taquiner

Near Montpellier, in the Hérault department: the mountain of Pic Saint-Loup.

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taquiner (tah-kee-nay)
  : to tease

French idiom: taquiner le goujon = to go fishing

:: Audio File :: Hear French
Listen to Jean-Marc pronounce the French word taquiner and read the idiom: Download taquiner.mp3 . Download taquiner.wav

 

 

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Rule No. 1: A French Farmer must dress like a French Farmer and not like a fancy-schmancy Phoenician...

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Not all of the grapevines that surround this farmhouse belong to us... which explains why once a month or so, a beat-up van, a couple of roaring tractors, and a regular ol' bagnole* become a part of the changing pastoral picture outside our kitchen window.

Recently, that scene became animated when a few seasoned farmers (dressed in fading farmer threads, faces burnt tomato red) began to tease my newbie farmer husband (sporting a tan and dressed in a hand-me-down polo from my American brother-in-law, and chinos... the pants are souvenirs from Jean-Marc's white-collar days.)

Here, now, is a scrap of that conversation, for your own amusement:

Thread-bare Farmers, shouting taquineries* from across the field:
"Oh eh! Il faut travailler. Ce n'est pas le club méditerranée ici!"
(Hey you over there! Time to get to work! This isn't Club Med, you know!)

Jean-Marc (feathers slightly ruffled... having taken the bait):
"Mais... Je suis allé VENDRE du vin ce matin!"
(But... I've been out SELLING my wine this morning...)

Thread-bare Farmers' rip-roaring riposte:
"Oh eh! Ce n'est pas le Club Med ici! Hehehehehe!"

Rule No. 2 : A Newbie French Farmer Must Never Explain (lest he be teased again and again).


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Post note: Jean-Marc took a rare day off yesterday and, along with friends, we visited Anne-Marie and Christian Mocci of Domaine du Mas de Martin (beneath the picturesque Pic St-Loup, not far from Montpellier. Their wines, olive oils, and secluded rooms for rent are recommended:

On our way home, we stopped by Chateau Gres Saint Paul (in the town of Lunel) for some lively, round-table conversation with the winemakers. If ever in the Hérault region, check these places out!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~References~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
la bagnole (f) = jalopy (car) ; la taquinerie (f) = teasing

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My French Coach by Nintendo. Playing My French Coach for 15 to 20 minutes a day is all you need to become fluent in French, no matter your age. The simple touch screen interface lets you spend less time learning the game and more time learning French.

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