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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: Choc

This French word looks like it might be related to tasty pastries, but you’re more likely to see it during a political debate or sporting event.

French Word of the Day: Choc
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know choc?

Because you might be shocked to learn about the other meanings of this French term. 

What does it mean?

Choc – roughly pronounced shock – looks like an abbreviation of chocolate in French, but that would be choco.

It is most commonly translated in English as ‘shock’, and the pronunciation is very similar. You can also use it as a verb (choquer) or an adjective (choquant). 

While this meaning is accurate in many contexts, there are a few other meanings for the word choc in French.

You can use it to refer to a ‘clash’. For example, a political debate on primetime TV might be advertised as a le choc des personalités (the clash of personalities).

Similar to ‘shock’ in English, it can also be used to describe a physical jolt or impact. 

This definition might help people make sense of a recent policy by the ministry of education – the choc des savoirs – which involves sorting pupils into different skill groups. The idea was described as giving the kids a wave of knowledge to improve test scores.

Use it like this

Le stagiaire a dit en plaisantant que le lieu de travail est un ‘choc des cultures’. – The intern joked that the workplace is a ‘clash of cultures’.

Son argument selon lequel il ne prendrait jamais l’avion a beaucoup choqué mon père. – His argument about never flying was very shocking to my dad.

Member comments

  1. Also used in retail to denote extra large reductions or especial bargains in sales ‘choc remises’.

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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: Flipper

This French word does not have anything to do with marine mammals.

French Word of the Day: Flipper

Why do I need to know flipper?

Because this anglicism is used a bit differently in French than it would be in English.

What does it mean?

Flipper – roughly pronounced flea-pay – is a colloquial French term and these days it means to be upset or overly anxious. People often use it similarly to the English expression ‘to freak out’.

As you may have expected, the term is an anglicism, and it comes from the English word ‘to flip’. 

However, in French it does not mean to literally flip something over – you would use renverser for that. It comes from a different usage of the word ‘flip’, more in line with ‘losing one’s head’.

The word started being popular in France in the 1970s, and at that time it was almost exclusively used to describe the experience of ‘freaking out’ or having a bad trip after taking LSD or other hallucinogenic drugs, according to Le Figaro.

Over time, it started to refer to the period of depression many people experience after feelings of euphoria when high, as well as the anxiety that one might feel due to withdrawal. 

Nowadays, people mainly use it to refer to any irrational response. You can also call something flippant (shocking).

A more formal synonym for flipper might be paniquer.

And if you find yourself in an arcade, you may hear the word a few times, as flipper is also the French term for a pinball machine.

Use it like this

Arrête de flipper, on va être à l’heure.  – Stop freaking out, we’re going to be on time.

Les résultats des élections m’ont vraiment fait flipper. Mes amis n’ont pas été surpris pour autant. – The results of the election really freaked me out. My friends weren’t surprised though.

J’ai flippé en regardant le film d’horreur. – I freaked out when I was watching the horror movie.

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