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?
(photo of my husband, Jean-Marc, and his filleul, Matthieu) Eazyspeak French teaches 800 vocabulary words; quickly extends conversational skills un filleul (fee-yul) noun, masculine1. godson, godchild Also:filleule = goddaughterfilleul de guerre = adoptive son (in wartime) Mon filleul va bientôt partir, ainsi la guerre va devenir plus personnelle pour moi. My godson is going over soon, so the war's about to get personal for me. … Continue reading un filleul
le muguet (mew-geh) n.m. : lily of the valley Question: So what are the French doing today, the first of May, besides la grasse matinée? Answer: Waving snow-white porte-bonheurs through the air and wishing each other good luck! Along little cobblestone paths in the French hinterland, and at noisy intersections across the city, French vendeurs de muguet are taking over street curbs with buckets of lilies of the … Continue reading The muguet tradition in France: Lily of the Valley sold on French street corners on May 1st
le coin (kwun –silent n) noun, masculine 1. corner 2. part 3. area Also: le coin bureau = the work area le coin repas = the dining area Expressions: les gens du coin = the locals coins et recoins = nooks and crannies va au coin! = go and stand in the corner! mettre un enfant au coin = to put a child in the … Continue reading coin
un rayon (ray-oh) noun, masculine 1. a ray, beam 2. radius 3. spoke 4. shelf; department, counter Also: un rayon d’espoir = a ray of hope un rayon de lune = a moonbeam un rayon de soleil = a ray of sunshine aux premiers rayons de soleil = at sunrise un rayon d’action = a field of action le rayon visuel = the line of … Continue reading un rayon
