SayBonjour Recent Posts

5 Aug 2016

Tennis

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Here you go. Take it! When the French used to play jeu de paume (literally, “game of the palm”), the ancestor of tennis and a favorite among medieval French knights, they used to shout tenez! which means “take it” or...

29 Jul 2016

Gourmet

Posted BySayBonjour

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TagsFranglais, French

Taster of wine. Dating from 1820 and from Old/Middle French groume, the term originally meant “wine-taster, wine merchant’s servant.” The term has evolved, in both languages, to have a more general sense as it emphasizes interest in quality of food...

28 Jul 2016

Sing Along

Posted ByMelissa

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TagsFrench, Learning

Sing along! There are vast neurological links between language and music, and music also activates both sides of the brain whereas typical language-learning methods only activate one lobe. So if you remember something to a tune, you are more likely...

22 Jul 2016

Gadget

Posted BySayBonjour

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TagsFranglais, French

A small device, especially an ingenious or novel one. While it is 100% certain that “gadget” came from French in the 19th century, the exact origin isn’t 100% agreed upon. This is our favorite version: It was the Frenchman Gaget and his...

20 Jul 2016

Hors d’œuvre

Posted BySayBonjour

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TagsFranglais, French

Outside of the main work/course. Literally, hors (outside) d’ (of) œuvre (work) means “apart from the work,” and thus, by extension, it was used to mean anything of secondary concern or even something extrodinary. First appearing in English in 1714 as an adverb with this connotation of “out of the ordinary, ”...

15 Jul 2016

Solidarity

Posted BySayBonjour

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TagsFranglais, French

A bond of unity or agreement between individuals, united around a common goal or against a common enemy. To stand together. This “Franglais” word comes from French solidarité meaning “communion of interests and responsibilities; mutual responsibility,” from solidaire “interdependent, entire,” from solide “solid.” ...

14 Jul 2016

July 14: Bastille Day

Posted BySayBonjour

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Tagsculture, holidays

Bastille Day, known as la fête nationale en français (National Holiday), is celebrated each year on July 14. It recognizes the significance of the storming of the Bastille (a Parisian prison for those who opposed French kings) as the undoing—and ultimately the end—of...