Le lingo

Paris

Saturday 05 July 1997 18:02 EDT
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The Academie Francaise may weep with frustration, but Anglo/American words keep on slipping into the French language. This means it's never been easier to hold a conversation: adopt a French accent and casually drop the following:

Les Afters - after-hour clubs and bars

Il faut speeder - we'd better hurry up

Checkez la meuf - check out that chick

C'est cosy - fashion term for anything cool, relaxed or bistro feel

Il est clean - he's nice looking and inoffensive

C'est classe - it's fab

C'est top - it's great

Il a un bon look - he's got good taste in clothes and is probably wearing at least one designer label

C'est tres Seventies/tres fashion - it's a bit try-hard or fashion victim

On va bruncher dimanche? - a desperately nonchalant way to say how about lunch Sunday

Petit - insert before every noun to show how deeply with-it you are: petit cafe, petit desert, petit bonjour, on va prendre un petit vert

Truc - literally 'thingy' or 'wotsit'. Insert in place of any noun you are too lazy or too cool to pronounce.

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