Bayou
(BI yoo) -
A sluggish
stream, bigger than a creek and smaller than a river.
The
Big Easy (New Orleans) -
A
nickname for
New Orleans,
meaning to take it
easy/easy living.
Bon
Appetite! (BON a pet tite) - Literally - good appetite - or "Enjoy!"
Boucherie
(BOO sher ee) -
Traditionally, a cooperative slaughtering with each member furnishing
his share of the animals (usually pigs) and receiving his share of the meat.
Bourre
(BOO ray) -
Cajun card
game in which the loser of the hand must "stuff" or match the take
of the winning hand.
Ca
c'est bon (sa say BOHN) -
That's
good!
Cajun
(CAY jun) - Slang
for Acadians, French-speaking people who came to
South Louisiana
from
Nova Scotia
in the eighteenth
century. The term now applies to the people, their cooking, and their
culture. Cajun music features
the accordion, the violin, and the triangle.
Calle
- Street (Spanish)
Canille
(KA nie) - Mischievous,
tricky, shrewd.
Ça
va (sa VA)
- That's enough.
C'est la vie (say la VEE) - That's life.
C'est magnifique (say mag ni FEEK) - That's magnificient
C'est tout (SAY too) - That's all
Cher
(shah) - Dear
(a term of endearment). Mon cher or ma chere (my dear).
Cochon
de lait (koh SHON duh lay) - "suckling
pig" - a pig roast with the whole hog slowly roasted over an open
flame.
Courirs
des Mardi Gras - Small
towns (Church Point, Eunice, Mamou, Ville Platte, Elton) throughout Prairie
Acadiana celebrate Mardi Gras with Les Courirs des Mardi Gras, a
rural Mardi Gras run based on the "beggars' feast" of medieval
France.
Crappie
(CROP ee) - Also
called sac-a-lait, a large breamlike food fish.
Crawfish (CRAW fish) - Sometimes spelled "crayfish" but always pronounced crawfish.
Look and taste like little lobsters. Served
many ways, including boiled.
Creole
(CREE ol) -
From the Spanish word “criollo,” or “child of the colonies.”
Originally, the French and Spanish sophisticated city
or plantation dwellers who either migrated from
Europe
or were born in
Louisiana
.
Later expanded to describe slaves born in the colonies, rather than
in
Africa . Today
in
South Louisiana , it often refers to Creoles of Color, members of the
black French-speaking community, who have a unique culture and music
(Zydeco). The term also includes
a type of cuisine and a style of architecture.
Crescent
City (
New Orleans
) -
New Orleans
is located at a
bend of the
Mississippi River
, where the bend
forms the shape of a crescent: Hence, the nickname
Crescent
City
.
Envie (OHN vee) - Your heart's desire or a very strong craving.
Fais do do (FAY doe doe) - A dance (Literally it means "go to sleep" - a phrase whispered
by French-speaking Cajun mothers to their children so the parents could join
in the dancing).
French Quarter (
New Orleans
) - The
100-block area originally settled by the French. The architecture, however,
is credited to the Spanish.
Garçonnière
(Gar son air) -
The bachelor's quarters on a plantation, usually located behind the kitchen
or in the attic (accessed from outside stairs).
Gris-Gris (gree gree) -
Good luck charm. Sometimes a
“spell.”
Gumbo
Ya Ya -
When everybody talks at once.
Jazz - Rhythmic,
syncopated music, often improvised.
New Orleans
claims to be the
birthplace of this uniquely American music, created by African-American
musicians and made popular by Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong and
others.
Joie
de vivre (JHWA
da veev) - Joy
of living
Lache
pas la patate (Losh
pa la pa tot) -
Don't let go of the potato or don't give up (a testament to the enduring
spirit of the Cajun people).
Lagniappe
(LAN yap)
-
A little
something extra. An unexpected nice surprise.
Laissez
les bon temps rouler (lay ZAY lay bon ton rule ay) -
Let
the good times roll!
Levee
(LEV ee) - An embankment built to keep a river from overflowing; a
landing place on the river.
Mardi
Gras (MAR di graw) - Commonly known as “Fat Tuesday,” Mardi Gras is the day before Ash
Wednesday (usually in February or March), so it's the last chance to party
before Lent: Although the balls,
parades, and parties have been going on since December, everything comes to
a festive close on Mardi Gras. (
Lafayette
's Le Festival
de Mardi Gras is second only to the one in
New Orleans
:
Lafayette
's celebrations, in
contrast to those of
New Orleans
, are generally
family-oriented and safe.) Count
on many activities throughout the 2 weekends and week preceding the final
"Fat Tuesday" parades and festivities.
Merci
(MARE
see) - Thank
you.
Nonc (Nonk) - Uncle.
Oyster
Bar -
Restaurant serving raw oysters on the half shell.
Pauve
ti bete (POVE tee bet) - Poor little thing.
Parish
- A “county” in
Louisiana
.
Passer
un bon temps (pah SAY un(n) baw(n) taw(n)) - pass (have) a good time
Pirogue
(PEE row) -
Cajun canoe: a small,
flat-bottomed, wooden craft used in shallow water.
Rue
- Street
(French)
Second
Line
- Celebratory dance accompanied by jazz and decorated umbrellas; a tradition
in
New Orleans
, especially at weddings and jazz funerals
Shotgun
- House design; named “shotgun” because the front door is in a direct
line with the back door, with no walls in between (rooms are located beside
the hall).
Swamp
Pop -
South Louisiana
ballad-style,
rock-and-roll music (a blend of R&B, Country, and blues) popularized in
the 50s and 60s. Includes songs
like “Mathilda,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “
Sea
of
Love
.”
Tante
(pronounced: Taunt)
- Aunt.
Vieux Carre (VOO ca RAY) (
New Orleans
)
-
French,
meaning "old quarter," and referring to the French Quarter in
New Orleans
.
Voodoo - Mysterious religion involving charms and spells
that came to
Louisiana
via the
Caribbean
.
Zydeco (ZI de co) -
A relatively new kind of dance music created by
south Louisiana’s Creoles of Color and based on African blues, Cajun
music, and R&B. Its
identifying instrument is the frottoir (resembles a metal washboard with
curved shoulder straps that hangs over the chest and is played with bottle
openers and thimbles).
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