ABSTRACT
gabardine n. f. (pol.): Unofficial ‘carte blanche’, verbal assurance from senior quarters that officers involved in an inquiry may, for the purposes of the case, act outside the law. gabarit n. m. ‘Type’, ‘kind’, sort. Ça c’est mon gabarit! That’s just up my street! —That’s just what I fancy! Ils sont du même gabarit: They’re two of a kind. gabegie n. f. 1 ‘Tangle’, muddle, mess. Quelle gabegie depuis qu’on est sans secrétaire! We’re really up the spout without a secretary! 2 Criminal waste (through mismanagement). Quelle gabegie! What a wicked waste! 3 ‘Dirty work’, ‘foul play’, trickery. gabelou n. m. ‘Customs man’, customs officer. gabier n. m. Gabier de mes deux (Naval slang): ‘Nincompoop’, imbecile. gabouiller v. intrans. To ‘make a boo-boo’, to commit a gaffe. gâche n. f. 1 Job, employment. Quelle gâche! What a rotten job! Une bonne gâche: A ‘cushy number’, a well-paid occupation necessitating little work. Lui, au moins, il s’est trouvé une bonne gâche: When it comes to cushy jobs, he’s certainly landed the plummest! 2 Room, space. ‘y avait de la gâche: There was room to spare. gâcher v. intrans. To ‘graft’, to work hard. Où qu’on gâche aujourd’hui? And where are we slogging our guts out today? gâchette n. f. ‘Hit-man’, hired killer. (In the film Les Tontons Flingueurs a character is described as première gâchette, thus indicating that he is the top trigger-man to a high-ranking member of the underworld.) gâcheuse n. f. Affected character, effete person. (When directed at a man, the word is distinctly pejorative as it casts doubt on his masculinity.) gâchis n. m. Quel gâchis! What a cock-up! —What a mess! gadin n. m. 1 ‘Tumble’, fall. (The expression ramasser un gadin can either mean to fall down or to suffer a setback.) 2 ‘Bean’, ‘bonce’, head. Prendre un gnon sur le gadin: To get biffed over the head. Y aller du gadin: To be guillotined. gadjé n. m. 1 (Gypsy slang): One who is not a Manouche, not one of the tribe. 2 ‘Mug’, ‘sucker’, dupe. gadoue n. f. (also: gadou): 1 ‘Slush’, mud. 2 Une gadoue (pej.): Low-class prostitute. gadouille n. f. ‘Mess’, ‘mix-up’, state of chaos.
