French Words
A
A la bouche - to the mouth
A la lanterne - this literally means 'to the lamp post!' and is the English equivalent of 'string them up!' It was used as a slogan in the early days of the French Revolution when street mobs would hang aristocrats from lamp posts. Claire murmurs this to herself when she sees the way the Vicomtesse de Rambeau treats ordinary people as she knows what is likely to happen to the Vicomtesse in the future (DIA, chapter 8)
A votre service - at your service
Allée - path
Armoire - wardrobe, closet
Au pied, reste! - to the foot of the bed and stay!
Au secours! - Help!
A la lanterne - this literally means 'to the lamp post!' and is the English equivalent of 'string them up!' It was used as a slogan in the early days of the French Revolution when street mobs would hang aristocrats from lamp posts. Claire murmurs this to herself when she sees the way the Vicomtesse de Rambeau treats ordinary people as she knows what is likely to happen to the Vicomtesse in the future (DIA, chapter 8)
A votre service - at your service
Allée - path
Armoire - wardrobe, closet
Au pied, reste! - to the foot of the bed and stay!
Au secours! - Help!
B
Bilboquet - a cup and ball game
Bonsoir - good evening
Boulangerie - bakery
Bouton - Button
Bonsoir - good evening
Boulangerie - bakery
Bouton - Button
C
Canaille - scoundrel
C'est tout - that's all
C'est un cochon qui vit dans la ville, c'est un cochon qui vit ..." - the French equivalent of the toe-tickling rhyme 'this little piggy went to market ...". It literally translates as 'There is a pig who lives in the city, there is a pig who lives ..."
C'est un embarras de richesse - it's an embarrassment of riches
Chacun a son gout - each to his own taste
Chaise percee - a chair designed to hide a chamber pot
Chere Madame - Dear Madam
Chevalier - a French knight or courtly gentleman
Chirurgien - surgeon
Clef - key
Cochon - pig
Comment ça va? - How are you?
Commissariat de police - police station
Cornichon - gherkin
Coup de grace - a merciful death blow administered to put a suffering person or animal out of their misery
Couvent des Anges - Convent of the Angels
Cramouille - pussy
Crottin - horse manure
C'est tout - that's all
C'est un cochon qui vit dans la ville, c'est un cochon qui vit ..." - the French equivalent of the toe-tickling rhyme 'this little piggy went to market ...". It literally translates as 'There is a pig who lives in the city, there is a pig who lives ..."
C'est un embarras de richesse - it's an embarrassment of riches
Chacun a son gout - each to his own taste
Chaise percee - a chair designed to hide a chamber pot
Chere Madame - Dear Madam
Chevalier - a French knight or courtly gentleman
Chirurgien - surgeon
Clef - key
Cochon - pig
Comment ça va? - How are you?
Commissariat de police - police station
Cornichon - gherkin
Coup de grace - a merciful death blow administered to put a suffering person or animal out of their misery
Couvent des Anges - Convent of the Angels
Cramouille - pussy
Crottin - horse manure
D
Degustateur de vin - a professional wine taster
Depechez-vous - stir yourself
Depechez-vous - stir yourself
E
Ecu - a French coin
En décolletage - wearing a garment with a low-cut neckline revealing or emphasizing cleavage
En queue - hair tied in a braid or ponytail at the back
Epergne - a table centrepiece, usually made from silver
En décolletage - wearing a garment with a low-cut neckline revealing or emphasizing cleavage
En queue - hair tied in a braid or ponytail at the back
Epergne - a table centrepiece, usually made from silver
F
Fauteuil - armchair
Femme sans cervelle - brainless woman
Fille de joie - prostitute
Fleche - arrow
Femme sans cervelle - brainless woman
Fille de joie - prostitute
Fleche - arrow
G
Gendarmes! - Police!
Grippe - flu
Grippe - flu
H
Horloge - clock
J
Je suis prest - I am ready
Jeunes filles - young girls
Jeunes filles - young girls
L
La petite Anglaise maladroite - the clumsy little English girl
L'Andouille - a sausage made from smoked pork
Le Bon Dieu - God Almighty
Les Disciples du Mal - the Disciples of Evil
Lèse-majesté - an offence against majesty, such as an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or treason against a state
Lever - the French word 'lever' literally means 'to rise'. The King's lever is the formal ceremonial custom whereby invited guests attend the King as he rises from bed in the morning
L'Hopital des Anges - the Hospital of the Angels
Livres - the currency of France between 781 and 1795
L'Andouille - a sausage made from smoked pork
Le Bon Dieu - God Almighty
Les Disciples du Mal - the Disciples of Evil
Lèse-majesté - an offence against majesty, such as an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or treason against a state
Lever - the French word 'lever' literally means 'to rise'. The King's lever is the formal ceremonial custom whereby invited guests attend the King as he rises from bed in the morning
L'Hopital des Anges - the Hospital of the Angels
Livres - the currency of France between 781 and 1795
M
Malchance - misfortune, bad luck
Me mere, je vous presente mon mari, le seigneur de Broch Tuarach - Mother, I present to you my husband, the laird Broch Tuarach
Ma petite souris - my little mouse
Ma soeur - my sister
Maitresses sage-femme - wisewomen, midwives
Malchance - misfortune
Merci bien - thank you
Merde! - Shit!
