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It’s party time! Whether you’re out for a cozy dinner with your French friends or hitting the town for a night of drinking, merriment, and a little bit of mischief, how would you like to be the life of the party by knowing exactly the right words to say? Sounds awesome? You bet it is!

So here you go with a list of words and phrases that you should arm yourself with. And no matter how wasted you get, remember to always keep it classy!




À la tienne/À la vôtre! Cheers!
une andouille fool (sort of sausage)
un apéro (= apéritif) drink, aperitif
ardoise: avoir une ardoise to have a tab (slate)
arroser to celebrate with a drink
becter to eat (to nosh)
la bouffe meal, something to eat
bouffer to eat, to have a meal
Ça s’arrose! That deserves a drink!
cadeau: C’est cadeau. It’s a treat.
le canon drink
cloche: se taper la cloche to have a good meal
couper (ne pas y couper) to cut (not to miss)
coûter (la peau des fesses*) to cost (an arm and a leg)
cracher (sur quelque chose) to say no to, to spit on
crever (de faim) to die (of hunger)
crocs: avoir les crocs be famished
croute: casser la croute have a meal, snack
la cuisine cooking
la cuisine du terroir regional cooking
le cuistot chef
dalle: avoir la dalle to be hungry
descente: une descente avoir to knock it back
ecluser to knock back (to sink) (your drink)
estomac: avoir l’estomac to be very hungry
les fruits de mer seafood
le gigot leg of lamb
grave serious(ly)
jaune: un p'tit jaune pastis
jeter: s;en jeter un* to down a drink
magner/se magner to get a move on
la mousse beer
une occase (= occasion) occasion
la picole boozing
le pinard cheap wine (plonk)
le pochtron drunkard (piss artist)
poil: être de bon/mauvais poil to be in a good/bad mood
poil: n'avancer pas d’un poil to advance hardly at all
poil: reprendre du poil de la bête to recover (from a hangover)
le poivrot drunkard
régaler to treat someone else
regarder: ne pas y regarder to be generous
remettre to have another
le resto (= restaurant) restaurant
rétamé, être to be hammered (legless)
se creuser les méninges to rack your brains
se défoncer to get wasted
se grouiller to get a move on
mettre en train to get with the flow
payer to treat yourself
prendre (un apéro) to have a drink
se taper to treat yourself
le soûlard drunkard
tassé: bien tassé a good measure
train: se mettre en train to get in the flow
traite: boire d’une traite (to drink) in one swallow
trinquer to clínk glasses, to propose a toast to someone
les viennoiseries pastríes