在学英语时，很多俚语看起来并非那么好对付的，尤其是一些看起来容易，一些简单的单词你都认识，但就是看起来让人觉得摸不着头脑，其实，这背后有着很多的文化元素夹杂其中。那么，小C就以本C最喜欢的部分下手，带着轻松的心情，带着大家开始这段自习旅途。鉴于历史上英法两国相爱相杀的关系，就从French开始。

French

（图片来自网络）

1. Pardon/excuse my French

英文释义：Excuse my inappropriate language. Usually used humorously, especially around children, as if to suggest that an inappropriate word was, in fact, a word from a different language.

中文释义：原谅我说话粗鲁

A coy phrase used when someone who has used a swear-word attempt to pass it off as French. The coyness comes from the fact both the speaker and listener are of course both well aware the swear-word is indeed English.

“Pardon/excuse my French”主要是用来表示由于愤怒生气抑不住要说难听的话，但又不得不控制自己的风度，因此在说脏话之前提醒对方一下或者说完之后道歉，以表示礼貌和优雅。那么问题来了？为什么在英语表达里面偏偏要用“French”来表达说话粗鲁呢？印象中法语不是既浪漫又动听，好像跟粗鲁扯不上边吧。

根据英国短语网站The Phrasefinder的解释：

This usage is mid 20th century English in origin. A version of it is found in Michael Harrison's All Trees were Green, 1936:

"A bloody sight better (pardon the French!) than most."

该俚语用法来源于19世纪英国，最先见于1936年的小说。。

The source of the phrase is earlier and derives from a literal usage of the exclamation. In the 19th century, when English people used French expressions in conversation they oftenapologisedfor it - presumably because many of their listeners (then as now) wouldn't be familiar with the language. An example of this was given in The Lady's Magazine, 1830:

Blessme, how fat you are grown! - absolutely as round as a ball: - you will soon be asenbon-point (excuse my French) as your poor dear father, the major.

'Enbonpoint' is French for 'plump; well-nourished'. It might seem odd to us now that the speaker, having been rather rude about her compatriot's appearance, felt obliged toapologisefor doing so in French, but not for the rudeness itself.

该词的早期用法是用于表示语气感叹的。在18世纪，英国人习惯在对话中夹杂一些法语，因为当时法语是上流社会的通用语言，普通人不懂法语，因此在每次要说法语之前，人们总会先说“excuse my French”，表示抱歉。

如："天哪，你长得多胖呀-简直圆得像个球：-你马上就会变得跟你那可怜的爸爸一样肥（请原谅我的粗鲁）”。

'Enbonpoint' 在法语中表示“肥胖，营养足”的意思。但是就今天的视角来看，说话人明明对其同伴的外表做出了粗鲁的评价，却不以为然，反而为其使用法语这行为而道歉，真是有意思。

当然还有另外一种说法，就是英法两国因为争夺欧洲大陆上的大佬之称而长期不合，尤其是12-13世纪期间的百年战争，这种不和同样表现在语言上的互黑，因此出现了法国人抵触英语，有关英国人的法语词汇以及有关法国人的英语词汇都偏离了其原本的字面意思，带有浓厚的感情色彩。俗话说的好，“Every country hasneighboursthey like to look down on. For theEnglishit's the French”（任何国家都有个冤家邻国，正如英国和法国）， 邻国的存在就是拿来黑的。

例句：Excuse my French，who the fuck do you think you are....

不好意思我要骂人了，你以为你是什么东西……

If you’ll pardon my French, he’s a bloody fool.

对不起，我要说脏话了，他就是个傻蛋

2. French leave

英文释义：the custom (in the 18th century prevalent in France and sometimes imitated in England) of going away froma reception, etc. without taking leave of the host or hostess. Hence, jocularly, to take French leave is to go away, or do anything, without permission or notice.

中文释义：不告而别

法国人都喜欢不告而别？其实并不全是。但是在18世纪，法国人性格随便，性情浪漫，在参加宴会等一切社交聚会时，养成了不向主人告别就擅自离去的习惯。

说到这个，又不得不说英法两国之间的互黑了。

The British thought that sneaking away from a gathering without telling anyone you're going wasn't acceptable manners across the channel. Curiously, or perhaps typically, the French refer to the same practice as filera`l'anglais(“take English leave”). Americans used to use the phrase without knowing its origin. It has been said that the French leave but never say good-bye, while Americans say good-bye but never leave.

守规矩的英国人看不惯这种聚会上招呼不打就偷偷溜走的行为，因此在英语里面称为“French leave”。然而，在法语里面，法国人用“a`l'anglais（English leave）”来表示“不辞而别”，真是冤冤相报何时了呢。而对于美国人而言，用的时候根本就比较懵懂了，压根就不知道其中的恩怨。当然，浪漫的法国人喜欢不辞而别，而热情的美国人却是实实在在的别而不辞。

“French leave” is also military slang for deserting，indicating the act of leisurely absence from a military unit. A common claim is that the idiom originated when English soldiers thought that French soldiers were cowardly and had a tendency to leave the battlefield without orders.

此外，英语中的 “French leave”还用来表示士兵的“擅离职守”。这又是英国人在英法战争中观察出的法国人懒散的一大特点：法国士兵经常无视组织和纪律，擅自离开战场。

As well, leaving a restaurant or a hotel without paying your bill is taking French leave.

同时，该词组还可以用来表示去餐厅或酒店不付钱就开溜的行为。

例句：Many of the boys at the school took french leave to go to the football match.

学校里很多孩子旷课去看足球比赛。

He stole away an Irishman's bride and took a French leave of me and his master.  

