Maîtres mots

  • Il y a longtemps que notre pays est beau mais rude.

       --Newspaper editor Olivier Séguret, 25 January 2012

    The USA are entirely the creation of the accursed race, the French.

       --Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), writing to Nancy Mitford, 22 May 1957

Search Rue Rude with Google

French Freedom of Speech

Today the cheminots are:


  • "À nous de vous faire préférer le train!"
    "Voyager autrement"
    "Avec le SNCF, tout est possible"
      --Former ad slogans of the SNCF (French national trains), each in turn quickly dropped

Fun French words

  • ouistiti

    (literally: marmoset)
    Etymology: onomatopoeia from the sound a marmoset makes. Actual meaning: this is what you say in France when you want people to smile for the camera.

    Selon une étude réalisée par le fabricant d’appareils photo Nikon, le « ouistiti » utilisé en France au moment de se faire prendre en photo est le petit mot le plus efficace pour s’assurer un joli sourire.

Who's en colère today?

  • Private sector

    First strike in 43 years at an aeronautics company in Toulouse, Latécoère


    Public sector

    The SNCF (toujours eux), regional train employees in the Lyons area guaranteeing unpleasant travel from the 17th-21st December
    Also yet another strike by Sud-Rail, a particularly truculent SNCF union in the south of France, this time five days in January: 6,7, 21, 22 and 23. "We have no choice." Right.

    Marseilles trams on strike until February

L'histoire de Rude

About

Go back to school in Paris!

Send to StumbleUpon!

Become a Fan

Subscribe to Rue Rude's feed

Photo Albums

« A cold manif | Main | Roman à clef »

Paul's wrong number

I don't have anything to write today, so I am stealing from my real diary.

Sunday night, January 9, 2000

Paul and N on the phone, laughing over a wrong number: A woman called and Paul answered, telling her it was a wrong number. The second or third time she called, he just played along:Boy_on_phone_by_eggtea_at_flickr_2

Woman: Chéri? 

Paul: Oui?

Woman: Ça va?

Paul: Mway... [= Mmm, ouais]

Woman: Pourquoi tu n'es pas allé à la soirée?

Paul: Bof, j'avais pas envie....!

N was literally rolling over and over on the rug with laughter (with the mobile phone)....

[Translation:
--Darling?
--Yes?
--You okay?
--Yeah.
--Why didn't you come last night?
--Bof, I didn't feel like it!  ]

24 January 2007 in France |

| | Pin It! | | |

Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

is it wrong that i ALWAYS find it amusing when people mess around with those who have called the wrong number?

Posted by: michelle | 24 January 2007 at 23:22

LMAO! that is a crack up! I love it!!! I love messing with the telemarketers in French...now that is good times.

Posted by: riana | 25 January 2007 at 10:03

I used to call the spanish embassy and when someone pick up the phone saying "allo", I screamed a big "olé"...That's why they bought an answering machine!!!

Posted by: JOUJOU DE PARIS | 25 January 2007 at 11:22

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by:  | 

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Your Information

(Name is required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)

Today's quotation

  • In Paris, the purest virtue is the object of the filthiest slander.

      –Honoré Balzac (1799-1850), in Scènes de la vie privée

    À Paris, la vertu la plus pure est l'objet des plus sales calomnies.

Le petit aperçu d'Ailleurs

  • Annual Geminids meteor shower (shooting stars!) coming this weekend, if it's not too cloudy out at night.

News about France in English

Nice to Rude

Recent Posts

In Paris, alone, need help?


Recent Comments

Categories

Overblogs (blogs of blogs)

Paris France in English

Paris en photo