Re: USAGE: English adverbials 'the heck', 'the hell', etc.

Philippe écrit:

>In fact, it seems that we French don't care very much
>about hell. We use the word "enfer" to characterize a
>terrible situation ("les bouchons sur le periph'",
>c'est l'enfer"
I ran your post by my native informant, and she added:

Ça me fout les boules. (various tenses)
J'ai les boules. (various tenses)

"gonflant" also came up.

She was a very good sport, and I set up the context for her before
diving in to brusque language, but it was clear that we were
tippy-toeing in and out of her comfort zone with regard to usage
("Well, okay, *I* don't say this, but I've heard....").

Guess I'll have to buy her a pack of marshmallow peeps before the end
of the day.

Kou

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