avocat

Our friend, témoin, avocat, son's parrain, and more, in today's story. (The cute guy is Matthieu, my husband's godson).

avocat (avo-kah) noun
    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"

Fred is... Jean-Marc's cher ami d'enfance*

and the parrain* of my son, Max (quelle chance!).*

He is époux* to Corinne Chollet
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.

Voilà! Just a few things about our friend Fred. Here's one more addition:
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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