What does carré mean and when should it be used?

I asked a group of my students to nominate their “word of the year” – an expression that seems to sum up the times they live in. 

Most of them chose an English word – ‘idiotocracy’ was my favourite – but one opted instead for a French expression that I had never heard before: carré. 

Carré, a noun, adjective or past participle, means ‘square’ – a regular geometric shape – but the new French coinage has nothing to do with the old 1960s hippy use of the word, when “to be square” meant to be dull, conformist, rigid and out of the steps with the time. 

It has for some time carried the connotation of efficient, businesslike, competent and disciplined.

In a professional context, you may hear it when an employee who submits a clear, structured and error-free report is praised by his or her superior: Franchement, ton boulot, c’est carré (“This is good work, I can’t fault what you have done”).

The expression can be used to describe not an action or situation but a person. 

To say that someone est carré means that he or she is reliable, straightforward, serious and respectful of rules or commitments. 

In a sports team, for instance, a coach might compliment a player to a third party with the words: Lui, il est carré, il fait toujours ce qu’on lui demande (“He’s okay, he always does what he’s told”).

Now, however, carré has been given a new twist as an illuminating metaphor. 

A square is perfectly regular and symmetrical. What could beat that? 

Hence to be square-like conjures a sense of properness: of the right behaviour or outcome in the face of chaos and the unpredictable. 

Carré in its streetwise sense tells you everything is just as it should be. 

It says that things have been or are being taken care of. You do not have to worry about anything.

It is mainly used by young people but it is too good for them to have exclusive possession. It is spreading to other generations because it is so evocative – and yet so economical. 

Thus, in everyday speech c’est carré is often used to confirm or validate an action or a plan. 

For example, if two friends agree to go on a date and everything is arranged (place, time, transport), one of them might say: Ok, c’est carré. 

The phrase reflects a desire to reassure another person. 

When, for example, a wedding is being organised, the person in charge may say to the bride or groom: Ne t’inquiète pas, c’est carré.

Vas-y, c’est carré adds to this sense of accomplishment and time to move on: “It’s done, let’s go.” 

There are alternatives if you want them, some taken from the lexicon of hygiene such as c'est clean and c'est propre (both meaning “it’s okay”). 

In a more formal register you can say c'est bien ficelé (it's well tied), c'est bien fait (it's well done), or c'est impeccable (it's perfect) – each with its own nuance.

But if you want to be cool, why strain yourself. C’est carré does it all and it comes stamped with the authority of rap music. 

You will find several tracks online entitled C’est carré. 

To quote one of them, by the French rapper Ridsa: Bye, bye, bye, bye, j’vais m’en aller, m’en aller…C’est carré, c’est carré (“I’m going now… everything’s square, tidied up and in its proper place, just as you and I would like it to be”). 

Now, isn’t that a nicely shaped thought to be left with?