defiler
Monday, July 28, 2008
Note: French Word-A-Day will return mid-August. In the meantime, you might enjoy these readers' stories: Funny French-language gaffes, Lavender Tips, and Cultural Misconceptions (awaiting stories on this last topic...).
défiler (day-fee-lay) verb
to march past, to parade
un défilé (day-fee-lay) noun: 1) procession 2) gorge
=> un défilé de mode = a fashion show
C'est au plus étroit du défilé que la vallée commence.
It is at the narrowest point in the gorge that the valley begins. --Proverb
Audio File: hear my son, Max, pronounce today's word and proverb: Download defiler.mp3 . Download defiler.wav
At a French water park near Nyons I stand, desperate and uncertain, before a table of women's swimwear....
"I think I can help..." the vendeuse* says, leading me to the end of the Lycra display.
"Oh, no... no. No no, that won't work!" I insist, noticing the itsy bitsy teenie weenie (no bigger than a polka dot!) bikinis.
The saleswoman shakes her head. "No, not those..." she explains. "These." Pointing to the ground, she indicates a basket of briefs. There, into the wicker panier,* I stare at the suggested alternative.
Men's underwear?
"Um, I don't know about that...." Meantime, the clock is ticking and I've promised to hurry back to Jean-Marc and the others who are stalled at the poolside entrance due to the dress code.
"Are you sure this will work?" I note the price of the underwear: 8 euros (or, deal of deals, three for 20).
"Yes," the saleswoman assures me.
"Well then, OK. I'll need four. Vous me faites un prix?*
* * *
Moments later I am relaxing in the sun, my trusty one-piece suit covering a cozy, wintertime waist, a copy of George Sand's "Petite Fadette"* in hand. Adjusting my shoulder straps, I sense, out of the corner of my eye, a bit of commotion.... and look over in time to witness a peculiar parade: with as little pomp and circumstance as possible, four blushing males tiptoe out of the co-ed changing room....
"Ce n'est pas possible!" the first in line complains, tugging at the itsy short.
"Règle d'hygiène,"* I giggle, pointing out the water park dress code: "le port du maillot de bain est obligatoire ... le short de bain est interdit.*
"But," Jean-Marc argues, "I don't see what the difference is between the swim trunks that we were wearing and.... and ... THESE!"
défiler (day-fee-lay) verb
to march past, to parade
un défilé (day-fee-lay) noun: 1) procession 2) gorge
=> un défilé de mode = a fashion show
C'est au plus étroit du défilé que la vallée commence.
It is at the narrowest point in the gorge that the valley begins. --Proverb
Audio File: hear my son, Max, pronounce today's word and proverb: Download defiler.mp3 . Download defiler.wav
At a French water park near Nyons I stand, desperate and uncertain, before a table of women's swimwear....
"I think I can help..." the vendeuse* says, leading me to the end of the Lycra display.
"Oh, no... no. No no, that won't work!" I insist, noticing the itsy bitsy teenie weenie (no bigger than a polka dot!) bikinis.
The saleswoman shakes her head. "No, not those..." she explains. "These." Pointing to the ground, she indicates a basket of briefs. There, into the wicker panier,* I stare at the suggested alternative.
Men's underwear?
"Um, I don't know about that...." Meantime, the clock is ticking and I've promised to hurry back to Jean-Marc and the others who are stalled at the poolside entrance due to the dress code.
"Are you sure this will work?" I note the price of the underwear: 8 euros (or, deal of deals, three for 20).
"Yes," the saleswoman assures me.
"Well then, OK. I'll need four. Vous me faites un prix?*
* * *
Moments later I am relaxing in the sun, my trusty one-piece suit covering a cozy, wintertime waist, a copy of George Sand's "Petite Fadette"* in hand. Adjusting my shoulder straps, I sense, out of the corner of my eye, a bit of commotion.... and look over in time to witness a peculiar parade: with as little pomp and circumstance as possible, four blushing males tiptoe out of the co-ed changing room....
"Ce n'est pas possible!" the first in line complains, tugging at the itsy short.
"Règle d'hygiène,"* I giggle, pointing out the water park dress code: "le port du maillot de bain est obligatoire ... le short de bain est interdit.*
"But," Jean-Marc argues, "I don't see what the difference is between the swim trunks that we were wearing and.... and ... THESE!"
(Only, if there was no difference, then why was he complaining so?)
I watch the other three models who, for the awkwardness in their gait, may as well be wearing five-inch heels: there's my brother-in-law (a.k.a; "Uncle Jacques"), my son Max, and his friend Alex. All four bathing beauties are wearing unusually long T-shirts (thanks to some last-minute shirt stretching and tugging) as they try, in vain, to cover up.
