Pare-Brise du Jour

A First

2008-06-03T11:49:00.002+02:00

I've seen hundreds of flyers under Paris windshield wipers. This is the first round one.

It figures they'd get around to it sooner or later.

Picasso

2008-05-28T18:48:00.003+02:00

It would be nice, I think, to have all cars named Monet, Degas, Da Vinci, Botticelli... the possiblities are endless.

Free-for-All

2008-05-07T17:48:00.004+02:00

Gratuit, of course, means "free" or "given." I like to think of all the other words that come from the Latin gratis: gratuity, gratuitous, congratulations, ingrate.

Not the same as libre, which means "free" as in available or unconstrained: as in liberty, liberate, and so forth.

Jouez

2008-04-20T11:20:00.002+02:00

Music lessons at home. Better tell the neighbors first.

Blavatsky

2008-04-19T13:02:00.001+02:00

????

Puss in Boots

2008-04-13T09:23:00.002+02:00

Perrault's fairy tale "Le Chat Botté" is better known in English as "Puss in Boots." Helpful when trying to understand this flyer.

Pare-Brise de la Semaine?

2008-04-12T09:26:00.004+02:00

Pardon while the posts and flyers become less frequent -- it's bait-and-switch to call this Pare-Brise du Jour and not post anything for a week.

Check out Polly-Vous Francais? for another flyer.

I love the word pneu. Think of pneumatic drills, pneumonia, and the etymology suddenly becomes crystal-clear.

Taj Mahal

2008-04-09T22:47:00.002+02:00

This flyer was under windshield wipers in the 18e arrondissement. Perhaps trying to make a visual connection to Sacre Coeur?

Melt with Pleasure...

2008-03-22T22:15:00.000+01:00

... in the spots that you want.

Bikini season is on the horizon.

S'il te plait...

2008-03-02T17:32:00.002+01:00

Of course, "S'il te plait, dessine-moi un mouton..." is a classic line from Le Petit Prince.

Cheminees anciennes

2008-02-29T14:53:00.002+01:00

That would change your apartment from parquet, moulures, cheminees to just parquet moulures...

Municipal Elections

2008-02-28T14:44:00.003+01:00

Lots of campaign flyers on windshields in the past weeks. This is a non-partisan blog, so I'm including them all. But these are just the flyers from windshields; it doesn't include the hand-outs on street corners.

Talky

2008-02-15T12:00:00.002+01:00

Forfait is another one of those faux amis. It means "plan," i.e., a calling plan or package. Not forfeit.

Celebrate Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T16:34:00.000+01:00

With hizzoner and friends.

La Saint Valentin

2008-02-12T13:02:00.000+01:00

It takes two, baby.

Mincir Durablement

2008-02-11T19:15:00.001+01:00

I see Cellu M6 promoted a lot. Haven't been there, haven't done that.

Yet.

Haute Gastronomie

2008-02-09T09:22:00.000+01:00

I delighted in the words haute gastronomie with the mountain peaks in the background. That's what I call really haute.

Rhymes with...

2008-02-07T10:29:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure how to pronounce lingot. More like bingo or mango? T or no T?

Studyrama

2008-02-06T12:05:00.000+01:00

The word formation always catches me off guard. I know it means training, but I still think "formation."

Cafe debat

2008-02-05T19:51:00.000+01:00

Today is Super Tuesday in the US.

And French municipal elections are coming up in March.

It's a lot of work, keeping up with candidates, issues, and parties on two sides of the Pond. I better go do my homework .

Optez pour la tranquillite

2008-02-03T11:01:00.001+01:00

Of course, an added benefit of parking in a garage is that you don't get a collection of advertising flyers cluttering your windshield...

Culture

2008-02-01T06:36:00.000+01:00

France is full of culture, but not just with a capital C.
Puericulture, agriculture, viticulture, ostréiculture, myticulture.
And my favorite, conchyliculture.

Which reminds me of the Dorothy Parker quip about horticulture.

Real Estate

2008-01-31T08:47:00.000+01:00

I think the prices are stabilizing in Paris. These are from a few months ago. For a long time I confused mètres carrés with mètres carrés Carrez.

But anything with the prefix or suffix immo most certainly has to do with real estate.

Poncer. Not Penser. Not Panser, either

2008-01-30T18:33:00.001+01:00

Poncer is one of those French words that, despite years of French literature study, I just wasn't familiar with. It means "to sand," i.e. with sandpaper. Ponçage de parquet is sanding wooden floors.

It's Never Too Early...

2008-01-17T10:37:00.000+01:00

..to get ready for bathing suit season. I guess.

I know about PowerPlate, but what's that box?

Help is on the Way

2008-01-16T09:14:00.000+01:00

Dunno why -- I love the word ordi (ordinateur) for a computer.
Some people name their computers.

But oh, "mon ordi." Who needs to give it a nickname?

Not a Parking Ticket

2008-01-15T04:30:00.000+01:00

An updated version of the windshield flyer for the driving school. Same shape and color as before. Not like the other flyers; it looks kind of like... a Parisian parking ticket!

