love your joie de vivre.
Wow, you will certainly develop your survival instincts and hone them with having someone always au cul. I would go bananas…or maybe just stop to have some fun, haha.
I have been to NYC many times and understand that feeling. Chicago is similar in terms of “flow”. I always try to move to the side of the crowd as I am walking so I do not become a falling hazard for others or myself. It is an adjustment moving to a large city. I am grateful to live in a small city that is more pedestrian friendly and less intense. Great to visit the biggies, prefer to live in the small. Thanks for the updates.
For some unknown reason, your blog on our computer is under the heading California Weather Blog. It’s been this way a month or so.
Hi Teri. Thank you for the information. I will check with WordPress and try to find out why this is happening. Bon week-end.
Hi Teri, this just back from my inquiry:
The most common cause is that they might have accidentally renamed your site in their Reader subscriptions – WordPress.com Reader allows people to give custom names to the sites they follow, which would only affect how it appears on their device.
Have them check their Reader subscriptions by going to Reader → Manage Subscriptions and looking for your site to see if they can rename it back. Does this reader follow you through WordPress.com Reader or email subscriptions?
Hello Kristi, do you have another blog site now or is your daughter now writing blogs instead of you?
Anne
Re NYC….. yyyyep. I take it with a block of salt and a sense of humor! But I can tell you a friend needs a difficult and specialized surgery and NYC is the place.