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French word of the day - Ma biche

The Local France
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French word of the day - Ma biche
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond"

Need to spice up your vocabulary when addressing a lady friend? Here's one with particularly poetic roots.

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Why do I need to know ma biche?

Mon chat (my cat), poulette (little chicken) ma puce (my flea) - ma biche is yet another animal the French have turned into a way of expressing affection for each other. 

What does it mean?

Biche means ‘doe’ in English, but the expression ma biche is more like ‘darling’ or ‘love’.

It’s just for the ladies, but not necessarily for a lover. It can also be used when addressing a friend or family member.

Young French girls actually use it quite a lot between themselves.

However it's not a new expression. Ma biche was popularised in 1963 by the singer Frank Alamo in his song  "Biche ô ma biche."

Biche was here referred to "the softness, elegance and grace of a doe," according to the French online dictionary l'Internaute (so, as we see, it's not an unpleasant nickname to be associated with!)

Are there any alternatives to ma biche?

Yes! Plenty. Have a look here to see our list of favourite French terms of endearment (my little wolf, anyone?)

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