ABSTRACT
la n. m. inv. Donner le la (fig): To set the tone of a meeting or discussion. là adv. 1 Là, là! (Soothing words to a child): There, there, there (everything will be alright). 2 Tout est là: a That’s the whole point-That’s what it’s all about. b That’s the beauty of it-That’s what makes it great. 3 Etre un peu là (of person): a To be utterly reliable. Quand on a besoin de lui, un peu qu’il est là! When you need him, you can be sure he won’t let you down. b To be ‘ace’, to be an expert at something. En mécanique-auto, il est un peu là: When it comes to car mechanics, he’s unbeatable. 4 Ils ne sont pas là: I’m broke-I’m skint-I haven’t a pcnny. 5 Avoir quelqu’un là: ‘Not to give a sod about someone’, to not care a damn about someone. là-bas adv. ‘You-know-where’, place a speaker would rather not refer to by name (mental home, prison, etc.). labeur n. m. (joc. & iron.): ‘Job’, employment that brings in the hard-earned cash and little jobsatisfaction. Aller au labeur. To plod off to work. labo n. m. ‘Lab’, laboratory. lac n. m. 1 Etre dans le lac. To be ‘in the soup’, to be in trouble. 2 Tomber dans le lac. To fall into a trap. (Lacs, from the Latin laqueus meaning ‘snare’, also gave the French word lacet, but popular etymology sees the victim falling into a lake.) 3 ‘Fanny’, ‘pussy’, vagina. Descente au lac: Cunnilingus. lacet n. m. Marchand de lacets: Gendarme. lâZcher v. trans. 1 Lâcher quelqu’un: To ‘lcave someone in the lurch’, to ‘walk out on someone’, to let someone down. 2 En lâcher un: To ‘do a pongy’, to ‘fart’, to break wind. 3 Les lâcher: To ‘cough up’, to ‘fork out’, to pay. Les lâcher avec un élastique: To be ‘stingy’, to be mean (also: être dur à les làcher). 4 Lâcher l’écluse: To ‘pee’, to ‘wee’, to urinate. 5 Lâcher les dés: a To ‘throw in the sponge’, to give in. b To be conciliatory (also: passer les dés). 6 Lâcher le paquet: To ‘squeal’, to ‘spill the beans’, to confess. 7 Lâcher la rampe: To ‘pop one’s clogs’, to ‘shuffle off’, to die. lacheur n. m. 1 ‘Quitter’, undependable character (person who is likely to let you down). 2 (joc.): ‘Funk’, person who ‘gets cold feet’ but can’t be blamed for it. Lâcheur va, t’aurais dû rester, on a picolé jusqu’à trois heures du mat’! You’re a right cissy to have left so early, we were still knocking drinks back at three in the morning!
