![HERE'S THE BOOK I WROTE...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307460169?ie=UTF8&tag=thepropos00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307460169"><img border="0" src="51XJtOU5-NL._SL160_.jpg"></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thepropos00-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0307460169" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />)
Clotilde Dusoulier's new book just came out and knowing her, I'm sure it's wonderful. Since the New York Times just did a big story on it (see that here), I'll skip over the background and just get to the juicy part: Clotilde's publisher wants to give one of you lucky folks a copy.
Since the book is about French culinary idioms--meaning, phrases such as prendre de la brioche (gaining brioche), entre la poire et le fromage (between pear and cheese) and manger son pain blanc (eating one's white bread)--leave a comment below and in it, tell us your favorite French idiom, phrase, colloquialism or even word. Or, just tell me why you'd love to have this book in your collection...or to give it as a gift. Your comment will be your contest entry and you'll get extra points for creativity! Also please make sure to leave me your email so I can reach you if you win; signing in with your Google account or web URL is not enough.
To learn more about the book, visit the companion site here; it has excerpts and audio recordings of the expressions. And if you'd like to just go ahead and buy it, you can do that here. Bonne Chance!
Since the book is about French culinary idioms--meaning, phrases such as prendre de la brioche (gaining brioche), entre la poire et le fromage (between pear and cheese) and manger son pain blanc (eating one's white bread)--leave a comment below and in it, tell us your favorite French idiom, phrase, colloquialism or even word. Or, just tell me why you'd love to have this book in your collection...or to give it as a gift. Your comment will be your contest entry and you'll get extra points for creativity! Also please make sure to leave me your email so I can reach you if you win; signing in with your Google account or web URL is not enough.
To learn more about the book, visit the companion site here; it has excerpts and audio recordings of the expressions. And if you'd like to just go ahead and buy it, you can do that here. Bonne Chance!
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Oooh! How fun! I would say my favorite French idiom is "quand le chat n'est pas là les souris dansent" probably because I am a dancer. And to get a little, ahem, saucy here... how could we not like le petite mort? However my absolute favorite French word is pamplemousse. The sound of it is just delightful! Not to mention the taste. Miam. And my email is indigomoone@gmail.com Merci!
ReplyDeleteIndigo, I feel the same way about the word pamplemousse!
DeleteI would love to add it to my cookbook collection. thanks.
ReplyDeleteMerci! thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletemystica123athotmaildotcom
I have a good friend who is passionate about cooking and passionate about France - this would be the absolutely perfect gift for her.
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup!
Tomber dans les pommes
ReplyDeleteLaurel, a classic! Whenever I say it, people laugh!
DeleteJe ne suis pas dans mon assiette.
ReplyDeleteThen where am I? I got to sit next to the truffle vendor when I saw Recettes du Bonheur at the cinema in St-Antonin Noble Val.
chatfemme7@comcast.net
Last spring I was staying with an American friend outside Paris who's lived in France for 30 years. I met her visiting neighbor who used the expression "Pèter plus haut que son cul." When my friend explained what it meant, I couldn't help but laugh:) IF I won the book, I would likely give it to my son-in-law. He is a chef and foodie. frenchkissedpostcards (at) gmail dot com
ReplyDeletethe perfect present to avoid putting your 'pied dans le plat' at that special dinner party ! Liz x
ReplyDeletethe perfect present to help avoid putting your 'pied dans le plat' at that special dinner party ! Liz
ReplyDeleteIt might already be in the book, but my favorite is: "c'est dans les vieilles marmites qu'on fait les meilleurs soupes" -- ie "it's in an old kettle that you make the best soup".
ReplyDeleteThe expression is meant to mean "with the best methods you get the best results" but it also has another meaning, and I've a few times heard an old husband use this saying in reference to his long-married wife.
-john
John, what a sweet expression. Hadn't heard that one. Thanks!
DeleteHaving just returned from spending six wonderful weeks in Europe that included Paris and Nice, I would love to have this book. My favorite French expression is "Tomber dans les pommes -- "To faint." Un grand merci.
ReplyDeletecmfile@yahoo.com
I studied french in high school and was an exchange student ... I fondly remember my time there and would love to have this book ! My fave words. Ca va. Pain du chocolat. Cafe au lait.
ReplyDeleteLaviza, pain au chocolat et cafe au lait is definitely ca va with me!
Delete"Mettre les petits plats dans les grands" (making a special effort to please), or "Long comme un jour sans pain" (interminable, at least to the French). This is fun!
