A Glossary of Relevant French Words and Phrases

alcool isopropylique—Rubbing alcohol.

apéro—Short for apéritif, a before-dinner drink.

Arsène Lupin—The gentleman thief and amateur detective hero of a series of French early-twentieth-century novels by Maurice Leblanc; Lupin persistently outwits the police inspector chasing him, Ganimard.

Aux armes, citoyens—To arms, citizens. A line from the French national anthem.

bloc-notes—Writing pad.

bonne chance—Good luck.

ça va—Okay.

carte d’identité—Identity card.

chef—Chief, boss.

choucroute—Cabbage with sausages, often also served with other vegetables and potatoes.

Coca Light—The European version of Diet Coke. Although it has the same label and appears identical to the U.S. version, this version has different sweeteners and so tastes noticeably different.

d’acc—A shortened form of d’accord, which means “okay.”

de rien—It’s nothing.

délit—Offense (see “French Law and Police” section on page XXX for an explanation of how this differs from a crime in France).

un escroc—A swindler.

ecoutez-moi—Listen to me.

eh, bien—Oh, well.

enculé—Motherfucker.

excusez-moi—Excuse me.

fils de putain—Son of a whore.

flic—Policeman.

hein—Huh.

un honneur—An honor.

immédiatement—Immediately.

la bonne—The good. It can also be used for men (“le bon”) and is the equivalent of saying, for example, “The good Dr Kildare has cured her wounds.” It is used to express exaggerated politeness for charming effect, which is very French.

les vacances—Vacation.

mais bien sûr—Of course (literally, “but of course”).

mais oui—Of course (literally, “but yes”).

maître des conferences—The equivalent of an American assistant professor.

mec—Guy.

médecin légiste—Medical examiner.

métier—Area of expertise.

par exemple—For example.

pardonnez-moi—Pardon me.

patron—Owner, boss.

plage—Beach. Every summer Paris turns a stretch of the banks of the Seine into an urban beach by covering them in sand.

portable—Cell phone.

portefeuille—Wallet.

Ressources Humaines—Human Resources.

resto—Short for restaurant.

rillettes—A coarse terrine.

salaud—Bastard.

SAMU—The emergency medical services (Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente).

séjour—Living room.

s’il vous plait—Please.

souche—Counterfoil, one of two identical halves of a receipt or slip of paper.

tabac—A shop or café that sells cigarettes and other tobacco products.

tarte flambée—a French tart with a very thin crust that is piled with cheese, onion, and bacon, then baked in an oven.

tapis roulant—Conveyor belt.

tiens—Wait.

urgences générales—The emergency room.

Vélib’—One of Paris’s rentable public bicycles.

vraiment—Truly.

French Law and Police

French law recognizes three kinds of illegal offenses: crime, délit, and contravention. A crime would be a felony (such as murder) in the United States; a délit would be a misdemeanor. Murder is a crime; stealing a page from an antique book is a délit and would only earn a relatively short sentence (up to five years) and/or a fine. A contravention, which doesn’t come up in this book, is a minor infraction—although it still results in a hefty fine.

Below are police ranks with rough American equivalents:

gardien—roughly equivalent to a police officer

brigadier—roughly equivalent to a sergeant

capitaine—roughly equivalent to a detective

A Word About First-Name Usage

The French remain refreshingly formal when it comes to names. In professional relationships such as the one between Capitaine Boussicault and Rachel, neither party would dream of calling the other by his or her first name without receiving permission. Younger people would not call older people by their first names unless invited to do so, and employees would not call their superiors by their first names unless invited to do so. People of the same age working at the same level may use first names, but it helps if—as when LouLou first meets Rachel—someone clarifies that the familiarity is acceptable.