Merde! Gros Bisous

Merde. Pronounced murd and rhyming with curd, this French word means shit. Like another popular four letter word in English, this word also can be used in several contexts as a chameleonic response. The same is the case with French too. What surprised me was the usage of this word to wish good luck.

My French friend's wife performed on stage on Tuesday. As my friend is in Pune with me, he sent a SMS to his wife wishing luck and his love. Merde. Gros Bisous. I didn't catch the way the second part of the message is pronounced as the restaurant was crowded. There were other distractions like the anticipation of the poison to relax our overworked brains and a jet-lagged body. How I heard was "gross bisoo" which translates a big kiss. This is a way of wishing luck. Remember, this is an intimate exchange between spouses. So, while wishing your friend good luck, you can give the big kiss a skip.

In the hurry, the SMS was sent to my friend’s boss. Luckily, his boss was aware about his wife’s performance and deduced the mix-up while sending SMS.

Tags: French Lessons,Merde,Shit,Kiss