After a mad dash to the pool, sans T-shirt, the men mermaids spent most of the afternoon waist deep in water, but for the occasional ride down the slide. Overall, the underwear-suits worked out just fine... there was just one small glitch or, rather, stitch: the suits didn't fare so well on the slide.... it must have been that clingy cotton fabric, which tended to "catch" on the slide walls, so as to not always "follow suit" with the scarlet-faced swimmers.
One misconception that I had about the French was this: all French men wear Speedos. Ever had a preconceived notion about another culture? Share your stories in the comments box.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~References~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
la vendeuse (f) = sales clerk; le panier (m) = basket; vous me faites un prix? = make me an offer? (May I have a discount?) ; La Petite Fadette : used copies available here; la règle (f) d'hygiène = hygiene rule; le port du maillot de bain est obligatoire ... le short de bain est interdit = it is obligatory to wear a swimsuit ... swim shorts (swim trunks) are forbidden (a Speedo-type bathing suit is required)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shopping~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instant Immersion French Deluxe
In French products: Caudalie Lip Conditioner hydrates and repairs dry, damaged lips with a powerful blend of antioxidants and nutrients.
Histoire de Melody Nelson Serge Gainsbourg
Lavender Honey Grilling Sauce for a Provençal style BBQ chez vous
In travel accessories: Rucksack Collapsible Back pack napsack. Do you ever bemoan the fact you did not bring an extra bag along on a trip, excursion, outing, flea market etc? bemoan no more! This is the answer.
Cambridge Word Routes Anglais-Français: a bilingual reference book in which words and phrases are organised in topic groups, helping learners to explore related vocabulary in a way that is not
possible in conventional dictionaries.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Correction~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While errors can be found in every French word edition, such "coquilles" make for a good learning opportunity. Thank you to those who wrote in, correcting this sentence from the "fuseau" story (note the spelling of "censé" and the absence of "de" in the second example):
"Qu'est-ce que je suis sensé de faire avec ça?"
The sentence should read: "Qu'est-ce que je suis censé faire avec ça?"
(What am I supposed to do with this?)
*"une coquille" means typo or misprint (in my case it was a mistake... and not a typo...)
I watch the other three models who, for the awkwardness in their gait, may as well be wearing five-inch heels: there's my brother-in-law (a.k.a; "Uncle Jacques"), my son Max, and his friend Alex. All four bathing beauties are wearing unusually long T-shirts (thanks to some last-minute shirt stretching and tugging) as they try, in vain, to cover up.
After a mad dash to the pool, sans T-shirt, the men mermaids spent most of the afternoon waist deep in water, but for the occasional ride down the slide. Overall, the underwear-suits worked out just fine... there was just one small glitch or, rather, stitch: the suits didn't fare so well on the slide.... it must have been that clingy cotton fabric, which tended to "catch" on the slide walls, so as to not always "follow suit" with the scarlet-faced swimmers.
* END *
One misconception that I had about the French was this: all French men wear Speedos. Ever had a preconceived notion about another culture? Share your stories in the comments box.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~References~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
la vendeuse (f) = sales clerk; le panier (m) = basket; vous me faites un prix? = make me an offer? (May I have a discount?) ; La Petite Fadette : used copies available here; la règle (f) d'hygiène = hygiene rule; le port du maillot de bain est obligatoire ... le short de bain est interdit = it is obligatory to wear a swimsuit ... swim shorts (swim trunks) are forbidden (a Speedo-type bathing suit is required)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shopping~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instant Immersion French Deluxe
In French products: Caudalie Lip Conditioner hydrates and repairs dry, damaged lips with a powerful blend of antioxidants and nutrients.
Histoire de Melody Nelson Serge Gainsbourg
Lavender Honey Grilling Sauce for a Provençal style BBQ chez vous
In travel accessories: Rucksack Collapsible Back pack napsack. Do you ever bemoan the fact you did not bring an extra bag along on a trip, excursion, outing, flea market etc? bemoan no more! This is the answer.
Cambridge Word Routes Anglais-Français: a bilingual reference book in which words and phrases are organised in topic groups, helping learners to explore related vocabulary in a way that is not
possible in conventional dictionaries.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Correction~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While errors can be found in every French word edition, such "coquilles" make for a good learning opportunity. Thank you to those who wrote in, correcting this sentence from the "fuseau" story (note the spelling of "censé" and the absence of "de" in the second example):
"Qu'est-ce que je suis sensé de faire avec ça?"
The sentence should read: "Qu'est-ce que je suis censé faire avec ça?"
(What am I supposed to do with this?)
*"une coquille" means typo or misprint (in my case it was a mistake... and not a typo...)
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I was confused by the French sign--perhaps I don't understand the English. Ok, men were supposed to wear bathing suits, not swim shorts. Is there a difference? I thought swim shorts were bathing suits for men. And that if you were wearing swim shorts you would be wearing a bathing suit--as opposed to wearing street shorts to swim in. Ummm--I'm wondering if I understand why the boys had to resort to T-shirts and briefs--and how that could possibly satisfy the dress code.
