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French Slang Expressions with the Letter F Posted by on Aug 5, 2010 in Vocabulary

Today, we continue with the second part of la lettre F.

* FILER À L’ANGLAISE: 

Depending on which side of la Manche (the English Channel, that is), you either say “filer à l’Anglaise“, or, conversely, take the French Leave.” The expression means to “jump ship.” Another close expression is “fausser compagnie à quelqu’un, like “leaving under a cloud”!

* FIN DES HARICOTS:
“The end of beans” in French simply means “the End”, when it’s all over. Exemple, “Vous voulez dire qu’en 2012, ce sera la fin des haricots?” (“So you mean that it’s all gonna be over in 2012?”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DguW5xrXONE

* FILS À PAPA:
Or “Daddy’s boy”, close in meaning to some kind of a spoiled, silver-spoon fed child.
Similarly, you can also say that someone is “un fils à maman” (Mommy’s boy!)
Check in the video below la volte-face (the about-face) of the recruiter when he finds out that the job seeker is a fils à papa, and that the papa in question is none other than the PDG (CEO) of the company…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpJ4OAV01yM

* FLANCHER:
Synonymous to “jeter l’éponge” (“to throw the sponge”), meaning to give up.

* FLEMME:
“Avoir la flemme” means to feel totally lazy, like not doing anything at all. You can also say “tirer sa flemme”, meaning to take it easy and relax. Both expressions “avoir la flemme” and “tirer sa flemme” are used in this French song:

* FLIC:
Un or une flic means “a cop.” Like we saw in B.A.-BA de l’Argot: ‘A’ (the ABC of French Slang: ‘A’), “Deux Flics à Miami“, meaning “Two Cops in Miami”, is the French title of the 80’s series “Miami Vice.”

* FLIPPER:
It’s spelled the same way as the name of le gentil dauphin (the nice dolphin), but it means to get stressed out, or “worked out” about something. The adjective flippant, however, means “creepy.” For example, “Ce film est vraiment  flippant” (“This movie is really creepy.”) 

* FLUTE!
Most new French learners know “zut!” or “zut alors!”, as in “darn!” or “shoot!”, but more common of an intejection is “mince!”
“Flute”
is also as rarely used as “darn” in English, but it’s useful to know what it stands for if you happen to hear it.

* SE FOURRER:
To be dead wrong about something; to be mistaken.

* FOUTAISE:
Total nonsense. You can also say “des salades” , as in “ce ne sont que des salades!

* FRANGIN:
Frangin means “bro”, as in brother. Related to it is the word fréro, which is reserved for your little brother.
Here’s the trailer of the movie “Frangins malgré eux”— which is the French title of the Will Ferrell comedy “Step Brothers.”
Check it out, it’s dubbed in French!

* FRIC:
Money, dough, or “ca$h”, as in the Euro “FRI€.“, which we’ve already seen in “YELLEtuetête) if you like “le FRI€” the TTC way.”

* FRIGO:
Like the English “fridge”, Frigo is a French shorthand for refrigirator.

* FRIME
La frime is the noun which gives us a “frimeur“, that is someone who’s a show-off.
Par exemple: The character Mickael Vendetta is a frimeur wanna-be. Remember him from “B.A.-BA de l’Argot: ‘B’ [Cont.] (the ABC of French Slang: ‘B’ [Cont.])”  
* FRINGUES:
Les fringues mean clothes. Another argot synonym of fringues is fripes.

* FURAX:
Être furax comes from furieux, meaning furious. You can also say “disjoncter“, “perdre la boule“, or the more often used nowadays, “péter un câble” or “péter les plombs.

Remember that we have so far covered the letters A, B, C, D, and E:
*
B.A.-BA de l’Argot: ‘A’ (the ABC of French Slang: ‘A’)
* B.A.-BA de l’Argot: ‘B’ (the ABC of French Slang: ‘B’)
* B.A.-BA de l’Argot: ‘B’ [Cont.] (the ABC of French Slang: ‘B’ [Cont.])
* “C comme…” B.A.-BA de l’Argot (the ABC of French Slang: ‘C’)
* “C comme…(Ça Continue!)” B.A.-BA de l’Argot (the ABC of French Slang: ‘C’ [cont.])
* “D comme…” B.A.-BA de l’Argot (the ABC of French Slang: ‘D’)
* “E comme…” B.A.-BA de l’Argot (the ABC of French Slang: ‘E’)
* “F comme…” B.A.-BA de l’Argot: ‘F’ [1] (the ABC of French Slang: ‘F’ [1])

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Comments:

  1. Thomas:

    I gotta put forth “foutoir,” meaning “a total mess.” «Sa chambre, c’est carrément le foutoir, il ne peut rien trouver dedans.»

  2. Jennie:

    Génial, frangin (great, bro?) 🙂 I hope we never see la fin des haricots of the B.A.-BA.

    I have une toute petite question that maybe you can help with, though: Is there a liaison before haricot? Do we say la fin “day zareecoh” (with a liaison) or “day areecoh” (without)?

    Merci pour toutes ces phrases marrantes!

    • hichem:

      @Jennie Cimer frangine (thx sis) :`)
      It’s definitely without liaison: La fin des haricots (“day areecoh.”)

      Here’s an 80’s song that sings about “the end of beans”… It’s a bit in the style of “Dire Straits.”
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DguW5xrXONE