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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Expression of the Day: Plus ça change

As you're no doubt aware, the French can be a pessimistic bunch and that's when they tend to crack out this famous expression.

French Expression of the Day: Plus ça change

Why do I need to know plus ça change?

When you're sitting in a cafe in France with French friends the mood can turn pessimistic quite quickly and if it does then it's highly likely this expression will be used. 

What does it mean?

Plus ça change literally means 'more it changes' which understandably won't make much sense to you if this is the first time you've come across it.

In fact, this is a very common way to shorten the longer expression plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose which means 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'.

And you may well have heard it said in English too.

In both languages the expression means the person who has used it is experiencing a certain kind of disillusionment or resignation. 

For example it could be down to the fact that even though they have a new boss, the same old problems still exist in the team or that they have been visiting a psychologist but are still suffering from whatever it was that led them to book the appointments in the first place. 

The expression is used on its own and is not considered to be slang. 

Alternatives

Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil – The more it changes, the more it's the same

 

Plus ça change (et) moins ça change – The more it changes (and) the less it changes
 
 

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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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