SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: Bouffer

This French verb will come in handy before a hearty meal.

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

Why do I need to know bouffer?

Because you do this a few times a day, and you might hear your French friends use it when making evening plans.

What does it mean?

Bouffer – roughly pronounced boo-fay – is the slang version of manger (to eat).

La bouffe is a very colloquial way of saying nourriture (food). Bouffer is the verb version, so you could say j’ai bouffé to tell someone that you ate something.

While it does generally mean to eat, bouffer has kind of a greedy clang to it. French people often use it to express that they overate – in English you might say you had ‘scoffed’ ‘filled your face’ or ‘chowed’ 

Bouffer is also popularly used in the expression se faire bouffer, which best can be translated to ‘be walked all over’. Sport fans often use it to describe a big win or loss, or to show off and play tough before a game.

Bouffer is quite colloquial, and some might even see it as vulgar, so you probably wouldn’t use it in a fancy restaurant or if you’re meeting your French in-laws for a meal.

Bouffer also gives us the root for the French term for junk food – malbouffe (literally ‘bad food’).

Use it like this

Tu bouffes trop vite, tu vas t’étouffer si tu ne t’arrêtes pas de temps en temps – You’re eating too quickly, you’re going to choke if you don’t stop to chew occasionally.

J’ai craqué ce week-end, je suis allé bouffer un énorme Big Mac – I couldn’t resist, I pigged out this weekend and ate a huge Big Mac

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