The French... in English
Did you know that the English language has many French word?
Conversation in a restaurant
Sue: This is very chic. It has a kind of film noir ambiance, with all these photos of old film stars. If I’d known, I’d have dressed as a femme fatale!
Peter: Oh, it all looks a bit passé to me.
Sue: Honestly, you've become so blasé about going out to restaurants. I think it has a certain je ne sais quoi.
Peter: I’m sure we've been here before, anyway.
Sue: So that's why I had a feeling of déjà vu when I walked in.
Peter: I get déjà vu looking at the menu, too. Why does every restaurant in England serve crème brûlée? And what is coulis?
Sue: You should have paid more attention during French lessons at school. You just used to sit there and tell risqué jokes.
Peter: Yes, French was always my bête noire.
Sue: Well, if you want to eat out in London, from now on you'll have to make speaking French your raison d'être.
French words in English
Voici quelques mots du dialogue et d'autres. Nous vous donnons des indications de prononciation et de sens chaque fois qu'il y a une différence avec l’usage français.
blasé
bureaucrat (bi-or-o-cratte) casserole (ka-se-rol) = ragout
chef = cuisinier
coup/coup d'État
crème de la crème
cuisine = cuisine (dans le sens gastronomique)
cul-de-sac (kal-di-sak) déjà vu détente (entre deux pays) double entendre (doub-el en-ten-dra) = jeu de mots sexuel
entente cordiale
entrepreneur
faux pas, gaffe = faux pas social (faux pas étant un peu plus prétentieux en anglais que gaffe)
fiancé(e)
foyer (fo-yé) = hall (de théâtre, hôtel, grand immeuble)
impasse (utilisé au sens figuré) je ne sais quoi malaise = sentiment de gêne dans la société en général
rendezvous = rendez-vous entre amoureux, espions
risqué = osé (dit d'images ou de remarques un peu sexuelles)