ReplyDeleteAnne-Marie Simons
anne-marie.rozic@wanadoo.fr
I wish I knew more French idioms, which is why I need this book. In Spanish, one of my favorites is 'eso es pan comido'. That translates directly to "that's eaten bread" - something that's too easy.
ReplyDeleteAdriana, good one...that's another new one for me. Thanks!
Delete"Comme le petit Jesus en culotte de velours"
ReplyDeleteSmooth as little Jesus in Velvet short is probably my favorite expression.
Jean Louis L
Jean Louis, that's one of my favorites!! I've heard it in English but never in French. Will start using it at once!
Delete"I'm French! Why do you think I have this OUTRAGEOUS accent, you silly king?" - Monty Python and The Holy Grail *Merci!* - Anne Marie Hughes : amarie304@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteAnne Marie, ok that's it. I have to watch that movie again. I love this line.
DeleteHow timely that I see this. I teach my son french through an online curriculum. Just yesterday, he was given 5 french idioms. He must write a paper explaining the idiom, give the english equivalent and comment on his thoughts about the meaning behind the idiom. We were stumped on quite a few! I'd love to have a deeper understanding of these phrases.
ReplyDeleteI love the expression "Pedaler dans la farine," which means "to get nowhere fast." I would LOVE to win this book!
ReplyDeleteFrom my high school French, many years ago, I recall the phrase "la moutarde qui va au nez" - please pardon any incorrect spelling! - about a mustard so pungent that the aroma goes to your nose from inside your nose. I did not completely grasp what this meant...until, in France, I tasted a moutarde that did indeed go to my nose, a startling though not altogether unpleasant "taste" experience - and how truly French!
ReplyDeleteellanne@outlook.com
I want this book!! My favorite is "Merci beaucoup" because I think it to be one of the most beautiful ways to say thank you. I love the french language and would LOVE this book:)
ReplyDeleteI want this book!! My favorite is "Merci beaucoup" because I think it to be one of the most beautiful ways to say thank you. I love the french language and would LOVE this book:)
ReplyDeleteI'm so reading this book by it's cover, which is wonderful...I love the watercolor radishes! I have a tie for two of my favorite French words because they make me laugh...poubelle and bougie :) pcovington270@bellsouth.net
ReplyDeleteAuntie Bliss, that reminds me I have to gather all the summer bougies in the garden and put them in the poubelle! Thanks for that!
DeleteIt has to be l'esprit de l'escalier, which is what I'm going to have shortly after I post this.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"le gratin" - my favorite probably because I like gratins so much and find them to not be "elite," so it's surprising when the word is used to refer to that social class colloquially.
ReplyDeletethis book is rather creative and I've been following Clotilde's blog for awhile now, so would love to have it. She even named her son the same name as my son who was born earlier that year (unknowingly of course) ... maybe it was meant to be? Marci!
siboragc@gmaill.com
My 13th birthday party was held at "Petite Marmite" on Worth Ave. in Palm Beach in the 60's, and I had escargot for the first time that I loved! So in honor of this occasion and my french heritage, my idiom is, "Trop de cuisiniers gatent la petite marmite", or I hope it expresses in french, "Too many cooks spoil the broth", as petite marmite is a brown broth veggie and meat soup. Or if I got that wrong, maybe one better would be, "Vous ne pouvez pas faire one bourse de some dune coquille d'escargot". You can't make a silk purse out of a snail shell. Kathleen
ReplyDeleteLove this! I actually speak French tres peu but I loved the above comment from Liz @ Simon~~~pied dans le plat~~~she should win!!! Thank you for the fun chance to play. Sally
ReplyDeleteI love the expression "Coup de faim" which means a small hunger pang. This is something I have all the time I'm in France!
ReplyDeleteI am French-Swiss by heritage (my mother was born and grew up near Neuchatel), I am a Francophile, I LOVE Chocolate and Zucchini, I speak French, I am a watercolorist and I am a chef. Charming book!
ReplyDelete"On ne fait pas d'un âne, un cheval de course même en taillant ses oreilles en pointes." You can't transform a donkey into a race horse, even by trimming his ears. My best way to describe people sometimes. Johann Pepin
ReplyDeleteFrench is not my forte however I have deja vu that I already won and and can gift my sister. Merci! begrammy@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI don't know many French food idioms so I would love this book to learn more of them. One of my favorite American food idioms would be "Butter my butt and call me a biscuit" because it is so funny! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to win a copy of the book.
Jessica
seworange@gmail.com
i know you julie, i know provence, and i'd like this book.
ReplyDeletejudith
i know you julie, and i know provence, i'd love to have this book.
ReplyDeletejudith
I love Clotilde's books. Elle est quelqu'un! denisealiment@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI love Clotilde's books. Elle est quelqu'un!