他拐走了一位爱尔兰人的新娘，并且背着我和他的主人私自逃走了。

3. French letter

中文释义：避孕套 （少儿不宜🔞）

按照字面意思，“法国信件”怎么会表示避孕套呢，这儿恐怕又得说到英法之间的恩怨了。此处有种说法：：

In Britain, a condom is also known as a French letter, much like the colloquial German word for a condom, "Pariser". English seventeenth-century tourists, traveling through France on their pilgrimage to the center of the ancient culture that was Rome, came across the town of Condom in southwestern France. It is said that there they made contact with ingenious French shepherds who were making prophylactics from sheep gut. A trade then ensued, whereby the English gentry would eagerly await their letters from France - French Letters - with a fresh supply of condoms.

十七世纪，英国人流行游学旅行，也就是经过法国一直游遍欧洲，直到古典文化中心城市罗马。而在这次旅行中，游学者必须要经过法国西南部的condom小镇 （取自高卢语“condate-ó-magos”，意为“汇流之处”）。当地的牧羊人会用羊肠做成避孕用品，这样旅游者经过时候会买下来给英国的贵族享用，通常是用信封装从法国寄出去，这样，只要有来自法国的来信，一般里面是装着刚做好的安全套（少儿不宜🔞）。

The French aristocracy then learned of these useful items from their English friends and called them "Capote Anglaise" - English Raincoats. Thus the condom came full circle, being made in France, being used in London, latterly in Paris, and finally being adopted by the Germans as a Pariser.

恰的是，英国贵族的这种避孕方法也让法国本国的贵族感到新奇，于是也纷纷效仿起来，这种本来就是法国国内的产品经过英国小伙伴推广，倒成了舶来品，被法国人成为“Capote Anglaise”，也就是“English Raincoats（英式雨衣）”，其实也就是安全套。所以说，安全套可是“产在法国，用在英国，火在巴黎，而后德国”。德国人也是实在，直接将它成为“Pariser（字面意思是“巴黎的玩意”）”，看样子，不止英法两国，任何邻国都要互相抹黑一把才算真爱。

Many French letters express the old image (or prejudice) that anything coming from France is decadent and has to do with sex.

说到这个，还可以接着说英国人怎么黑法国人的。英语中还有很多跟“French”有关的词语，大多都是跟法国人“堕落，纵欲，性感露骨”等典型的死板印象。

比如“French kiss”，法式亲吻，即舌吻，是一战期间法国士兵将这种接吻方式从战场上带回英国，加入英文。

这个还算比较浪漫的词汇了，而有些词组就明显的不怎么友好了。

如：”Frenchpox /diseases”意为“花柳病“（根据史料记载，梅毒是由西班牙人在15世纪90年代末传播到了欧洲大陆）；

“French novel” 指色情小说（少儿不宜🔞）；

French postcard指色情图片（少儿不宜🔞）。

Ascribing "bad" habits and plagues to your nearestneighbourshas always been common in Europe; during the 1917-1920 influenza pandemic the disease was called Spanish Flu in southern France, German Fever in Belgium, Greek Flu in Turkey and Arabian Flu in Greece.

有意思的是，欧洲各国都喜欢把一些不良形象安在邻国身上，真真甩锅高手。比如在1917-1920年，欧洲爆发大流感，源头谁也不说不清，有说是来自美国堪萨斯州的军营，又说来自源于因为中国支援欧战的劳工带来。但是因为西班牙感染人数比较多，连国王都难逃此病，所以法国南部称这次流感为西班牙型流行性感冒，比利时人称之为德国型流；土耳其人称之为希腊式流感，而希腊人称之为阿拉伯型流行性感冒。邻国变成了名副其实的”邻锅”。

例句：Dont say french letter unlike in other nations of the world, it simply means a condom in France.  

不像在世界其他国家，在法国不要说French Letter（法国的信）这个词，在法语中这个词就是避孕套的意思。

4. French window

英语释义：

1.  Apair  oroneofapair  ofwindowsextendingtothefloorandopeninginthemiddle.

2.  Acasement  window.

中文释义：落地窗

例句：hook the french window when you come in.

你进来的时候把落地窗关好。

5. French Fries  薯条

这个词组是十分耳熟能详的，但是小C想说的是，为什么薯条里面会有法国两个字呢？

据说是因为在第一次世界大战的时候，美国士兵在比利时吃到了这种薯条，觉得特别美味，而当时在比利时军队中的通用语言是法语，他们就以为是“法国的薯条”了。

而此处有一个轶事，在攻打伊拉克期间，由于法国的不支持，美国共和党议员曾将众议院自助餐厅菜单上的“French fries”(炸薯条)改为“Freedom fries”（“自由”薯条），故意除去“French”（法国）一字，以表达对法国对伊政策的不满。据说，众院行政委员会主席奈伊除了下令将众院三座办公楼所有餐厅菜单上的“French fries”改为“Freedom fries”之外，也将，“French toast”（法式烘烤面包）改为“Freedom toast”（“自由”烘烤面包）。

例句：I have chicken and French fries for lunch.

我午餐吃了鸡肉和炸蕃薯条。

（整理于百度百科、欧洲时报、the free dictionary、the prasefinder 、Idioms online）

未完待续，静待下期

搁置了近两年的账号，终于记起把它找回来了，初心是不定期更新个人学习笔记以及学习感悟，真心欢迎好奇心爆棚、精力旺盛、热情洋溢的C友们互相监督、一起分享、共同进步，不负线下静时光

欢迎关注微信公众号以及头条号：Catherine的自习室