SO VERY VERSAILLES

All this townhouse's façade is lacking is fausse pierre en trompe l'oeil on the utility cover...

AUTOFICTION

Time spent with a cat is never lost.

Famous French cat Pompon contemplates the next entry in his online diary, a thought from Colette: "Le temps passé avec un chat n'est jamais perdu."

For more of the same nature: The Cat's Pajamas

©2013 P.B. Lecron

WEATHER REPORT

Enneigé.

Snow-covered.

 Année de neige, année de bon grain.

A year of snow, a year of plenty.

©2013 P.B. Lecron

A LA CASSEROLE!

Without making any restaurant recommendations, we're featuring today this unusual ensign in the old city center of Boulogne-sur-Mer.  The "belle barbue" above is a flat fish resembling a turbot; the barbue is considered to be as delectable as the sole.

Vocabulary
une barbue:  a brill (fish)
barbu(e):  bearded

Expression
à la casserole:  braised
passer à la casserole:  to be subjected to a disagreeable trial or test; to submit to a sexual act (slang)

©2013 P.B. Lecron

BUTTON UP

This stylized 1920's button has caused me to learn the French word for a button collector, un fibulanomiste, as well as led me to an unusual video clip about a French-Canadian button collector. Charming.

Vocabularly
un bouton:  a button
boutonner:  to button up
se boutonner:  to button one's shirt up

More of A French Education on buttons: Miss-Buttoned

©2013 P.B. Lecron

KEEP IT UNDER YOUR HAT

"Motus et bouche cousue"

Famous French cat Pompon obligingly illustrates the French phrase which approximates the following expressions: keep it under your hat, mum's the word, or my lips are sealed!

Vocabulary
motus:  a playful Latinization of "mot" or word; "Not a word!"
une bouche:  a mouth
cousu(e):  sewn

©2013 P.B. Lecron

JUST KIDDING?

I heard on a French radio talk program last night that a favorite joke making the rounds at the European Parliament in Brussels is the one about the Frenchman who said, "Ça va marcher d'un point de vue pratique, mais est-ce que ça va marcher théoriquement?"  

From a practical point of view, that's going to work, but will it work theoretically?

Vocabulary
une blague:  a joke
taquiner:  to tease; to poke fun at

©2013 P.B. Lecron