[ka lay]

to wedge, lock; to prop up

Il a calé la porte avec un livre - He wedged a book under the door.

(informal) - to fill up (with food); to give in/up

Je suis calé - I'm full (up).

Il va caler d'ici une semaine - He's going to give in within the next week.

Related: se caler - to plant/settle oneself; se caler les joues (informal) - to chow down, have a good feed

[kar bu ray]

(familiar) - to go, to be

Mon pote ne carbure pas très bien - My buddy isn't doing very well.

Le travail carbure mal - Work is going badly.

Familiar expressions: Ça carbure ? - How's it going?; Il carbure au rouge - Red wine is his poison/tipple; Ça carbure sec ici ! - They're really drinking it down!, They're working flat out!

Literal meaning: to carburet, to carburize; to be tuned (e.g., motor)

[kar tuh nay]

(inf) - to smash into, to do really well/poorly (depends on context)

Il vient de se cartonner en voiture - He just crashed his car.

Ne t'inquiète pas ; j'ai cartonné ! - Don't worry, I did brilliantly!

Oh là là, j'ai cartonné - Oh dear, I blew it / did very poorly / failed

Related: faire un carton - to do great; se prendre un carton

[ka say]

to break

Je me suis cassé la jambe - I broke my leg.

(informal) - to strain oneself, to work at something

Il ne s'est pas cassé pour m'aider - He didn't strain himself to help (i.e., he didn't do much)

(familiar) - to split, take off

Nous nous sommes cassés après le dîner - We split after dinner.

Related word: casser - to break; une casse - breaking, breakage, damage; cassé (adj) - broken

[co zay]

La guerre cause beaucoup de douleur - War causes a lot of pain.

J'ai causé avec Marie hier - I chatted with Marie yesterday.

The best place to 'causer' is in the chatroom! http://french.about.com/mpchat.htm

[sha ra bya]

(informal) - gibberish, gobbledygook

C'est quoi ce charabia que tu racontes ? - What's this gibberish that you're spouting?

Ce bouquin est plein de charabia - This book is full of gobbledygook.

Je déteste tout ce charabia administratif - I hate all of this administrative nonsense.

[shuh pay]

(fam) - to pinch, nick, steal; to catch

Qui m'a chopé mon sac à dos ? - Who nicked my backpack?

La police les a chopés - The police caught them.

J'espère ne pas choper la grippe cet hiver - I hope I don't catch the flu this year.

[shu et]

Ta copine est chouette - Your girlfriend is nice.

C'est chouette ! - That's great !

Check out how 'chouette' this game of Concentration is: http://french.about.com/library/begin/fun/bl-concentration.htm

[see nuhsh]

(inf) - the pictures, movies

Allons au cinoche ! - Let's go to the movies!

Related word: le cinéma - movie theater

[klay bar]

(inf, pejorative) - mutt, hound, dog

C'est à qui, ce clébard ? - Whose mutt is this?

Que je déteste les clébards ! - I just hate dogs!

[kwa(n) say]

(adj) - stuck

Ma voiture est coincée dans la ruelle - My car is stuck in the alley.

(informal) - unable to act; hung up, anal, inhibited

Cette décision stupide nous laisse coincés - This stupid decision leaves us with nothing to do, with no way to act.

Pourquoi est-il si coincé ? - Why is he so anal?

Related word: coincer - to wedge, jam, stick

[kuh lay]

to stick, glue

J'ai collé l'affiche à côté de la porte - I stuck the notice next to the door.

(informal) - to stick, shove; (pejorative) - to give, land; to get detention; to fail a test; to catch out

Où as-tu collé mon sac? - Where did you stick my bag?

Yves m'a collé son chien - Yves landed/stuck me with his dog.

Cette question m'a collée - That question caught me out.

Related word: la colle - glue

[ko pa(n)]

Tes copains sont sympas - Your buddies are nice.

Je vais au cinéma avec mon copain - I'm going to the movies with my boyfriend.

Female equivalent: une copine

Meet some new "copains" in the chatroom: http://french.about.com/mpchat.htm

[kuh star]

(informal) - man's suit

Je viens d'acheter un nouveau costard - I just bought a new suit, some new duds.

Synonum (normal register): un costume - man's suit

[kuh sto]

(inf adj) - sturdy, strong

Ses amis sont très costauds - His friends are very strong.

Je cherche une valise costaude - I'm looking for a sturdy suitcase.

Related: un costaud - strong man, strong stuff, something strong (alcohol, house, etc); une costaude - strong woman

[kra po]

toad; flaw (in a gem)

Je n'aime pas les crapauds - I don't like toads.

Il n'y a aucun crapaud dans ce diamant. - There are no flaws in this diamond.

informal - brat, child

[kra puh tay]

(informal) - to smoke without inhaling, ~ to puff

Avec les cigares, il faut crapoter sans avaler la fumée. - With cigars, you should puff without inhaling.

Synonym: tirer des bouffées

[kreu]

hollow, hole; slack period

Il s'est caché dans le creux de cet arbre - He hid in the hollow of this tree.

Il y a toujours un creux le lundi - There's always a slack period on Mondays.

Informal exp: J'ai un petit creux - I'm a little hungry / peckish

Related: creux (adj) - hollow, slack, concave: Avoir une dent creuse - to have a cavity; (inf) to be hungry; J'ai la tête/cervelle creuse - My mind is blank

une cuve

[kuv]

vat, tank

Le vin de ce vignoble vieillit dans des cuves en chêne. - The wine from this vineyard ages in oak vats.

La cuve à mazout est presque vide. - The oil tank is almost empty.

Related word: cuver- to ferment; une cuvée - vintage

Related expression: cuver son vin (fam) - to sleep it off