SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

WORD OF DAY

French word of the day: Fiché S

A piece of police jargon that has made its way into everyday conversation.

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

Why do I need to know fiché S ?

Because you're likely to see this piece of official police jargon in a lot of news headlines, as well as hear it in everyday conversation, at present.

What does it mean ?

In France, a fiche S is part of a national database called the Fichier des Personnes Recherchées (FPR), which is a database of wanted criminals or people on watchlists that was created in 1969.

This database also contains details of escaped prisoners (letter V), people who have escaped from institutions (AL) or people barred from entering the country (IT).

The letter S stands for 'state security' and there are different types of fiches S, with numbers going from S1 to S16 so when someone is described as fiché S, it means that they are suspected of being a threat to state security.

Fiché S is, however, not in itself a cause for arrest.

Around 70 percent of fiches S are made by the French interior security general direction (DGSI), which is the national intelligence service.

You will most commonly hear the term in relation to terrorists, such as when French police raided the homes of dozens of fichés S after the terror attack in Conflans in which a teacher was beheaded.

However not all fiché S are terrorists – football hooligans can be fichés S. It is the same for some radical environmental activists, even if they are non-violent.

In total, France currently counts some 22,000 fichés S, of which 8,000 are fichés for radicalisation, the French interior minister said last week.

A fiche S is kept for two years in the Fichier des Personnes Recherchées and is destroyed if the person has kept a low profile. Otherwise, the fiche S is renewed.

Fiche S refers to the file, while fiché S is the person who is the subject of the file.

Although it's obviously a serious subject, the term has become so ubiquitous in everyday life that some people even use it as a joke. So for example if you declare a particularly controversial opinion – a salade Niçoise is actually better with potatoes in it, let's say – your friend might say Ooooh, tu es fiché S ! –  You're on the watchlist now!

Or as in the tweet below “Damn, I don't like cassoulet – that's me going on the watchlist.”

 

 

Use it like this

Le terroriste arrêté est fiché S depuis quelques années – The arrested terrorist had been on a watchlist for several years.

Elle a été fichée S parce qu’elle participait au blocage de Notre Dame des Landes – She has been recorded as a national security threat because she took part in the blockade at Notre Dame des Landes.

Tu manges des légumes avec ta raclette ? Attention, tu seras bientôt fiché S ! La raclette ne se mange qu'avec des patates et de la charcuterie ! – Do you put veggies with your raclette? Careful, you'll soon be registered as a national security threat! Raclette should only be eaten with potatoes and charcuterie!

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

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.

SHOW COMMENTS