Garbled Expressions

Frenchish expressions in English

English is full of French words and expressions, but pronunciation and even meaning can get distorted along the way – so much so that their provenance may not be recognizable.

Bookoo bucks
	"Bookoo" is an anglicized spelling and pronunciation of the French adverb of quantity beaucoup (a lot).
Ooh la la
	In English, "ooh la la" has a sexy connotation that the original French oh là là (oh dear) doesn’t.
San fairy ann
	This odd-looking expression dates back to World War I and comes from the French ça ne fait rien (it doesn’t matter).
Say la vee
	How non-French speakers often spell c’est la vie (that’s life).
Toodle loo
	The anglicized spelling and pronunciation of tout à l’heure (see you soon).
Toot sweet
	It is pronounced much like this in French, but the correct spelling is tout de suite (right away).