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Informal French Expression
| Meaning | to lisp, to have a lisp | |
| Literally | to have a hair on the tongue | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[ah vwar oo(n) sheuh veuh sur lah la(n)g] |
| IPA | [a vwa ʁœ̃ ʃə və suʁ la lãg] | |
Usage notes: The French expression avoir un cheveu sur la langue means to lisp, to have a lisp, to speak with a lisp, the idea being that the hair is interfering with the tongue and causing the lisp.
Though informal, this expression is not offensive.
Par exemple…
| C’est un peu difficile de comprendre Huguette au téléphone, parce qu’elle a un cheveu sur la langue. | It’s kind of hard to understand Huguette on the phone, because she lisps. | |
| Je ne parle pas bien l’espagnol parce que je le trouve impossible de parler comme si j’ai un cheveu sur la langue. | I can’t speak Spanish well because I find it impossible to speak with a lisp. |
Variations
- avoir un fil sur la langue
- avoir un cheveu
Synonyms
Related lessons
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