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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French word of the day: Jeûne

This term has nothing to do with age - although some claim it's the key to staying young forever.

French word of the day: Jeûne
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know jeûner?

Because even if the activity itself doesn't interest you, it will teach you something valuable about French everyday language.

What does it mean?

Jeune means 'young' in French, but switch the u and replace it with a û and it means 'fast'.

Jeûner – 'to fast' – refers to the activity of abstaining from eating and/or drinking for a certain period of time.

It comes from the Latin term jejenus, which means 'who has eaten nothing', according to French online dictionary Larousse.

Déjeuner, the French term for 'lunch', therefore literally means 'de-fast', or rompre le jeûne (breaking the fast) – like the English term 'breakfast'. 

Déjeuner used to refer to the first meal of the day, but was later supplemented by petit déjeuner in France (but some other French speaking countries still use déjeuner to talk about the first meal of the day). 

À jeun (at fast) is a term health professionals use when they want you to refrain from eating before a checkup.

 

Originally, le jeûne was usually part of a religious ritual, but today it's increasingly turning into a fitness trend – especially since several studies states its effets rajeunissants – rejuvenating effects. 

Use it like this

Il faut venir à jeun pour la prise du sang. – You must not eat before the blood test.

J'essaye de jeûner une fois par semaine, du coup je ne prends pas de petit déjeuner ce matin. – I'm trying to fast once a week, so I'm skipping breakfast this morning.

Non, Mélina ne va pas déjeuner avec nous ce midi, c'est Ramadan tu sais, elle va jeûner jusqu'au soir. – No, Mélina is not coming for lunch with us, it's Ramadan you know, she's fasting until nightfall.

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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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