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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: Meuf

This French word is another example of verlan, and it is one you should be extra careful about misinterpreting.

French Word of the Day: Meuf
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know meuf?

It’s fair to say that some verlan words have become a part of everyday French more than others, and meuf is certainly one of them. 

How do I use it?

Meuf – roughly pronounced muhf – is the equivalent of saying ‘woman’, ‘girl’ or ‘bird’ in English and is often used to describe a woman who is sexually desirable. 

Meuf is a verlan word, meaning that it is formed by inverting another word’s syllables (for more on verlan, like the word teuf).

In this case, that word is femme which is turned into meuf as follows: fe – mme => me – fe => meuf. 

According to some sources it was invented in the 90s. Sometimes it is considered derogatory but it certainly isn’t always intended to be. Nevertheless, it’s probably best to play it safe with who you use it around. 

In recent years, it has been reclaimed by young women and teens to describe each other, as a gender specific version of ‘mate’. 

You’ll also hear young women addressing friends in the street with Eh, meuf! – Hey, girl!

The reason we stressed you should be careful about misinterpreting the meaning of meuf is because some English speakers in France known to The Local have admitted to being surprised when hearing it used – due to its similarity to the English word for a particular area on a woman’s body. 

Use it like this

J‘ai vu une meuf bizarre dans le bus. – I saw a weird chick on the bus.

Kevin est venu à la soirée avec sa meuf. – Kevin came to the party with his girl.

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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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