-
Learning French: what does fou rire mean and when should it be used?
A funny phrase for when you cannot suppress your laughter
-
Comment: France must abandon dream of retirement at 62
Columnist Simon Heffer says it is high time for the country to face economic reality
-
Try these tips for learning French when you are in your fifties
Columnist Cynthia Spillman’s husband failed O-level French twice but then passed his GCSE and AS-level aged 52 - she shares the tips that helped him become more fluent
Paris bookshop had unfortunate acronym
Re: Your article on French blague humour ( Connexion , April, see here). Several years ago, when I lived in Paris, I saw a book that interested me in a bookshop window.
I went inside, bought the book and it was put into a carrier bag for me. It wasn’t until I was outside the bookshop that I noticed in bold writing on the side of the bag the word SLUT.
Knowing that it is not a word well known in France, I bravely continued my journey home – while trying to hide the writing on the side of the bag. On checking, it appears that it is an acronym and that I’d bought the book from a university bookshop which is in the 6th arrondissement in Paris.
Details of the shop are:
SLUT: Syndicat des libraires universitaires et techniques
rue Grégoire de Tours – 75006 Paris
Unfortunately, I didn’t keep the bag.
The last time I went past (several years ago), it appears that the syndicate is still there but the ground floor seems to have been transformed into a students’ coffee shop.
Ross YOUNG, Gard
Mr Young wins the Connexion letter of the month for May 2019 and a copy of the Connexion Puzzle Book.Please include your name and address in any correspondence; we can withhold it on request. The Editor’s decision is final. Write to: The Connexion, Patio Palace, 41 avenue Hector Otto, 98000 Monaco or email news@connexionfrance.com
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France