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WORD OF DAY

French word of the day: A tombeau ouvert

An expression full of imagery, with a dark meaning

French word of the day: A tombeau ouvert
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know à tombeau ouvert ?

Because once you've spent some time driving on French roads you might find this one very apt.

What does it mean ?

A tombeau ouvert dates back to the end of the 18th century and is always used after verbs that indicate a movement, for instance to gallop.

A tombeau ouvert was first used to raise awareness of the danger of high speed while riding a horse.

Tombeau means tomb, and ouvert means open, so to gallop à tombeau ouvert basically meant that you were running the risk of being in an accident, and therefore a wide open tomb was waiting for you if you kept on going fast.  

Following the invention of the internal combustion engine à tombeau ouvert came to be used primarily with the verb conduire (to drive) and it remains the case today.

So literally, if you are driving à tombeau ouvert, it means that you will be heading straight for the grave if you don't slow down.

It's similar to its English equivalent 'to drive at breakneck speed' in that it doesn't literally signify that you are about to die, just that you are travelling dangerously fast.

Use it like this

J’ai vu une Porsche rouler à tombeau ouvert sur l’autoroute – I saw a Porsche going like a bat out of hell on the highway.

Elio pédalait à tombeau ouvert pour rejoindre ses amis – Elio was riding his bike at breakneck speed to meet his friends.

Synonyms

A bride abattue – At full tilt

A toute allure – Flat out  

Comme un dératé – Like a bat out of hell

A fond la caisse – Hell for leather

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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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