L’beau temps est arrivée enfin. Ca fait du bien s’promener d’hôre pi même prendre un p’tit somme su’ l’peron.
J’vous souhaite un printemps beau et chaud pi j’me souhaite la même chôse. Voici l’reste de la lettre C:
côre d’abbe – fallen tree
corne au talon – literally: corn on the heel; corn on a foot
cornifleu – nosey person
cornoiller – butted, gored
Corrécutte – Connecticut
cortons – pork paté
cosse ça mange l’hiver: – literally: what does it eat in winter?; what is this thing?; who is that person?
cosse qui dit pi cosse qui shie, c’est la mîme chôse – literally: what he says and what he sh*ts are the same thing; liar, bullsh*tter
cosse tu connais dans l’pette d’un ours? – literally: what do you know about bear farts?; mind your own business; you don’t know what you’re talking about
cosse tu connais dans ’a pense du bédeau – literally: what do you know about the sectant’s stomach?; mind your own business; you don’t know what you’re talking about?
cosse tu pense d’la guerre? – literally: what do you think of the war?; conversation starter, facetiously
coucher soure la linghe a butin – literally: sleep under the clothesline; appear rumpled, bleary-eyed
coudon – expression of surprise, as in, “Coudon, cosse tu fait icitte, toué?”
couenne de lard – pork rind
coup d’botte – literally: boot strike; kick
coup d’pouce – literally: thumb strike; lend a hand
couper d’la pitoune – harvest lumber in the woods
couper l’sifflette – literally: cut the whistle; interrupt
coupe gorge – cutthroat
courire a plein vente – literally: run on a stomach; go very fast
courire l’ventre a bas – literally: run with the stomach down; go very fast
cour éyusqu’y a pas d’maison! – literally: run where there aren’t any houses; hurry!
couter des bidous – very expensive
couvarte – blanket
couvarture – roof
crache en l’aire, tombe su’l’nez – literally: spit in the air, fall on the nose; don’t boast; revenge is sweet; I’ll get you!
crache pitoune – spittoon
crampé – crowded together; or very drunk
crainque la bombe – literally: crank the bomb; turn up the heat under the kettle
crapotte/crapeau – frog
craqué – literally: cracked; crazy
créature – attractive woman
cremeuse – old vehicle
crêpe de farine blanche – literally: white-flour pancake; plain flour pancakes, flapjacks
crêve faim – literally: starving; bum, one who refuses to work
crie – get, fetch
crigne de jueu – handful of hair; “bad” hair; unruly cowlick
croche – dishonest; curve in the road
Croche des Dindes – sharp curve on U.S. Rte. 1 between Notre-Dame and Keegan, Maine (straightened in the 1990s)
croquer des noisettes – break open hazelnuts with the teeth
croquette – a snack or a light meal
crotte de nez – literally: snot; worthless person
Don Levesque is a Grand Isle native who worked in community journalism for almost 35 years. He was the publisher and editor of the St. John Valley Times for 15 years prior to retiring in 2010. He wrote a weekly newspaper column, called Mon 5¢, in the Valley Times for more than 20 years. He has been inducted into the Maine Journalism Hall of Fame and the Maine Franco-American Hall of Fame.
