Escoffier. To do for, to settle. M. Escoffier was, of course, a famous French chef.
Piquer un fard. To blush.
Avoir la flemme. To feel lazy.
Faire un four. To fail miserably.
Fripouille. A dirty lot.
Froussard. A funk.
Fumiste. A practical joker.
Furibard. Wild ( angry).
Faire une gaffe. To put ones foot in it. This has remained slang in English
Gate-sauce. A scullion; a bad cook.
Gniaf. A bungler; a botcher.
Gnon. Thumb; knock.
Se Gober. To fancy oneself.
Gobeur. A man who will swallow anything ( to believe).
Goddam. An Englishman.
Gogo. Fool; simpleton.
Goguenots. Water-closet.
Grue. Street walker.
Houp. Gee up ! Get out! Move on !
Hure. Pate; nut; noddle.
C’est kif-kif-bourico. It is six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Lacheur. A shabby, cowardly friend.
Lanterner. To humbug; to talk rot.
Mon petit lapin. Ducky! C’est un lapin. He is a brick.
Larbin. Flunkey.
Macchabee. Drowned person
C’est sa marotte. It is his hobby.
Mastroquet. A small wine shop.
Mazagran, or simply maza. Coffee served in a glass.
Il n’y a pas meche. It’s no go ( impossible).
Megot. A half-smoked cigar.
Mince. O lor! My eye !
Manger le morceau. To confess. To acknowledge the truth.
Muffle. Cad; scamp; blackguard.
Il est nettoye. He is done for.
Perdre le nord. To lose one’s head.
Un oeil au beurre noir. A black eye.
Tourner de l’œil. To kick the bucket.
Se ficher le doigt dans l’œil. To make a bad speculation.
S’en battre l’oeil. Not to care a hang. Presumably, where the English slang ‘ Not to bat an eyelid’ comes from.
Le faire a l’oseille. To deceive. To play a bad trick.
Paf. Screwed; tight
Se pagnoter. To go to bed.
Perdre le gout du pain. ( Lit. To lose the taste for bread). To kick the bucket.
Pan. Bang !
Panier a salade. Black Maria police van.
Une vie de patachon. A rowdy life.
Un gros patapouf. A big lout.
Faire du petard. To kick up the deuce of a row. A petard was a small bomb.
Se fourrer au pieu. To get into bed.
Pignouf. Blackguard.
Manger le pissenlit par le racine. To be dead and buried. Pissenlit is a dandelion.
Se flanquer une pistache. To get drunk.
Planter. To leave in the lurch.
Etre plein. To be boozed.
Plumet. A drop too much.
Donner un poil. To give a good wigging.
Avoir un poil dans la main. To feel lazy. To be disinclined to work.
Entre la poire et la fromage. At dessert.
Etre pompette. To be drunk.
Une Poubelle . A dustbox. Today, a rubbish bin. From the name of M. Poubelle, prefect of the Seine.
Poule mouillee. Milksop.
To be continued…
R. M. Healey