When I lived in France, I had never considered that one day I would be speaking alternatively in English and French every day of my life, for the rest of my life.

Who would have known that this lifestyle would distance me from my homeland, but also reignite a deeper  connection with some of the most interesting aspects of my mother tongue?

I deliberately use “mother tongue” because it’s through my mother’s way of speaking that I noticed the richly evocative vocabulary that most people in Normandy used. Expressions that triggered visuals infused my mother’s conversations.

When I was about five and heard for example that it was not good de “Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu’un,” I literally saw someone breaking lumps of sugar on someone’s back. In American English the best equivalent would be bad-mouthing someone. There is a French equivalent for bad-mouth. But who would insist that it is better than breaking sugar on the back of someone? If my mother spoke about someone who had a tough skin this person was a dur à cuire or hard to cook.

It’s only when I moved to California that I started to compile these savourous expressions that have provided me more than just words but sensory feelings.

As much as I love the English language that I find often more effective than French, I adore these French expressions.

Since all languages evolve, some of these French expressions age, fade and even vanish. Others appear. And sometimes, an old one is trendy again.

So without further ado, here is my theme for the 2018 A to Z Challenge:

From A to Z, Twenty-Six Funny, Weird, Vivid French Expressions

From April 1^st to the 30^th and following the alphabet, participants to the challenge post every day but Sundays. I’ll do the same, and I hope these posts will make you smile, laugh, or maybe think that these French people are even stranger than you thought.

Since I keep finding new expressions, I should be able to pursue this challenge for another two years 🙂

Check your Inbox in April! See you there!

P.S. The flowers are from my backyard. If you and your home are still in winter mode and miss the spring, I hope they will bring a little bit of color to your own yard.