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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French expression of the day: Avoir la pêche

If someone tells you they're having 'la pêche', it doesn't mean they're keen for a fruity snack.

Published: 4 December 2019 15:02 CET
French expression of the day: Avoir la pêche
What is avoir la pêche?
 
Avoir la pêche can be directly translated into 'to have the peach'.
 
However, if you hear someone exclaiming j'ai la pêche! ('I have the peach!), it does not mean they were participating in some sort of game where the person catching the peach is the winner.
 
What does it mean?
 
In fact, j'ai la pêche means that the person is feeling great – probably alluding to those peachy, rosy cheeks, a sign that a person is healthy.
 
It's the opposite of being crevé – tired/exhausted.
 
Avoir la pêche is about feeling good mentally as well as physically. People often use it on a Friday evening to say that they are ready for the weekend.
 
For example: 
 
C'est bientot le week-end, tu as la pêche ? – It's almost the weekend, are you stoked?
 
Je sentais déjà avant le match que j'avais la pêche, et lorsqu’on a commencé à jouer je me sentais en pleine forme – Even before the game I felt really good, and when we started playing I was feeling in great shape
 
Dis-donc, tu as la pêche ce matin! – Well, you certainly are in high spirits this morning!
 
Elle a toujours la pêche lorsqu'ils mettent Beyoncé – She's always in a great mood when they put on Beyoncé.
 
Inversely, you can use avoir la pêche in a negative form to say that someone isn't looking too peachy:
 
Je n'ai pas trop la pêche – I don't feel too great
 
Any other options?
 
There are several other similar ways to say you feel good, and they all include fruit or veg (the French seem to be crazy about their five a day):
 
Avoir la patate – to have a potato (read more about this expression here)
 
Avoir la frite – to have a chip
 
Avoir la banane – to have a banana.
 
 

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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Expression of the Day: Faire du lèche-vitrine

This French expression might come in handy in the weeks leading up the bi-annual 'soldes'.

Published: 31 May 2024 11:08 CEST
French Expression of the Day: Faire du lèche-vitrine

Why do I need to know faire du lèche-vitrine?

Because you might opt for this if your bank account is running a little low.

What does it mean?

Faire du lèche-vitrine – roughly pronounced fair doo lesh vih-treen – translates as ‘to do the window licking’. 

If your friend suggests this for a Saturday afternoon activity, do not worry – it’s not to be taken literally. The phrase is the French equivalent of ‘window-shopping’ in English.

In France, people have been using this expression since the 20th century. Before that, in the 19th century, the word lécher took on a second meaning of ‘to brush against’, in addition to ‘passing one’s tongue over something’.

As for window shopping, the French expression gives the image of a person who is so enthralled with the items shown in the shop windows that they are close enough to the glass to lick it.

If you want a synonym for this expression, you might say on va flâner dans les magasins (we are going to leisurely walk around the shops).

There are a few other French expressions that use lécher – such as lécher les bottes à quelqu’un (to lick someone’s boots, or overly flatter them).

Use it like this

Mon compte en banque est presque vide. Je ne peux me permettre que de faire du lèche-vitrine. – My bank account is almost empty. I can only afford to window-shop.

Ma grand-mère adore faire du lèche-vitrine le samedi après-midi. – My grandmother loves window-shopping on Saturday afternoons.

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