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We had ourselves a bottle of plonk. 3 La sécher: To be ‘spitting feathers’, to be very thirsty. sécher v. intrans. 1 (sch.): To ‘black out’ in an exam, to suffer from a mental block at an examination. 2 Sécher (sur le fil): To wait and wait in vain (literally to be left dangling, as on a washing-line). séchoir n. m. (Prison slang): ‘Cooler’, punishment cell. sécor n. m. & adj. Corsican, from Corsica. (This is a verlen corruption of corse.) sécot adj. Tall and skinny. secouée n. f. 1 ‘Rocket’, ‘telling-off’, reprimand. 2 Une secouée de: ‘Oodles’, vast quantities of. Il y a toujours une secouée de mecs pour des lurbins comme ça! There’s no shortage of volunteers for jobs like that! secouer v. trans. 1 To ‘nick’, to ‘pinch’, to steal. Il m’a secoué mes sèches! He whipped my fags! 2 To ‘give someone a dressing-down’, to tell someone off in no uncertain manner. Après sa dernière connerie, il s’est drôlement fait secouer le paletot! After that last bloomer of his, he got the rocket he deserved! secouer v. trans. reflex. 1 To ‘snap out of it’, to ‘pull oneself together’, to shake oneself out of a state of lethargy or depression. 2 To ‘get a move on’, to snap out of a state of idleness. secouette n. f. (joc.): ‘Wanking’, masturbating. secousse n. f. 1 Ne pas en foutre une secousse: To do ‘bugger-all’, to not do a stroke of work, to stay idle out of choice. 2 L’hôtel des cent mille secousses (joc.): The ‘knocking-shop’. (As the name suggests, the kind of hotel where sleep is not the clientèle’s aim!) sécu n. f. La sécu (abbr. la Sécurité Sociale): The Department of Health and Social Security. sécurisé adj. Relaxed and confident (after having been given some sound and sensible advice). sègue n. f. Se taper une sègue: To ‘pull one’s wire’, to ‘have a wank’, to masturbate. (Cellard and Rey in their DICTIONNAIRE DU FRANÇAIS NONCONVENTIONNEL attest the usage of this word, and mention its presence in G.Guégan’s UN SILENCE DE MORT.) sein n. m. 1 Le coup du troisième sein. Faire le coup du troisième sein is a humorous expression describing the ploy where a mother breast-feeding a hungry baby offers it more from the first breast, which is still empty. 2 Tu mefais mal aux seins! You get on my tits!—You’re a bloody nuisance! sélect adj. inv. ‘Top-notch’, high-class. self n. m. (abbr. self-service): 1 Supermarket, self-service shop. 2 Self-service cafeteria-cumrestaurant. 3 Self-serve petrol station. selon prep. C’est selon! Depends!—It depends on the circumstances! semer v. trans. 1 To ‘shake off’, to ‘give someone the slip’, to manage to get away from someone. 2 Semer la merde: To ‘stir it’, to cause chaos and acrimony. semeur n. m. Semeur de virgules (slightly pej.): ‘Chalkie’, teacher. (The kind of pedagogue held in low esteem by the rest of the community.)

semi n. m. (abbr. semi-remorque): ‘Artic’, articulated heavy goods vehicle. semoule n. f. 1 Lâcher (also: envoyer) la semoule: To ‘juice off’, to ejaculate. 2 Pédaler dans la semoule: To be hampered in one’s progress, to be getting nowhere, to achieve nothing. (The expression is said to have originated among racing cyclists and vividly describes the heavylegged weariness of a tired competitor.) sens n. m. Se taper un coup de sens unique: To down a glass of’plonk’. (The origin of the expression can perhaps be found in the red and white colours of the wine and its container, reminiscent of a ‘No-Entry’ sign.) sensass adj. (abbr. sensationnel): ‘Great’, ‘super’, fantastic (also: formide). sent-bon n. m. (joc.) Du sent-bon: Scent, perfume (also: du senti-bon). sentiment n. m. Avoir quelqu’un au sentiment: To go it ‘the tear-jerking way’, to play on someone’s feelings. Chaque fois qu’il est dans la dèche, il se fait les aminches au sentiment: Whenever he’s broke, he goes round his pals for a sub with the old heartbreak routine. sentinelle n. f. ‘Turd’, faeces. Planter une sentinelle: To ‘have a crap’, to ‘shit’, to defecate. sentir v. trans. Ne pas pouvoir sentir quelqu’un/ quelque chose: To hate the sight of someone or something. sentir v. intrans. 1 Ça sent mauvais! I don’t like the look of this! (literally: it stinks!). 2 Ça sent la patate! I smell a rat!