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Argot - French Slang - D

The following words and definitions were originally sent in the free Mot du jour newsletter.

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une dalle - paving stone, slab

[dal]

J'aime les trottoir en dalle - I like sidewalks made of paving stones.

Familiar expressions: que dalle - damn all; ne... que dalle - not a damn thing (Je ne vois que dalle - I can't see a damn thing); avoir la dalle en pente - to be a bit of a boozer; avoir la dalle - to be starving

Related words: le dallage - paving, pavement; daller - to pave; un dalleur - flag layer

Don't miss the leçon du jour : http://french.about.com/library/weekly/q-dailylesson.htm

 

débile

[day beel]

(adj) - weak, feeble, frail, sickly, poor

Cette organisation est débile ; elle n'a pas de vrais pouvoirs. - This organization is weak; it doesn't have any real powers.

La santé de ma mère est débile. - My mother's health is poor.

(informal) - pathetic, stupid, moronic

Quel film débile ! - What a stupid movie!

 

déglinguer

[day gla(n) gay]

(inf) - to bust, break

L'appareil-photo que je viens d'acheter est déjà déglingué - The camera I just bought is already busted.

se déglinguer - to be on the blink, fall apart, go bust

Sa télé se déglingue tout le temps - His TV is always on the blink.

Related: la déglingue (fam) - dilapidation, decay; déglingué (inf adj) - battered, broken, run-down, kaput, ramshackle

 

dégoiser (informal) - to spout, rattle on

[day gwa zay]

Qu'est-ce qu'il dégoise ? - What's he rattling on about?

Il ne finit jamais de dégoiser - He never shuts up, He never stops rattling on.

You can dégoiser all you want in the forums: http://forums.about.com/ab-french/start

 

dégommer

[day guh may]

(familiar) - to demote, unseat, sack, fire; to put down, lay into, get told off

On veut dégommer le directeur-général - They want to sack the manager.

Il s'est fait dégommer par ses parents - His parents told him off / laid into him.

Related: le dégommage (familiar) - demoting, unseating, sacking

 

dégoter

[day guh tay]

(informal) - to dig up, find

La police n'a pas réussi à dégoter assez de preuve - The police didn't manage to dig up enough proof.

Où as-tu dégoté ces livres ? - Where did you dig up these books?

Alternate spelling - dégotter

 

déguerpir

[day ger peer]

(inf) - to clear off/out, scarper

Il a dit aux gosses de déguerpir - He told the kids to clear off.

J'espère qu'il pourra faire déguerpir les fourmis ! - I hope he can get the ants to clear out!

 

dégueulasse

[day geu las]

(fam adj) - lousy, rotten, filthy, disgusting

C'est dégueulasse de voler aux enfants - It's rotten/disgusting to steal from kids.

Related: un/e dégueulasse (fam) - dirty pig, disgusting person; dégueulasser (fam) - to muck/up; dégueu - fam. abbreviation of dégueulasse

 

déguster

[day gu stay]

to taste, sample, savor

Nous allons déguster du vin - We're going to taste some wine.

Il déguste son café - He's enjoying/savoring his coffee.

(informal) - to suffer, have a rough time

J'ai un mal de tête, je déguste ! - I have a hell of a headache!; I have a headache and it's killing me!

Related: une dégustation - tasting; un dégustateur - wine taster

 

déménager

[day may na zhay]

to move (from one house/place to another)

Je vais deménager au Maroc en août. - I'm going to move to Morocco in August.

(familiar) - to leave, get lost, clear out; to be crazy

Il déménage complètement ! - He is totally crazy!

Related: un deménageur - furniture mover; un deménagement - removal, moving; déménager à la cloche de bois - to sneak off in the middle of the night; ça déménage ! (informal) - it's great! brilliant!

 

détaler

[day ta lay]

(informal) - to bolt, take off, clear out, skedaddle

Quand j'ai entendu les sirènes, j'ai détalé ! - When I heard the sirens, I took off!

Expressions of emphasis: détaler à toutes jambes, détaler comme un lapin, détaler au triple galop; détaler d'une telle vitesse que... - to take off so quickly that...

 

un dico

[dee ko]

(informal) - dictionary (short for dictionnaire)

J'ai besoin d'un bon dico français-anglais. - I need a good French-English dictionary.

Check out dozens of online "dicos" at http://french.about.com/cs/dictionaries/index.htm

 

dingue

[da(n)g]

(inf adj) - crazy, nuts, barmy.

Il est dingue de cette fille - He's crazy about this girl.

J'ai vu un film dingue - I saw a crazy / far-out movie.

un/e dingue (inf noun) - nutcase, loony

Il y a un dingue dans ton appart - Some nutcase is in your apartment.

Related (all slang): dinguer - to fall flat on one's face, la dinguerie - craziness, stupidity

 

le dodo

[do do]

(baby talk) - sleepy time, beddy-bye

Je vais faire dodo - I'm going to beddy-bye (I'm going to sleep).

Au dodo ! - Sleepy time!

More baby talk: http://french.about.com/library/vocab/bl-babytalk.htm

 

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*Pronunciation notes

Due to the limitations of HTML, I cannot use true phonetic symbols. I tried to be as straightforward as possible, but please refer to this chart to understand my pronunciation symbols. Note that this is only a guide to help you get the most out of the sound file. Please refer to a dictionary for the exact pronunciation. 

    a    father
ay hate
e bed
ee meet
euh full
o go
uh the
u fool
(n) nasal n
zh mirage

   

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