Ah, Toulouse! The pink City ! Some of you may be considering moving in, others may be visiting. Whether for a weekend or several years, the charm of the capital of Occitania still operates. The Place du Capitole, the terracotta on the facades of its houses, the violets, but also the accent of the inhabitants are recognizable among a thousand. Moreover, it is not only the latter that makes the Toulouse language unique: some terms are typical of the South-West. To help you understand everything on your next trip to Toulouse, here are fifteen words and expressions to know!

 



Bulge!

If you are not from Toulouse, you will have a hard time understanding this sentence! In Toulouse, to bulge is to stir, to hurry. Thus, it is not uncommon to hear: "bulge!" When the person you're dealing with is a little too slow. This term, like many others in the Toulouse language, comes from the Occitan bolegar which means to stir, to agitate. To remember !


 It's a pec that one!

Nothing to do with the pecs! In Toulouse, if you are called a pec or pègue, they are telling you that you are an idiot or an idiot! This word comes from the Occitan pèc, pèga which means stupid. Not to be confused with the expression “it pègue”, widely used in the south of France and which means, in this case, “it sticks”.

 


This guy is completely jobastre!

Jobastre, in the Toulouse language, is a synonym of the word fou. It will be used especially when a person is unaware of the risks that he is running. Another equivalent of jobastre is, for its part, much better known and distributed in the south of France: the word fada is also used in Toulouse!


 Stop bludgeoning all day!

If you've gotten up on the wrong foot or are in a bad mood, chances are you'll be spending your day blushing. This Toulouse word comes from the Occitan romegar which means to moan. Here is a term to use to put a smile on your Toulouse friend so that he finally stops grumbling!


 Boudu, what heat today!

We wanted to keep the title polite, but in general the term boudu is accompanied by con, in order to mark the astonishment even more! This very Toulouse formulation marks the surprise, even amazement: "Boudu con, it's raining now!" ". Boudu comes from the French "bon Dieu" and the Occitan bon Diu. An expression to remember absolutely. After a few months in the pink city, you will be using it without even noticing it!

 


I will not come today, I have the cagne to get out of my bed!

When the sun is at its zenith, after lunch, there is a good chance that you have the cagne to do anything. You understood well, in Toulouse and in all the South-West, to have the cagne is "to be lazy", not to have the courage. You will probably be told to bulge rather than lying around on your sofa!

  

Quick, the little one is getting away!

To escanate, in Toulouse, means to strangle oneself, to suffocate. So, if your friend tells you that he is climbing the stairs, he is very likely to have swallowed askew or is very short of breath after going up the stairs! Know that to escanate can also have a figurative meaning: “at the announcement of this news, he almost escanated because he was surprised! ". This word comes from the Occitan escanar.

 


I have to go farting across town to see you!

You might be surprised when you hear this expression for the first time, but know that it has nothing to do with what you think! Going to fart somewhere in Toulouse simply means going there, but without real desire. Thus, if you cross the whole city, you could very well say that you had to "go fart at the other end of Toulouse"!

 


It's the pompom on the Garonne!

We love this expression so much that we would like to hear it more often! The pompom on the Garonne is the equivalent of the icing on the cake, the bouquet or the pompom itself! In Toulouse, we know how to adapt to the territory and we therefore prefer to quote the Garonne (and with the accent, it's even more charming!). Be careful, this expression is typically Toulouse and loses all its meaning elsewhere. Is it the pompom on the Seine?

 

I put the pockets in the trunk.

After shopping, it is not uncommon for you to put your pockets in the trunk to go home. Outside of Toulouse, this trunk is generally called a car trunk! What about the pockets? Well, the pocket, like in many other cities in the south of France, is a plastic bag! A banal sentence which is however not easily understood when one is not used to speaking Toulouse!

 


This guy is a real ratche, he will never invite us!

The terms ratche, ratchàs and ratchou characterize a person who has sea urchins in his pockets! Clearly, this qualifier is not really nice, especially if it designates you! Each of the variants of this word brings a precise nuance: a person ratche is stingy (the word comes from the French rat), a ratchàs is very stingy and a ratchou is a little less so, the suffix "or" being diminutive.


Macarèl!

Just like “Boudu! »Seen previously,« Macarèl! »Expresses surprise, astonishment. Its origin is linked to that of the word mackerel in its two meanings. Formerly, it was a very vulgar curse, but today it is used to punctuate the sentences of Toulousans faced with a particularly surprising situation! We will also hear “Macaniche! », A variation that certainly makes it possible to reduce the coarseness of the term a little. 



We escaped to this restaurant.

Thanks to the context, we can imagine that tchapper has to do with food. Indeed, if a Toulousain tells you that he has escaped, he has eaten a lot! We understand perfectly that this can happen when we discover local specialties such as cassoulet from Castelnaudary, apple croustade or even violet from Toulouse! This term comes from the Occitan chapar which means to eat. 


I'm tired, but raï, I'm coming anyway!

The "raï" insert is used to reduce the importance of a thing, of a subject. It has the meaning of "it does not matter" or "it is nothing". This term comes from Occitan rai which has the same definition. If you do not understand a Toulouse expression, it is possible that the person you are talking to answers you: “raï, drop it! ". 


Chocolatine or pain au chocolat?

Impossible to conclude this article without mentioning the famous chocolatine which provokes endless debates from the north to the south of France. Yes, in Toulouse we say chocolatine, but don't worry, if you order a pain au chocolat at the bakery, we will understand you all the same. On the other hand, we will be sure that you are not from Toulouse!