Hoddy Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Yesterday at a party, a slightly belligerent drunk reminded me that the French expression for a woman starting to menstruate was, “The English have arrived.’This set me thinking. Do people really still say this or is a bit like the English ‘French letters’ which most people know, but never use ? Are there many expressions of this kind still in use ?Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 There's 2 expressions sort of related to that which I have heard. One from years ago when I worked with a completely bilingual lady. At the end of a long day she would sometimes say 'Johnny Marr is calling' She would not tell me for ages that she actually was 'adapting' J'en ai marre. My current French colleagues think this very clever.A recent one was when I was working intently and a French colleague wanted to ask me a question but so as not to interrupt me, came up behind me very quietly, suddenly aware of her, I was startled and said 'where did you come from?' She said 'he-he, steak haché' which apparently is said instead of 'J'ai caché' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaud Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 From the old jokes home:Before the battle of Trafalgar, after hoisting his famous signal, Nelson is surprised by the French reply.'What do their flags say?' he asks his staff.'Well, they seem to say "To the water it is the hour."' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Filer a l'Anglaise - to slip out without being noticed (sorry I can't manage the accent on the a)French Leave - holiday without permission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Manger à juif, what I am doing right now.Cant work out why people seem to think its a sad thing to do, it beats starving!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 [quote user="Chancer"]Manger à juif, what I am doing right now.Cant work out why people seem to think its a sad thing to do, it beats starving!!![/quote]I think there might be a misunderstanding here.The expression "manger en juif" is used by some to characterise someone who is behaving (not necessarily eating) in an avaricious or greedy manner.The same characterisation is made about people from Scotland as people who do not spend an unnecessary penny (ils sont avares, ces Ecossais!) or from Normandy, as people who guard their money and eye everyone with mistrust (il est bien Normand! Il prêt de ses sous!), yet the Jewish slant makes it much, much worse... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 [quote user="Hoddy"]Yesterday at a party, a slightly belligerent drunk reminded me that the French expression for a woman starting to menstruate was, “The English have arrived.’This set me thinking. Do people really still say this or is a bit like the English ‘French letters’ which most people know, but never use ? Are there many expressions of this kind still in use ?Hoddy[/quote]I know the expression "Les Anglais sont arrivés" but haven't heard it for many, many years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thanks Clair. It's as I thought, just an excuse to tell an extremely vulgar and unfunny joke.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 [quote user="Clair"][quote user="Chancer"][/quote]I think there might be a misunderstanding here.The expression "manger en juif" is used by some to characterise someone who is behaving (not necessarily eating) in an avaricious or greedy manner.[/quote]It was said by my ex, misunderstanding would be the word to sum up our relationship, she dropped by one day when I was eating, alone as always, she said tu manges en (thought it was à) juif, when I asked her to explain she said it was because i was eating alone, as if I didnt want to share my food perhaps.I was a much more portly Chancer in those days so maybe I reminded her of a cochon at the trough and she wanted to say "OI! you fat b******d!" but was too polite.What is amusing is that now I am a svelt athletic Chancer I get through a huge volume of food and the overloaded plate I had in front of me when I wrote the above would definitely have qualified for manger en juif, at least I can add the phrase to my vocabulary now [:)]My behaviour, apart from my food intake, which is commensurate with the work and training that I do could never be described as avaricious or greedy [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Chancer, I regularly hear " les anglais débarquent", so still in use, round here at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Whatever, I reckon the expression might come from the 100 Years War Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 That's also what I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frecossais Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 A French friend recently cried, "A cheval" when she wanted a group of us to get in our cars and proceed to our next sightseeing venue.From the same days of our "Home James, and don't spare the horses" I'd say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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