—I can sense some devious moves ahead! sentir v. pronom. S’en sentir pour quelqu’un/quelque chose: To be keen on someone or something. Je ne m’en sens pas pour bosser aujourd’hui! I don’t feel much like grafting today! sentir v. trans. reflex. Ne pas se sentir (pisser): To be totally unaware of what is happening, to act as if nothing were amiss. (The expression is never used in the first person, but always directed at others with a considerable amount of irony. Lui prêter du fric?! Il ne se sent pas! Me lend him money?! He must be out of his tiny little mind!) sérail n. m. Passage en sérail: ‘Gang-bang’, collective rape (also: passage m série). serbillon n. m. Envoyer le serbillon: To ‘tip the wink to someone’, to ‘give someone a tip-off’, to warn someone. série n. f. 1 Série Noire: Famous collection of paperback ‘whodunnits’ with distinctive black covers published by Gallimard. Un série-noire has become generic for any detective novel. 2 Une série noire: A run of bad luck. sérieux n. m. Litre glass of beer (a sort of ‘super-pint’ for the keen beer drinker). serin n. m. ‘Nincompoop’, ‘ninny’, gullible fool (one who might easily fall for a miroir aux alouettes!). seriner v. trans. To ‘harp on and on’ about something, to try and drive something home to a reluctant learner. (The parrot or canary-like nature of the tuition explains the origin of the verb.) seringue n. f. 1 Firearm (anything ranging from a handgun to a sub-machine-gun). 2 Chanter comme une seringue: To sing way out of tune. 3 Avoir le coup de

seringue: To feel ‘knackered’, ‘buggered’, to be exhausted (also: avoir le coup de pompe). seringuer v. trans. To fire a hail of bullets at someone. serpent n. m. Serpent-à-lunettes (joc.): ‘Foureyes’, spectacle-wearer. serre n.m. (also: ser): 1 (Gambling slang): Secret signal between card-sharps at a table. (In this context, the expression faire/envoyer le serre means to give the goahead for a concerted move aimed at distracting an honest player.) 2 Faire (also: envoyer) le serre: To ‘tip the wink’ to someone, to warn someone. (Auguste Le Breton in his L’ARGOT CHEZ LES VRAIS DE VRAI identifies serbillon and by implication ser(re) as the chalked rune-like warning left by tramps to indicate to fellow down-and-outs the good and not-so-good ‘ports of call’.) serré adj. ‘Short of readies’, a little low on cash. Je t’aiderais bien, mais en ce momentj’suis un peu serré dans les entournures! I’d gladly help you out but I’m pretty tight where cash is concerned! serrer v. trans. Expressions such as serrer la cuillère, lesfesses, la pince, la vis, etc. will be found under the heading of the direct object. 1 To strangle, to throttle. Il y est allé du cigare pour avoir serré sa belle-doche: He got guillotined for doing his mother-in-law in. 2 To ‘pitch it strong’, to ‘lay it on thick’, to exaggerate. Il nous a drôlement serré ses vertus! If you go by what he said, he’s a clone of Superman and Albert Einstein! serrer v. trans.reflex. Se la serrer: a To shake hands (also: se serrer la pince). b To go hungry, to go without food (also: se serrer la ceinture). serreur n. m. 1 Strangler. 2 Münchhausen-type character, one who indulges in gross exaggeration. servi past part. Etre servi (iron.): To be landed with more than one bargained for. Lui qui voulait travailler, il va être servi! If it’s work he’s after, he’s going to get one hell of a surprise! service n. m. 1 Le service (abbr. le service militaire): National service. Il a fait son service dans la marine! He did his ‘army-days’ in the navy! 2 Etre serviceservice: To do everything ‘by the book’, to be a stickler for rules and regulations. 3 Le service trois-pièces (joc): ‘Privates’, private parts. serviette n. f. Un coup de serviette: A police raid (also: coup de torchon). servietter v. trans. (pol.): To ‘nick’, to ‘collar’, to arrest. setvietter v. intrans. (pol.): To ‘swoop’, to organize a dragnet operation. seul adj. Ça ira tout seul! It will be all plain sailing!— It will be quite straightforward! Ça n’a pas été tout seul! It was no doddle! seulabre adj. ‘On one’s tod’, on one’s own, alone. (Sometimes the word is written seulâbre-with a circumflex accent on the â.) seulet adj. (f. seulette): 1 Alone. 2 Lonely.