FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Hi Kristin! I LOVED this story. I too laughed out loud. This is a keeper! Best of luck in your new venture.

Dawn Anderson from Ann Arbor, MI

P.S. We had such a great time meeting you and tasting Jean-Marc's wine last month. We just shared the "Mystery" wine with our friends - with chocolate, of course. It brought back happy memories of a lovely afternoon with you.

Cute story, but I'd love to know how you could have communicated more clearly since you'd already used the correct term!

This IS a keeper. The only thing that perplexed me was the word vaysay because when I was last in France, I thought one asked for the double vaysay. It must be a short form of the same? If you had said double vaysay, would it have corrected the malentendu more quickly? Linda makes a good point about the men. Fun and funny situation and no harm done.

Great story!Well done!

Perhaps this isn't the place for such questions, but what is the difference between "vay say" and "double vay say"?

This reminds me of when I tried to tell a French establishment the bathroom was out of toilet paper and used what I thought was the colloquial "PQ." I was horrified to learn months later that while PQ is indeed colloquial, it is also vulgar. Oops and desole!

Great story. I thought it was "la toilette" so probably would have gotten the wrong thing. I guess doublevaysay would be better for what I assume is Water Closet. I just wish I'd been with Faye in Germany. I got eels by mistake in first meal in Switzerland but managed to exchange that dish for the desired wiener schnitzel. Quel relief!

Salut Kristin,

Here: "assess any damage to our family's carefully-constructed first impression" there is a small error.

The rules for hyphenating compound modifiers state that if the compound modifier begins with an -ly adverb, there is no need for hyphenation. Thus, to be technically correct, you would need to omit the - from "carefully-constructed." But, of course, do what you like!

With regard to the last sentence--wouldn't it really be better not to ASK rather than ACT?

:-) After all of that commotion, perhaps you should've just taken the offered whiskey after all...

Kristin, on my first reading I could sense that 'act', the last word, quirkily referred back to act, role, etc in the earlier text in some subtle theatrical-pretentious sense.
On reading again, I find that 'act' resonates (unintentionally perhaps) with 'posed a question' and 'carefully constructed first impression' and it just naturally follows from the preceding sentence '...avoiding a scene'.
Your prose works at so many levels and, yes, that's why it makes for great re-reading!
My opinion? Just 'ask'. ;-)

Hi, Kristen,

Again, a story all of us can identify with. On to the nitpicking:

There should be a comma after the introductory clause; thus: "No matter how hard I tried, I could not hold it any longer."

The period after "restroom" should come inside the quotation mark; thus: "restroom." (It's the opposite in British English.)

No commas after "shoulder," and I agree with Rebecca about deleting the comma in "carefully-constructed": thus: I shot a casual look over my shoulder to assess any damage to our family's carefully constructed first impression.

Final quibble: I'd insert a comma after "time" in "Next time best not to act!"--and I'd go with "ask" (I think the meaning is clearer).

Great story!

Tres drole, Kristin!

I wonder what would have happened with the hostess if you requested 'la salle de bain' ?

First phrase I learned for bathroom, long ago.

Very funny, for the moment when the Delightful Wife wishes also to be a discreet lady.