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French word of the day: Grincheux

AFP
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French word of the day: Grincheux
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond"

Here's an expression for people who take lemonade and turn it into lemons.

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Why do I need to know grincheux?

Because, if you live in Paris or are planning to visit the city, you might need it.

What does it mean?

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Grincheux is French for ‘grumpy’. It’s what you would say about someone who is in a particularly ratty mood.

In French, Grumpy - one of Snow White's seven dwarfs - is actually called Grincheux, and when you think about him that pretty much sums up the meaning of the expression.

Quel grincheux ! - What a grump!

If you’re talking about a woman, use grincheuse.

Quelle grincheuse ! - What a grump!
 
If you live in Paris or have been to visit, you will know that the mood is more grincheux than elsewhere in France - perhaps more so than in other capitals too. 
 
Sometimes, just thinking quel grincheux ! can alleviate a little everyday frustration.

Use it like this

C'est dur d'être serveur, il y a tant de clients grincheux.. - It's difficult to be a waiter, there are so many grumpy customers.

Je ne supporte pas ma voisine. À chaque fois que qu’on met de la musique, elle tape ses talons au sol pour signaler qu’on fait trop de bruit. Quelle grincheuse ! - I can't stand my neighbour. Every time we put on music she stomps her heels into the floor to signal that we're being too loud. What a grouch!

Mon grand père est un vrai grincheux, il grogne tout le temps dans son fauteuil. - My grandfather is a real grouch, he grumbles constantly in his chair. 

De grincher, which is the verb for grincheux and can be translated to ‘to grinch’, is rarely used.

Synonyms:

Grognon - grumpy

Ronchon - grumpy 
 
Bougon - grumpy

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Anonymous 2020/06/20 10:10
Stephen

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