The Gift of Gab French Style

When it comes to learning and speaking french,
I'll be the first to admit my skills are lacking.
Vocabulary.  Grammar.  Syntax.  Accent.  Très difficile.
  Though I dream of mastering the world's most beautiful language,
I'm mostly stranded on first base with two outs.
  Oh sure, I speak what's known as "restaurant french" -- I can order dinner,
reserve a hotel room and deliver a few good french expletives as needed ....

  But still, I dream of polishing up my skills and executing
a simple conversation in my favorite much-envied lexicon.
Conversational French.
  A mountaintop that often seems too tough to climb. 

  The biggest problem is the moment I hear myself "murder"
a french phrase, I can't stand the sound of it.
  My "french" accent is worse than wearing socks with sandals.  
Though I have a french mama and have authored a novel titled
"The Paris Effect", you might be inclined to think
the dialect would just flow from my lips effortlessly.
   Horse feathers!
Well lucky me -- and lucky you, help is on the way.

Some very capable and clever authors have come up with a way
to help even the most verbally challenged.
They help us climb that mountain and discover the joy of language.
  Real life conversation isn't about conjugating verbs or knowing if a
specific noun is masculine or feminine - is it le table or la table ....

"Other Cats to Whip", an illustrated book
of french idioms - is an amusing look
at the way real french people speak in their everyday environs.

So what is an idiom?
"An idiom is a word or phrase which means something different
from its literal meaning. Idioms are common phrases or terms whose meaning
is not real, but can be understood by their popular use."
Wikipedia.org

Without giving it a second thought, we use idioms
in our English language every day of our lives.
  Our own idiomatic expressions are so ingrained in everyday usage,
it's no wonder we find it tough to learn a new language.
  We can't even (literally) translate our own!

  Think about these examples:
They're filthy rich.
Once again, he pulled the wool over her eyes.
They have money to burn.
She has the gift of gab.
He was cool as a cucumber.
She's back on her high horse.
I hope to make a splash.
They were at each others' throats.
She is a virtual walking encyclopedia.
I hope he comes clean and tells the truth.
My hands are tied.

In "Other Cats to Whip", authors Zubair Arshad and Graham Clark
have deftly illustrated the real savoir-faire of speaking french.
  Creating a book of french idioms, they offer an engaging
way to put the oomph back in language class
(my apologies to Madame Jambon, er, Mrs. Hamm from high school french).
  I laughed out loud several times as I breezed through the book of french phrases and discovered that the french, in fact, don't judge a book by its cover
or count their chickens before they hatch.
  They, being so fabulously french, have some of the most amazing
and confounding expressions --- and they're FUN.

Life is more beautiful in french. 
And now I know there's a whole new reason to grow old there.
  Instead of being called old and infirm, you will become someone who
"sugars the strawberries." 
Who can resist that? 

So the next time you dream of having a french fling (not THAT kind),
check out this little book and make your efforts a bit sweeter.
  Even I will take a stab at that.

---

So, for heaven's sake, make a splash on your next trip to Paris.
  Get carried away with your new intimacy with the french language.
  You'll feel just like a pig in clover.

No more worries about your clumsy accent.
  If anyone questions your pronunciation, simply look them in the eye and say,
"Est-ce que je te demande si ta grand-mere fait du vélo?"
("Do I ask if your grandma rides a bike)?"
  Which really means
Mind Your Own Business.

Now if someone can just teach me how to sing like Edith Piaf
and cook like Paul Bocuse..... I'll have this whole french thing wrapped up.

"Other Cats to Whip", The Book of French Idioms
may be found on Amazon.com
in both Kindle and paperback editions.
Amuse-toi bien!  Enjoy!

No more "stinking it up" in language lab. Learn some fab french phrases.

It's time to climb that mountain.
I feel more confident already.
 
THE CLIMB

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

Songwriters
JESSI ALEXANDER, JON MABE

Published by
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Walt Disney Music Company


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