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French expression of the day: Se prendre une cuite

The Local France
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French expression of the day: Se prendre une cuite
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

It’s something we all occasionally do on a Friday.

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Why do I need to know se prendre une cuite?

French people tend to use a whole range of expressions daily that you would never learn in a classroom.

That's why, as staunch readers of this column will know, we at The Local take your French slang language education very seriously. 

Here's another one to add to your vocabulary.

What does it mean?

Se prendre une cuite is a common French way of saying you are, have been or are planning on getting irresponsibly drunk.

On se prend une cuite ce soir! - Let's get wasted tonight!

Je me suis pris une grosse cuite ce week-end, je suis mort - I got so smashed this weekend, I'm dying.

Ca faisait longtemps qu'elle ne s'était pas prise une telle cuite  - She hadn't been that hammered in a long time.

READ ALSO: Seven phrases to help you fit in on a night out in France

You might have guessed it already, but se prendre une cuite has a link to the word cuisson ('cook'), so slightly similar to saying got 'toasted' as a synonym for drunkenness.

Alternatives

While Brits may be the kings and queens of binge drinking, getting drunk à la française offers a whole lot more of linguistic variation.

The list of expressions is seemingly never-ending. Topito, a French website, has gathered no less than 35 different ways of 'getting hammered' in French. 

Se boire la gueulle is perhaps one of the most common ways, but s'éclater la tronche, s'arracher la face, se prendre une caisse or se la coller, are other classics.

Beware that these are all very colloquial, so if you are getting drunk with the boss, you might want to stick with j'ai trop bu - 'I had too much to drink'.
 
Alternatively, just drink enough water to not need this article at all.

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