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If you pay attention to English, you’ll notice here and there a few names of flowers which are quite funny: Ever heard of “Busy Lizzie<\/strong>“, or even better, of the slightly pushy-sounding “Forget-Me-Not”\u00a0<\/strong>(“…especially on my birthdays”, kind of thing)?<\/strong><\/p>\n Now, how about\u00a0le fran\u00e7ais<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks to our carefully selected\u00a0TOP 10<\/strong>, there’s no shred of doubt about it:<\/p>\n Yes, French people do have a sens de l’humour<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(sense of humor), and they even, as the expression goes,\u00a0“say it with flowers<\/a>.”<\/strong><\/p>\n In English, this flower is called “Forget-me-not.” <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In French, however, it maintained its equally funny Greek<\/a> name: “Myosotis”, meaning “Ear of a Mouse”<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Formally, the Scabiosa flower is called “Scabieuse<\/strong><\/em>” in French. But this fleur\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>has also a pretty funny nickname: “Bonnet bleu<\/em><\/strong>“, meaning “blue hat<\/strong><\/span>“, or “bobble cap<\/strong><\/span>“!<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n You may have a hard time pronouncing the name of the flower\u00a0Zaluzianskya <\/strong>(not really her fault, she’s got it from her “papa<\/strong><\/em>“, Czech physician\u00a0Adam Zaluziansky.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n In French, however, it’s really easy peasy. Just “Bonbon de minuit.<\/em><\/strong>“<\/p>\n And yes, you probably guessed it right.\u00a0Bonbon <\/em><\/strong>is French for “candy”, which makes the whole thing stand for “Midnight Candy<\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n Of course, don’t forget to brush your teeth before heading to bed (only if you don’t feel like saying\u00a0bonjour <\/em><\/strong>to a toothach the next morning, that is. Entirely your call.)<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Although its technical name is Polemonium, this flower is also called in English “Jacob’s ladder<\/strong><\/span>“, which is precisely its meaning in French: “\u00c9chelle de Jacob.<\/strong><\/em>“<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Adonis is called Adonis<\/strong><\/em> in French as well. However, it is also known as\u00a0Goutte de sang<\/em><\/strong>, the same as the English “Blooddrops<\/strong><\/span>“.<\/p>\n This nickname did not blossom, so to speak, from a Count<\/strong>\u00a0Dracula<\/strong>\u00a0horror story (and if you thought of “Twilight<\/strong>” or “Vampire Diaries<\/a><\/strong>“, double shame on you.)<\/p>\n Instead, it came from an age-old Greek myth: The superhot goddess Aphrodite<\/strong>, who was passionately enamored with Adonis<\/strong>, turned this young handsom man into the red flower which famously bears his name today.<\/p>\n As a reminder, her poor lover died as a result of a “death-by-sanglier<\/em>”\u00a0<\/strong>(wild boar.<\/em><\/strong>)<\/p>\n Tough luck, you may think. But that happened all the time in Ancient Greece.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n If you think that the English honeysuckle somehow sounds funny or strange, then wait till you hear its French sobriquet<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n It’s\u00a0Ch\u00e8vrefeuille<\/em><\/strong>, literally standing for “Goat-Leaf<\/strong><\/span>“… (I know, go figure.)<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n La suite est pour la prochaine fois<\/em> (To be continued next time)!<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n _________________________________________________________<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you pay attention to English, you’ll notice here and there a few names of flowers which are quite funny: Ever heard of “Busy Lizzie“, or even better, of the slightly pushy-sounding “Forget-Me-Not”\u00a0(“…especially on my birthdays”, kind of thing)? Now, how about\u00a0le fran\u00e7ais? Thanks to our carefully selected\u00a0TOP 10, there’s no shred of doubt about…<\/p>\n![\"photo\"](\"https:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5171\/5390425495_c9fea6ae8c_z.jpg\")
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