Les Bons Mots

It may not look like an eraser, but it is. Click and see. . .

           In this instance, I'm not using bon mot in the way we usually think of the definition, i.e. clever repartee, a witticism, the perfect retort. I'm referring instead (and translating the sense literally as "good words" which would probably get me a reprimand on a French exam, but no matter)  to a handful of words I love in the French language.

         It's no doubt true that all of us who speak another language have a certain affection for words in our non-mother tongue vocabulary. My-Reason-For-Living-In-France for example loves English words   with hard consonants, like "bang, bang, bang" which sound like the sounds. I have a few special favorite phrases and words in French I feel perfectly connect the emotion with the gesture. One of those words is "claque" you can claque a door or a person (as in slap). We all know how satisfying it is to slam a door.

It could be a button, or it could be a word for something entirely less appealing. . .

         No, today I want to tell you about sweet words, those that have become my euphemisms for what I consider less attractive -- or less fun -- words in English. Here they are, then:

        1.) Bouton -- button, but also a cute substitute for pimple and that dreaded word, zit. It's masculine, ha (!)

Gommage doux, one of my favorite products as you know.

         2.) Gommage -- is the grainy product we use to exfoliate our skin that helps us slough-off dirt and dead skin. The word comes from gomme.

An all-purpose eraser. Remember those?

         A gomme is an eraser and it's feminine in French. I love the idea of erasing our old skin to give us a new, fresh, glow-y complexion, which brings me to the word below.

Sparkly bits of broken glass.

         3.) Eclat -- just love this word. It means "sparkle" like crystal or a star and is often used to describe skin. We use élat in English too, but the meaning is not quite the same. We use it for brilliance as in "success or showiness".

How about creoles with diamonds? That way we can see they have éclat.

        4.) Creoles -- you know how much I love this word for hoop earrings. The roots of the word may be more complicated than purely French. I'm not sure. I am sure that I find it so much more fun to say, "creoles" than hoop earrings.

         You probably have favorite words as well. Do share. And, once again (I can never say this enough), thank you for reading me and being so generous with your time and comments. It means the world to me.