FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

   
                           The Bar de la Marine in Marseilles...

For those of you who like to photograph people, today's popular French word will be a nice change from the predictable "Say cheese!" approach.

le ouistiti (we-stee-tee) noun, masculine

  1. "cheese!"* (not the kind you eat!)
     [as in  "Souriez sur la photo"-or-"Smile for the photo]*
     --from the way the lips form a smile when pronouncing the word

  2. a petite South American monkey

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Pronunciation: Download wistiti2.wav

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Expression:
un drole de ouistiti = a bizarre person

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Citation du Jour:

Se taire, prier, travailler, sourire.
Be quiet, pray, work, smile. --Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer

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A Day in a French Life...

At half past three
dimanche après me-dee*
We--
along with many an attendee
witnessed our cousine*
blush
and say
OUI*

The question, see
(posed by the future ma-ree*)
left other demoiselles whispering
why not me?

To which
lui, lui and lui*
sped
direction la sortie.*

Past the photographer who offered
"Ouistiti?"
and across the street
to the Bar de L'Oubli

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References: dimanche après (midi) = Sunday afternoon; la cousine (le cousin) = cousin; oui = yes; ma-ree (le mari) = husband; lui = him; la sortie (f) = exit; le ouistiti (m) = (smile and say) cheese; l'oubli (m) = oblivion