Avaler (thieves’), le luron, to receive the Host at communion. (Popular) Avaler sa cuiller; sa fourchette; sa gaffe; sa langue; ses baguettes; to die. In other words, “to lay down one’s knife and fork;” “to kick the bucket;” “to croak;” “to stick one’s spoon in the wall,” &c.; —— son poussin, to be dismissed, “to get the sack;” —— son absinthe, to put a good face on some disagreeable matter. (Familiar) Avoir l’air de vouloir tout——, to look as though one were going to do mighty things; to look savage and threatening.
Avale-tout-cru, m. (popular), braggart, or “swashbuckler;” (thieves’) thief who conceals jewels in his mouth.
Avaloir, m. (popular and thieves’), throat, “peck alley,” or “gutter lane.”
Avantages, m. pl., avant-cœur, m., avant-main, f., avant-postes, m. pl., avant-scènes, f. pl. (popular and familiar), bosoms, “Charlies,” “dairies,” or “bubbies.”
Avantageux, adj. (popular), convenient, roomy. Des souliers——, easy shoes.
Avant-courrier, m. (thieves’), auger.
Avaro, m. (popular), damage. From avarie.
Avergot, m. (thieves’), egg.
Avertineux, adj. (popular), of a suspicious, gruff disposition; of a forbidding aspect.
Avocat bêcheur, m. (printers’), backbiter; (thieves’) public prosecutor.
Avoine, f. (military), brandy. (Popular) Avoir encore l’——, to have still one’s maidenhead. (Coachmens’) Donner l’——, to whip; to thrash, or “flush.”
Avoir (popular), à la bonne, to like, to love, “to be sweet upon;” —— campo, to have leave to go out; —— celui, for avoir l’honneur de; —— dans le nez, to have a strong dislike for a person or thing; (familiar) —— dans le ventre, ce que quelqu’un a dans le ventre, what stuff one is made of; (popular) —— de ce qui sonne, to be well off; in other words, to have plenty of beans, ballast, rhino, the needful, blunt, bustle, dust, coal, oof, stumpy, brass, tin; —— de la chance au bâtonnet, to be unlucky. Le jeu de bâtonnet is the game of nap the cat; —— de la glu aux mains, to steal, “to nibble;” —— de la ligne, to have a nice figure; —— de l’anis dans une écope: tu auras——, don’t you wish you may get it; —— de l’as de Carreau dans le dos, to be humpbacked; —— des as dans son jeu, to have an advantage, to be lucky, to have “cocum;” —— des mots avec quelqu’un, to fall out with one, to have a tiff with one; —— des mots avec la justice, to be prosecuted; —— des mots avec les sergots, to have some disagreement with the police; —— des œufs sur le plat, to have black eyes, “to have one’s eyes in mourning;” —— des petits pois à écosser ensemble, to have a bone to pick with one; —— des planches, to be an experienced actor; —— du beurre sur la tête, to have some misdeed on one’s conscience; —— du chien, to possess dash, “go;” —— du chien dans le ventre, to have pluck, endurance, or “stay;” —— du pain sur la planche, to have a competency; —— du poil au cul, to possess courage, or “hackle,” energy; —— du plomb dans l’aile, to be wounded; —— du sable dans les yeux, to feel sleepy; —— du toupet, to have audacity, cool impudence; —— fumé dans une pipe neuve, to be tipsy, or “obfuscated;” —— la flemme, to be afraid; to feel lazy, or “Mondayish;” —— l’arche, to have credit, or “jawbone;” —— l’assiette au beurre, to be fortunate in life; —— la cuisse gaie is said of a female of lax morals; —— le pot de chambre dans la commode, to have an offensive breath; —— le caillou déplumé, le coco déplumé, to be bald, to have “a bladder of lard;” —— le casque, to fancy a man; —— le compas dans l’œil, to possess a sharp eye, with respect to judging of distance or quantity; —— le front dans le cou, to be bald, or “stag-faced;” —— le nez creux, to be clever at foreseeing, guessing; —— le pouce long, to be skilful, to be a “dab” at something; —— le trac, to be afraid, “funky;” —— les calots pochés, to have black eyes; —— les côtes en long, to be lazy, a “bummer;” —— l’estomac dans les talons, dans les mollets, to be ravenous, very “peckish;” —— l’étrenne, to be the first to do, or be done to, to have the “wipe of;” —— le sac, to be wealthy, or “well ballasted;” —— mal au bréchet, to have the stomach-ache, or “botts;” —— mal aux cheveux, to have a headache caused from overnight potations; —— mangé de l’oseille, to be sour-tempered, peevish, or “crusty;” —— sa côtelette, in theatrical language, to obtain great applause; (popular) —— sa pointe, to be slightly tipsy, “fresh;” —— son caillou, to be on the verge of intoxication, or “muddled;” —— son coke, to die; —— son cran, to be angry, “to have one’s monkey up;” —— son pain cuit. Properly to have an income, to be provided for. The expression is old.
Vente, gresle, gelle, j’ai mon pain cuit.
Villon.
(Also) to be sentenced to death; —— son sac de quelqu’un, to be tired of one; —— un coup de marteau, to be cracked, “queer;” —— un fédéré dans la casemate, or un polichinelle dans le tiroir, to be pregnant, or “lumpy;” —— un poil dans la main, to feel lazy; —— un pot de chambre sous le nez, to have an offensive breath; —— un rat dans la trompe, to feel irritated, provoked, exasperated, “badgered;” —— une chambre à louer, to be eccentric, even to insanity; “to have apartments to let;” to be minus one tooth; —— une crampe au pylore, to be blessed with a good appetite, or “twist;” —— une table d’hôte dans l’estomac, to have an extraordinary appetite; —— vu le loup is said of a girl who has been seduced. En—— la farce, to be able to procure a thing. Pour deux sous on en a la farce, a penny will get it for you. En—— sa claque, to have eaten or drunk to excess, to have had a “tightener.” Avoir une belle presse is said of an actor or author who is lauded by the press.
Avoir (popular and familiar), la boule détraquée; le coco fêlé; le trognon détraqué; un asticot dans la noisette; un bœuf gras dans le char; un cancrelat dans la boule; un hanneton dans le réservoir; un hanneton dans le plafond; un moustique dans la boîte au sel; un voyageur dans l’omnibus; une araignée dans le plafond; une écrevisse dans la tourte; une écrevisse dans le vol-au-vent; une grenouille dans l’aquarium; une hirondelle dans le soliveau; une Marseillaise dans le kiosque; une punaise dans le soufflet; une sardine dans l’armoire à glace; une trichine dans le jambonneau; une sauterelle dans la guitare—Parisian expressions which may be rendered by to be mad, or cracked, crazy, touched, to have rats in the upper story, a bee in one’s bonnet, a tile loose, to have apartments to let, to be wrong in the upper storey, to be off one’s chump, &c., &c. L’—— encore, Rigaud says, “Avoir ce qu’une jeune fille doit perdre seulement le jour de son mariage.”
Avoir, n’——, pas de toupet, to show cool impudence; (popular) —— pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre is said of