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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French expression of the day: Ce n’est pas sorcier

Need to get sarcastic with someone in French? Here's a great expression for that.

French expression of the day: Ce n'est pas sorcier

Why do I need to know ce n'est pas sorcier?

Is there someone in your life that is over-complicating things and putting unnecessary obstacles in the way? This is what you need to tell them.

What does it mean?

In French un sorcier is a wizard (a witch is une sorcière). So for example Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone appeared in French as Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers (Harry Potter at the wizards' school).

So with ce n'est pas sorcier, or in its more slangy form c'est pas sorcier you're literally telling someone that it's not wizardry or not magic.

But it better translates as 'it's not rocket science' – ie you're telling the person that they're dumb and making something way too complicated.

So you could say Le changement climatique existe. C'est déprimant, mais ce n'est pas sorcier – Climate change exists. It's depressing, but it's not rocket science.

Accrocher les serviettes pour les faire sécher – c'est pas sorcier! – Hang the towels up to dry – it's not rocket science!

Or if you really want to unleash your fury onto someone who is putting unnecessary obstacles in your way Comme je l'ai déjà dit, ce n'est pas sorcier, c'est très clair – as I already said, this is not rocket science, it's very simple.

As is hopefully clear, this is not a particularly polite phrase, it's sarcastic at best and downright offensive at worst so we wouldn't suggest using it unless you have exhausted all of the more reasonable forms of persuasion.

You will probably feel like using it repeatedly as you navigate your way through French bureaucracy, but it is unlikely to get your paperwork processed any faster, so it might be better to just swallow your rage, explain the situation again and then do some deep breathing exercises and go to your happy place. 

 

 

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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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