Big bouffe – a mouthful of French phrases

The same applies in French, unsurprising given the country’s obsession with eating (the Goût de France culinary celebration takes place on March 21) – so listen out for the nouns tambouille, popote and graille (and their verb forms, i.e on va tambouiller for ‘we are going to cook’).

The most commonly used, however, is la bouffe – a prominent word in the French cultural consciousness thanks to the 1971 film La Grande Bouffe (The Big Feast) about a group of friends who decide to meet in a villa to gorge themselves to death on fancy food. Faire la bouffe means to do the cooking, and is not to be confused with another use of the word: opéra bouffe is a comic opera with a happy ending featuring a bouffe or buffoon (this comes from the Italian opera buffa).

Bouffer can also be used by extension for something that ‘eats up’ things like petrol or electricity (ça bouffe du courant); while someone who has bouffé du lion (literally ‘eaten a lion’) is being aggressive or spoiling for a fight.

Looking to watch your waistline? Do not have a grosse bouffe (eating binge) but instead just go to bed without any dinner. As the French say, “Qui dort dine” – sleep makes you forget being hungry. And if you are health conscious, try to avoid la mal bouffe – bad food.

Meanwhile at the top table, anyone described as having a fine bouche (a fine, or refined, mouth) is not someone who merely enjoys their food but has a taste for the finer things in life. A refined palate is the best description. However, used in a more disapproving context, if someone fait la fine bouche, they are deemed difficult to please… perhaps also the kind of person unlikely to ever ravaler les paroles (eat their words).