Street French 2: The Best of French Idioms: Bk.2 - Softcover

"Stop hitting your biscuit!" What? If you heard this expression (arrete de te frapper le biscuit!) from a French native you wouldn't know that it meant to "stop hitting your head against the wall in frustration!"--unless you had read David Burke's newest book devoted solely to French idioms. Idioms are those common phrases we use in daily conversation that seem totally confusing to a stranger. This second book of the three--title revision of the bestsellers Street French and More Street French features translations of hundreds of French idiomatic expressions. It also includes pronunciation guides, sections on antonyms and synonyms, and an expanded glossary. * Includes more crossword puzzles, fill--ins, word games, and fun self--tests * An expanded, revised, and updated collection of the idioms featured in Street French and More Street French (total sales--90,000 copies) DAVID BURKE (Los Angeles, California) studied in Paris, is a fluent French speaker and is the author of Street Spanish (Wiley, 55,000 sold).

(trans.): What a wiz around the house!

(lit.): What a fairy in the domicile!

On n'apprend pas à un vieux

singe à faire la grimace.

(trans.): You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

(lit.): You can't teach an old monkey to smile.

If a French native were to offer you une assiette au beurre (a plate of butter) or invite you to faire du lèche-vitrine (to go window licking), you might not know whether to accept — that is, unless you have read this second book in David Burke's Street French series.

Street French 2 explores yet another "inside" language that must be mastered in order to be considered truly fluent in French: idioms- — those quaint and quirky expressions that can't be understood literally but are used in every conceivable conversational situation.

Now you can learn the best of French idioms through entertaining word games, dialogues, crossword puzzles, find-a-word grids, and special tips guaranteed to make you au jus (up-to-date or, literally, juiced up) in no time!