ReplyDeletedenisealiment@gmail.com
Julie of course I would be thrilled to win this amazing cookbook! Thank you for the offering!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
I think maybe "metro, boulot, dodo" is my favorite. Now that I'm retired, I watch from my study window as folks hop on the virtual metro (usually cars in my neighborhood) and head off to work, returning later dragging their also-virtual backsides. I also like the sneeze response: "A tes souhaits" after the first one and "a tes amours" after the second. Such a good message. I didn't sit next to the truffle vendor in St. Antonin Noble Var, but I had visited there just before "chatfemme7" and we've talked about it since. Maybe you could give the book to one of us and we can share it!
ReplyDeletecpwcurtis@gmail.com
My favourite is, ils fument commes les pompiers, they smoke like firemen.....some reason this made me laugh a lot when I first heard it!
ReplyDeleteDEEEEEElicious! Checked it out, mon ami. What a great idea! Oh and there's my friend Karena right above me! Thanks for the email.... I will touch base soon......
ReplyDeletexo Maryanne
I am giving up on fad health foods and diets, going back to eating real whole foods and this book would be perfect to help me cook food I will enjoy eating
ReplyDeleteI love Clothilde's books and can't wait to read this one! I have a couple of favorite expressions: "il pleut des cordes" (it's raining ropes), "tomber dans les pommes" (c'est classique! Plus, I lived in Normandy, so you inevitably love anything that has to do with pommes), "poser un lapin" (not a great thing to have happen to you, but the expression is so charming that it kind of makes up for it), finally, "il faut se méfier de l'eau qui dort" (literally: watch out for sleeping water, but expresses roughly the same idea as "still waters run deep"). Favorite word: "bouleverser" (which is an image in itself!) elise.c.erickson at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThis is a fun thing to share with each other! I think my favorite two (currently, as they rotate over time) are: "À coeur vaillant rien d'impossible." ~ Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. And the other: “Petit a petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.” ~ Little by little, the bird makes its nest. Thank you so much! Donna B~ pacificaloha (at) yahoo dot com.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I know very little French but I adore French food and all things France. After my first trip to Paris, I was telling friends all about the fabulous food I ate and then they looked at me and asked if I had seen any of the sights. I laughed. Yes, indeed I had but ahhhh....the food!
ReplyDeleteLorri
I'm enjoying this post while my Tarte Tatin is baking. ;-) I wonder if this expression is in Dusoulier's new book. "Vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre." To have your cake and eat it too. Or, to want it both ways.
ReplyDeletenoellechichester-pottier@orange.fr
Qu'ils mangent la brioche! or Let them eat cake....uttered by someone who lost their head over this statement...
ReplyDeletesudsysez@yahoo.com
It's not an idiom but I just love that the French call cotton candy "barbe à papa!" It's fun to say but eating daddy's beard is not a delicious visual!
ReplyDeleteAs an American newly transplanted to the south of France I would love this book! Et je souhaite qu'il se vendra comme des petits pains.
ReplyDeleteLe Bete Noir, my beastie.
ReplyDeletelesaneace@gmail.com
Thanks for this fun post! There are some great phrases here already, including many of my favorites (baby Jesus and his shorts chief among them), but I will offer two more non-food-related idioms that capture the inimitable French talent for diplomacy and graceful euphemism: "Il y a du monde au balcon," said of a well-endowed woman, and of course the (related) and classic "soutient-gorge." Merci! hedonism [dot] ink [at] gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI wrote a post on French idioms and food--there is no shortage and I love new ones! here is one of my favorites: Je pourrais manger un curé frotté d’ail—I could eat a parish priest rubbed with garlic (I could eat a horse). As for why I would like to win--I would write another post based on her book! Thanks Juli for the fun post!
ReplyDeleteThis would be a great way to "brush up" for my next trip!
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite idiom has nothing to do with food, Julie! It was something my Nana used to say to us when we were kids, and I am sure we have all heard it: Pour le énième fois, j'en ai ras le bol! (For the umpteenth time, I have had it up to here!) It would be great fun to add some food-based jargon to my vocabulary! ~ David
ReplyDeleteThree idioms related to food for you, I let you think the meaning
ReplyDeleteAvoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre
Manger son pain blanc ou Manger son pain noir
Manger les pissenlits par la racine
Amitiés
Frédéric CLOT
I would love to win this book because I am a newly obsessed Francophile and I have been enjoying Clotilde's blog very much. And I think my favorite French word is "myrtille"...such an elegant word for Blueberry! Kasey.v.clark@gmail.com
ReplyDelete