Posted by: Mary | Monday, July 28, 2008 at 08:08 PM
You're not alone on the men's swimsuit misconception, and I've a few others to share as well! As for swimsuits, my French husband ALWAYS has worn a Speedo UNDER swim shorts--never the one without the other. Although he looks just fine in a Speedo, he says he never has felt comfortable out in public in them, and he says that swim trunks alone don't provide enough "support", if you know what I mean! I still find this swimwear combo bizarre after almost 15 years together! Our brother-in-law, on the other hand, wears only a Speedo regardless of whether he is in Europe or visiting us in the States, and he is not the least bit flapped by his swimwear choice in either place. A few other misconceptions I had: one would think that all French men drink wine and coffee and smoke. My husband never has smoked--he says its a disgusting habit, especially when the smoker is a woman. As for wine and coffee, he never drank either until after we were married because he never care for their taste. Now, coffee is a daily ritual for him, and wine is enjoyed at least a few times a week. I have to wonder: does this mean I corrupted him, or does it mean I drove him to drinking? Hmmm...
Posted by: Leslie | Monday, July 28, 2008 at 09:13 PM
My (French) husband wears a Speedo to swim in, be it at the pool in our AZ retirement community or in the sea at the beach in France. He abhors the American male version of the swimsuit as shorts as'inhygènique'.
This was puzzling to me and at first, I put it down to personal quirk. But I have come to realize that it is a national belief; just as in the past, during my childhood, women and girls were required to wear rubberized bathing caps. (I still have a problem swimming without one and having my hair get wet and plastered in my eyes. It feels 'unnatural'.)
Needless to say, the ladies of our retirement communty get quite a kick out of my husband in his Speedo--he does have a great butt and legs to show off. But the funniest thing to them is that he persists in calling it a "swim-sweet". Hilarious.
Posted by: Jeane | Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 01:46 PM
I think the first cultural misconception that should be knocked on the head is that the French are arrogant and rude. As a general rule it could not be further from the truth, and most visitors and foreign residents rarely experience less than friendly kindness. A busy French person may be brusque, and they may be a little impatient when the language barrier gets frustrating, but that happens anywhere.
Posted by: Susan Walter | Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 02:41 PM
the term "compostez" displayed on station notices - I knew about compost and was, on first day in France, most impressed that the French should be so environmentally friendly as to admonish travellers to re-cycle their tickets - not knowing it meant to 'validate' or have the time and date stamped on your ticket so you cannot re-use it.
Posted by: Georgie | Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 05:32 PM
Color me confused. We can't even find swimsuits other than long board shorts for men to swim in. So this place insists on the speedo variety of swimsuits and doesn't allow the American swimtrunks? My husband would love to find some old swimtrunks that are neither tiny speedos nor cold, drippy board shorts.
Posted by: Susan | Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 09:28 PM
Ahahaha!
I would consider this swim suit issue to be one of my weirdest and most unexpected (not to mention hilarious)instances of culture shock as an American living in France. One fine winter evening, my Spanish roommate Miguel and I decided to head on over to the fabulously renovated community pool in Lorient, Brittany with a French colleague and several of her friends. Imagine our surprise when, at the turnstile outside the changing rooms, we noticed a sign indicating that his swim trunks would not be tolerated in the pool. When we questioned our French companions about it, we were told that it was "une question d'hygiène" (although for the life of me I can't figure out how a Speedo is more sanitary than it's looser fitting equivalent). Pursuant this conversation, Miguel was forced by a pool attendant to purchase a brand new bananahammock out of what was essentially an awkward bathing suit vending machine... a process which took about a half hour as he was stressing because he wasn't sure what color/size he needed, and because Miguel isn't one to be rushed in any context.
The sheer ridiculousness of the situation had me stifling laughter for days.
Posted by: Rebecca | Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 09:34 AM
I have learnt something today, I wouldn't have imagined Speedos,better known here in Australia as 'budgie smugglers', would be a French preference. Not sure about the hygiene aspect, but I'm all for the boardshorts (swim trunks) with speedos underneath alternative, but there you go, each to his own!
Posted by: Christine Dashper | Friday, August 01, 2008 at 02:59 PM
I think that the speedo thing is generational. My French husband would never wear one, and he is 32. On the other hand I dated an Italian once...
Thanks for the sweet post!
Paula
Posted by: Paula | Friday, August 01, 2008 at 03:27 PM
I was confused, too, until I read some of the comments. So it's Speedos, yes; swim trunks, no. Weird. (My husband would actually be okay as he favors the former.)
Posted by: meggins | Saturday, August 02, 2008 at 10:41 PM
I have loved this entire chain of comments -- and that great entry of yours, Kristen!! Merci encore une fois!!!
Posted by: Janet | Wednesday, August 06, 2008 at 04:10 PM