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WORD OF DAY

French word of the day: Cadeau empoisonné

This is something we have all done, so it is time to learn the French version.

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

Why do I need to know cadeau empoisonné ?

Because this expression will help you illustrate your evil side. 

What does it mean ?

The expression is composed of cadeau, which means ‘gift’, and empoisonné, meaning ‘poisoned’.

So a cadeau empoisonné is literally a poisoned gift. Obviously, it is not exactly nice.

It is a figurative way of saying that you are getting rid of something annoying, boring or difficult by passing it on somebody else, the English would be to hand someone a poisoned chalice.

But here is the subtlety of cadeau empoisonné – you present the situation as if you were doing a favour to the person, to hide your real intentions. The person to whom you’ve given the cadeau empoisonné will first be thankful for the responsibility you’ve entrusted them with, until they realise why you did that. But it will be too late. 

For example, when French Health minister Agnès Buzyn left her post at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis (because she has to take over from a Paris mayoral candidate with a certain online video) her replacement Olivier Véran received a big promotion – and an enormous challenge to deal with. He got a real cadeau empoisonné.

Use it like this

Confier toute l’organisation au stagiaire la veille de la réunion était un cadeau empoisonné – Putting all of the organisation in the intern’s hands the day before the meeting was a poisoned chalice.

J’ai hérité de la maison de ma tante mais il faut faire beaucoup de travaux, c’est un vrai cadeau empoisonné – I inherited of my aunt’s house but there is a lot of construction work to do, it’s more of a curse than a blessing.

Synonyms

Refiler la patate chaude à quelqu’un – To pass the hot potato on to someone

Refiler le bébé à quelqu’un – to pass the buck to someone

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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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