Thinking of some things ‘french’.

I looked at the message. It read: “why haven’t you been blogging”????  In some inexplicable way it made me feel guilty, and then I felt guilty for feeling guilty. In situations so pregnant with guilt my defense mechanism is to fall back on irreverence. And so I messaged back: “was on French leave”. The reply: “What is that? Were you in France”?

So, here is a look at what is ‘french leave’, and some more things French….

French Leave

 An informal, hasty, or secret departure ( in my case departure from my blog !)

The term dates back to an 18th century French custom of leaving a reception without taking leave of the host or hostess.

French Toast

French toast is also known as eggy bread and is a dish of bread soaked in beaten eggs and then fried. It was originally a way to use up stale bread. When French toast is served as a sweet dish, milk, sugar, vanilla or cinnamon are also commonly added before pan-frying, and then it may be topped with sugar (often powdered sugar), butter, fruit, or syrup. When it is a savory dish, it is generally fried with a pinch of salt, and can then be served with a sauce such as ketchup.

French Manicure

 A French manicure is neutral, understated, and goes with absolutely anything.

 Whether the French Manicure  truly is French is up for debate -- some say the ever-stylish Parisians were the first to wear the nude base with crisp, white tips; others say Max Factor invented it and the "French" label is there for effect. Whatever!

The French manicure has enjoyed popularity for the longest time ever. Women all over the world still walk into salons and ask or the pink, beige or nude base tipped with pure white. Its popularity is because of its versatility.

Pardon my French

"Pardon my French" or "Excuse my French" is a common English language phrase ostensibly disguising profanity as French.

My Google search threw up this result: ‘In the 19th century, when the Brits  used French expressions in conversation they often apologized for it - presumably because many of their listeners  wouldn't be familiar with the language.’

 The definition cites an example from The Lady's Magazine, 1830: Bless me, how fat you are grown! - absolutely as round as a ball: - you will soon be as embonpoint (excuse my French) as your poor dear father, the major. (Embonpoint is French for plumpness!)

And then there are the French fries, the French plait, the French kiss ( ahem!)….