Max doing a little sketch, or saynète, for last year's school play. In books: A Great Improvisation : Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. la saynète (say-net) noun, feminine a playlet, a short play Saynète est également un mot préconisé pour franciser le mot anglais sketch.Saynète is also a recommended word to Frenchify the English word "sketch". … Continue reading saynète
Nothing to do with today's word… just a dog days photo taken in Draguignan. "My Life in France." In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found 'her true calling.' une gourde (goord) noun, feminine 1. gourd, flask, canteen 2. simple (mind), maladroit 3. Haitian currency (the Haitian gourde) … Continue reading gourde
Il faut perdre un vairon pour pêcher* un saumon.
A minnow must be lost to catch a salmon. –Janus Gruter
*pêcher (verb) = to fish for, to catch
pécher (notice the accent change) the verb, has a second meaning: to sin
The following text will not be included in the book, but you might enjoy it here.
French Pronunciation:
Listen to my daughter, Jackie, pronounce the word “pêche”: Download peche2.wav
Hear Jackie’s sentence: “Ce que je tiens c’est une pêche.” (What I’m holding is a peach.): Download peche3.wav
Peachy Terms &Expressions:
la fleur de pêcher = peach blossom
le noyau de pêche = peach stone
avoir un teint de pêche = to have a peaches-and-cream complexion
avoir la pêche = to be full of “allant” (energy)
avoir une pêche d’enfer = to be in top form / to feel great
ça donne la pêche = it give energy/gets you going
n’avoir pas la pêche = to feel a bit down
donner une pêche à quelqu’un = to give someone a knuckle sandwich / to punch someone
recevoir une pêche = to be punched by someone
…and some Fishy ones:
aller à la pêche = to go fishing
faire une belle pêche = to make a good catch
le port de pêche = fishing port
la canne à pêche = fishing rod
l’attirail de pêche (m) = fishing tackle
Continue reading pêche
Fountain in Brignoles. A good place to hang out when it’s hot. Now if someone would turn on the robinet… In books: "Cruising French Waterways" covers historical sites and scenic attractions, as well as shore facilities, repair yards and more. la chaleur (sha-ler) noun, feminine heat; warmth, ardour (passion) Les vieillards ont besoin d’affections comme de soleil. C’est de la chaleur.Old men need affection as … Continue reading chaleur
Some French streets are so small that you wonder how deliveries are made to these tiny shops. bouder(boo-day)verbto pout or sulk I notice my husband is shaving this morning, something he rarely does anymore, now that he’s working from home as a wine sales rep. "Where are you going?" I ask. "En tournée." "Prospecting? Where?" I wonder. "In Saint-Raphaël." Saint-Raphaël? My mind fills with … Continue reading bouder
reconnaître (ruh-ko-nehtr) verb to recognize, acknowledge; to admit (debt) C'est dans le malheur qu'on reconnaît les vrais amis. It's during adversity that we find out who our true friends are.(Or, as we say back home: A friend in need is a friend indeed.) A Day in a French Life…For part one of this story, go here: … Continue reading reconnaître
Carnations, or oeillets, and potted flowers in the town of Figanières. Long Ago In France : The Years In Dijon by M.F.K. Fisher. Fisher spent three years in Dijon in the halcyon days between the wars. This is a brief and wholly delightful memoir of that time, an account rich with wines, meals, and crisply etched portraits. –Library Journal introuvable (in-troo-vable) adjective which (or who) … Continue reading introuvable
Some lawns are better left unmown. (Poppies in the town of La Ciotat, a hop, skip and saut up the coast from Marseilles.) Read "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier" for a "witty and fascinating account of finding a piano to purchase and relearning how to play." –Library Journal tondre (tohn-dr) verb to mow; to shear … Continue reading tondre
Vintage art print by George Ham In books: Murder in Montmartre by Cara Black"If you've never been to Paris, or you'd like to go back soon, let Cara Black transport you there."-Linda Fairstein la lunette (lew-net) noun, feminine 1. telescope 2. les lunettes = (pair of) glasses 3. toilet seat Les lunettes cachent beaucoup de choses–même une larme dans l'oeil. Glasses hide a lot of … Continue reading lunette & pourboire
A scene à croquer from French life… In books: "The Food of France: A Journey for Food Lovers" croquer (kro-kay) verb to crunch; to sketch; to devour or eat in a rush Croquez des pommes, pas des pesticides.Crunch apples, not pesticides. –France Nature Environnement (current campaign slogan) A Day in a French Life…Just when lunch options are boiling down to canned sardines in lemon juice … Continue reading croquer