Millefleurs - literally 'a thousand flowers'. It is the name given to a background made of many small flowers and plants
Mon cher ami - my dear friend
Mon Dieu - My God
Mon Dieu, je regrette - O my Lord, I am sorry ...
Mon petit saucisson - my little sausage. Madame Jeanne calls Fergus this (V, chapter 28) Possibly a reference to a certain body part of his?!
Me mere, je vous presente mon mari, le seigneur de Broch Tuarach - Mother, I present to you my husband, the laird Broch Tuarach
Ma petite souris - my little mouse
Ma soeur - my sister
Maitresses sage-femme - wisewomen, midwives
Malchance - misfortune
Merci bien - thank you
Merde! - Shit!
Millefleurs - literally 'a thousand flowers'. It is the name given to a background made of many small flowers and plants
Mon cher ami - my dear friend
Mon Dieu - My God
Mon Dieu, je regrette - O my Lord, I am sorry ...
Mon petit saucisson - my little sausage. Madame Jeanne calls Fergus this (V, chapter 28) Possibly a reference to a certain body part of his?!
N
Ne petez plus haut que votre cul - don't fart above your arsehole
Nez de Cleopatre! - Cleopatra's nose!
Non! Ce n'est pas vrai! - No! It's not true!
Note tonique - the keynote of a piece of music
Nez de Cleopatre! - Cleopatra's nose!
Non! Ce n'est pas vrai! - No! It's not true!
Note tonique - the keynote of a piece of music
P
Pamplemousse - grapefruit
Parole d'honneur - word of honour
Parterre - flower bed
Passe-partout - master key or skeleton key
Patronne - the proprietress of an inn
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - the more things change, the more they stay the same
Prie-Dieu - a prayer desk. Claire uses one of these in the chapel at the Abbey of Ste. Anne de Beaupre
Putain - whore
Pute - whore
Parole d'honneur - word of honour
Parterre - flower bed
Passe-partout - master key or skeleton key
Patronne - the proprietress of an inn
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - the more things change, the more they stay the same
Prie-Dieu - a prayer desk. Claire uses one of these in the chapel at the Abbey of Ste. Anne de Beaupre
Putain - whore
Pute - whore
Q
Que Dieu vous benisse, mon enfant - May God bless you child
Queue - penis
Queue - penis
R
Racaille - riff-raff, rabble
Roi - King
Roi - King
S
Salaud - bastard
Salop - bastard
Salope - bitch
Sans-culottes - labouring class. 'Sans-culottes' literally means 'without culottes'. During the French Revolution the bourgeoisie wore silk knee-breeches called culottes, whereas the labouring classes wore trousers.
Servante aux petit soins - personal groomer
Soixante-neuf - sixty-nine
Salop - bastard
Salope - bitch
Sans-culottes - labouring class. 'Sans-culottes' literally means 'without culottes'. During the French Revolution the bourgeoisie wore silk knee-breeches called culottes, whereas the labouring classes wore trousers.
Servante aux petit soins - personal groomer
Soixante-neuf - sixty-nine
T
Tais-toi! - Shut up!
Tierce - third. In fencing there are eight defensive manoeuvres called parries which can be executed during a fencing match. A tierce refers to the third of these prescribed moves. A parry is a move used to deflect or block an attack.
Torchere - flare
Tu fais chier - you're screwing me around
Tumbril - the carts in which victims of the French revolution were taken to the guillotine (DIA, chapter 8)
Tierce - third. In fencing there are eight defensive manoeuvres called parries which can be executed during a fencing match. A tierce refers to the third of these prescribed moves. A parry is a move used to deflect or block an attack.
Torchere - flare
Tu fais chier - you're screwing me around
Tumbril - the carts in which victims of the French revolution were taken to the guillotine (DIA, chapter 8)
V
Vertu - when used in the phrase 'objects of vertu' the word means quality
Vite - quick, hurry
Vous etes anglaise? - Are you English?