avocat
Friday, December 19, 2008
Our friend, témoin, avocat, son's parrain, and more, in today's story. (The cute guy is Matthieu, my husband's godson).
1. avocado
2. lawyer, barrister, counsel
The feminine of avocat is "avocate"
Do you have a funny, language-learning (or other) story about an avocado/avocat or lawyer/légume? Wait a minute; an avocado is a fruit... Never mind, share your fruity, law-abiding story with us today--or share any terms and expressions missing from today's edition... in the comments box.
Meantime, here are some related words and expressions:
avocat du diable = devil's advocate
avocasserie (f) = pettifoggery (in French "mauvaise chicane d'avocat")
un avocassier (une avocassière) = un mauvais avocat / a bad lawyer
un avocaillon (m) = pettifogger, small-town lawyer
un avocatier = an avocado pear tree
... and this verb, from my grandfather's 1928 Petit Larousse: avocasser: to obscurely exercise the lawyer profession.
AUDIO FILE: listen to the French word "avocat" and hear the expressions, above:Download Avocat . Download Avocat
Jean-Marc and I rolled into town last night, after 2 a.m., having spent "une soirée gastro"* with an old friend and his old potes.* When I say old, I'm referring to the age of a friendship and, bien sûr,* to the number of years that one friend recently tacked on to his birth date: quarante!* Of course forty isn't old, but we won't tell that to the birthday "boy".
Today, meet our friend Fred Chollet and, in the process, "meet" a slew of French vocabulary.
Fred is... Jean-Marc's cher ami d'enfance*
a lovely woman who makes a mean chocolate cake.
Fred has traits that most of us have to pay for: curls and long lashes.
Fred is a part-time père Noël* and full time avocat.*
He is témoin* to my marriage with Jean-Marc
(a marriage not done on a lark... but, partly, in a park
after Fred got us a special lawyer
...to deal with those illegal alien "sharks"...)
Fred is a proud père* to Clémence and Matthieu a.k.a. "Pioupiou".*
Fred's favorite birthday gift was a giant jar of Nutella, a gift from his girl and from his little boy.
Fred is fiston* to Michel and has a very funny frèrot* named Antoine.
Fred is beau-frère* to Gwen, that funny guy's wife, and oncle* to Alice and Julien.
Fred's mom, Marianne, is also an avocat--and if her eyes were any greener they'd be avocado vert.*
Fred's got an aunt named Michelle (who rivals Tina Turner for legs si belle!).
Fred is a faithful ami* to a former illegal alien (nommé* Kristi).
Fred has law-abiding and not-so-law-abiding friends: like Pinpin and Astrid (law-abiding) and Guillaume & Isilde (not-so-law-abiding mountain folk). He also has formerly not-so-law-abiding friends, who we mentioned earlier.
Fred is the patron* and friend of Ouahida.* You must read about her grandfather sometime.
Joyeux Anniversaire,* Fredo!
photo: Fred with Max, in 2005
FRENCH VOCABULARY
une soirée (f) gastro = a gastronomic evening; un pote (m) = friend, pal; bien sûr = of course; quarante = forty; un ami (une amie) d'enfance = childhood friend; le parrain (m) = godfather; quelle chance! = what luck!; un époux (une épouse) = spouse; le père Noël = Santa Claus, Father Christmas; un avocat (une avocate) = lawyer; le témoin (m) = witness (best man); le père (m) = father; le pioupiou (sounds like "pyou-pyou") = little soldier; le fiston (m) = son, young man; le frèrot (m) = little brother; le beau-frère (m) = brother-in-law; un oncle (m) = uncle; vert (verte) = green; un ami (une amie) = friend; nommé = named; le patron (m) = boss; Ouahida = read a story about Ouahida ; joyeux anniversaire = happy birthday
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