The Meaning of ‘Coup’ in French
‘Coup’……What a great word in French!
Pronounced koo, it has so many meanings….. “hit,” “blow,” “strike” but combine it with another word and it can change completely.
Here are just a few..
coup d’oeil (rapide) – (quick) glance
coup de soleil – sunburn
coup de chance – stroke of luck
coup de couteau – stab wound
coup de feu – gun shot
coup de fil – phone call
coup de foudre – love at first sight
coup de main – helping hand
coup de pied – a kick
coup de tête – head butt (or sudden impulse)
coup de tonnerre – clap of thunder
coup de vent – gust of win
coup bas – below the belt
coup d’essai – trial run
coup de baguette magique – wave of a magic wand
coup de balai – a sweep up
coup de boule – head-butt
coup de chance – stroke of luck
coup de colère – fit of anger
coup de coude – nudge
coup de fil – phone call
coup de génie – stroke of genius
coup de klaxon – toot of your horn
….and then of course, there are a load of related phrases and expressions…
achat coup de cœur – impulse buy
action coup de poing – crackdown, clampdown
attraper un coup de soleil – get sunburnt
au premier coup d’œil – at first glance
avis de coup de vent – gale warning
boire un coup – have a drink
un bon coup – good shot, good job, success
ça vaut le coup – it’s worth it
prendre un coup de vieux – look/get older (il a pris un coup de vieux depuis la dernière fois qu’on s’est vu)
prendre un coup de froid – to get a chill
…..and a whole load that use avoir
avoir…..
…un coup d’avance – have a head start, be one step ahead
...un coup dans le nez – to be drunk
…un coup de barre – feel tired all of a sudden
…un coup de blues -to have the blues
…un coup de foudre pour qqn – to fall head over heels for somebody
…un coup de mou – feel lethargic
…un coup de pompe – suddenly feeling tired
…coup de barre – sudden fatigue
….and those are just the tip of the iceberg!
