Welcome to the A to Z Challenge!
I couldn’t follow on Potpourri‘s suggestion, since ‘Kiosk’ in English and ‘Kiosque’ in French, words that come from Persian and Turkish, have the same meaning in France and the USA. Thank you anyway, for the suggestion.
So today again I opted for two idiomatic expressions for the letter K
Promise, I’ll be back tomorrow with one of these little French and American words!
C’EST PARTI MON KIKI
This French expression signals the beginning of an action, a race, a test, an event, among many things, and carries encouragement for someone or a group.
The origin of the word ‘kiki’ varies.
Many sources hint at the meaning ‘poultry.’ It’s true that other French idioms or popular sayings involve hens, chickens, chicks, geese, and even peacocks.
In any case, the closest American equivalent is probably ‘Let’s go’ or ‘Here we go.’
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL
Si vous ne quittez pas le ballon ou la balle des yeux (toujours au singulier en anglais), vous restez alerte et payez attention à ce qui se passe autour de vous. Cette expression populaire aux Etats Unis se traduirait par “Ne vous laissez pas distraire.”
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Do you know of a French or English word starting with the letter K that has a different meaning whether it’s used in France or the USA?
Connaissez-vous un mot français ou anglais commençant par la lettre K qui a un sens différent selon qu’il soit utilisé en France ou aux Etats Unis?
See you tomorrow with the letter L.
C’est parti mon kiki is totally new to me! Thanks so much for these tidbits! 🙂
Good! I’m glad that you’ve learned a true French phrase. Maybe an idea for another A to Z challenge here…
In any case, thank you for reading. Best to you.
I think this is close enough to the theme you set up to count. That’s based, totally, on the fact that I enjoyed reading it 🙂
Thanks for being understanding. I appreciate it. Tomorrow is back to normal until letter Q that is!!!
Thanks to mention me and my blog.
My dictionary mentioned for the French kiosque also the meaning of a pavilion and for the English kiosk a phone box or a booth … But I was sceptical about this because I hadn’t noticed this use of kiosque/kiosk before – and, over the years, I have learned that dictionaries can be very creative with the suggested translations…
You’re welcome and right about the pavillion for the French Kiosque. We use it also here in the US with that meaning. In France it is more widely used for the place to buy newspapers, magazines, gums, and candies, away from the traditional store, often near the metro in Paris and big French cities.
In the US we say phone booth but maybe the British use kiosk?
Thank you anyway for the suggestion and for reading my posts.
Ah, so my dictionary did hide something from me 😉
It’s always good when one can learn new words or meanings about them. And here it’s two languages at once in a fun way. How could I not follow 😉
Thank you, Claudia, for stopping by. So glad you found something you didn’t know. I appreciate your support.
Payez attention sonne trop anglais,…to pay attention. Mais on te pardonne volontiers
Complètement raison! Toutes ces années américaines…
Sans doute temps pour un petit voyage au pays. Merci en tous cas.
Hi Evelyne, I used to speak French many moons ago and keep meaning to get back into it but it’s hard to find the time so your bite-sized posts are fab. Continue comme ça! 🙂
Contente de pouvoir t’offrir un peu d’aide alors. Merci de cette visite et au plaisir d’une autre.