Think about it. Same target market.

Sushi Shop, Sushi Ship

2008-01-14T16:09:00.000+01:00

By far the most elegant windshield flyer to date. A glossy, three-fold pamphlet with menus and all. And they deliver, until 11 pm.

Increase Your Income

2008-01-13T19:04:00.000+01:00

Work at home and be your own boss!

Oh, wait, I am my own boss.

Do Drop In

2008-01-08T10:23:00.000+01:00

Une halte-garderie is drop-in day care for the kiddos. (As compared with une creche, which is regular day care.) I think I 've got that right.

Reservée aux Particuliers

2008-01-04T09:22:00.000+01:00

"Particulier" is one of my favorite English/French faux amis. It means individual. A cours particulier is a private lesson. A hotel particulier is a large town house. In English, of course, we've taken "particular" to mean special, or even fussy. It all boils down to the original "particle."

In this case it means "Just for individual customers," as opposed to wholesalers, who presumably are gnashing their teeth to get in.

Bonne Annee

2008-01-01T14:08:00.000+01:00

For help with your New Year's resolutions...

Respecter Votre Ville

2007-12-26T09:48:00.000+01:00

Most of these frequent windshield fliers have a small notice: Respecter votre ville, ne rien jeter sur la voie publique. Essentially, "Respect your city; don't litter."

But...?

Musical Moments

2007-12-23T22:53:00.000+01:00

For the bambini.

Screwdriver

2007-12-22T11:52:00.001+01:00

A long time ago when a French exchange student was staying with my family, I asked him how to say "screwdriver" in French. His brow furrowed, he reflected for a moment, then replied, "auto-école."

Actually, un tournevis is a screwdriver. Auto-école is driving school. But I like the possibilities.

Do you think..

2007-12-21T18:57:00.000+01:00

...that they could even help computer-challenged moi learn how to use my ordi? Nice -- in the privacy of my own home!

Work at Home!

2007-12-20T14:21:00.000+01:00

A great deal of frost on the Paris windshields this morning encrusting these fliers. Brrr. On freezing mornings like this I'm glad to be working from home.

Noel de la Forme

2007-12-19T23:33:00.001+01:00

Decorate yourself for Christmas... get in shape?

Prestige du 7eme

2007-12-17T12:29:00.000+01:00

These fliers have made a comeback this month.

The imperative

2007-12-16T06:07:00.000+01:00

When I taught French, my students always asked "When would you use the impératif of être [to be]? Sois, soyons soyez... Voilà!

A Wrinkle this Time

2007-12-15T18:33:00.000+01:00

It was pouring when I grabbed this one, so it wrinkled pretty badly in my pocket.

Ahhhh

2007-12-14T20:19:00.000+01:00

Stressed out by the holidaze? Here's one way to relax. Detente.

Whaddaya waitin' for, Christmas?

2007-12-13T16:16:00.000+01:00

"Are you waiting for Christmas to fit into your little black dress?"

Sing in the Shower

2007-12-09T10:41:00.000+01:00

or the living room.

Awake your hidden talents

2007-12-04T14:50:00.000+01:00

This is (fresh) off the windshield this morning.

Indian Cuisine

2007-12-02T21:35:00.000+01:00

Autorisation prefectorale

2007-11-21T14:00:00.000+01:00

You do the Math

2007-11-17T20:03:00.000+01:00

Tennis, anyone?

2007-11-15T00:19:00.001+01:00

The word tennis came from the French word tenez, to hold. As in a racquet.

And the scoring term love comes from l'oeuf -- the egg. Zero.

Body Story

2007-11-14T11:30:00.000+01:00

I love the fact that a French manicure is called "une French."

Volunteering

2007-11-13T06:07:00.000+01:00

Special reduced price for under age 26. Only 30€ for four months of traning for volunteering? I don't know what to make of this whole flyer.

In them thar hills

2007-11-12T17:39:00.000+01:00

So far the themes in the windshield flyers seem to be self-improvement and money.

Bayrou

2007-11-11T09:21:00.000+01:00

Last March seems like such a long time ago.

From Here to Irony

2007-11-10T09:46:00.000+01:00

What I like about these, in addition to having a glossary of exercise options, is the irony that you can have all this exercise delivered to you-- you don't have to budge and inch.

Cure for Wash-Day Blues

2007-11-09T16:58:00.000+01:00

This came from a windshield in Boulogne. Maybe it's only for suburbanite laundry help.

Chicken or Egg?

2007-11-08T09:47:00.000+01:00

Where's my Rubber Ducky?

2007-11-07T21:19:00.000+01:00

Big Ben

2007-11-06T18:13:00.000+01:00

Débarras is the word for a clean-out service. Attics, basements, and the like. Bon débarras! means "good riddance!"

Wouldn't want to get rid of Bigues Bennes, 'cause his puns are too fun. His name really is Bigues.

Carpet Sales

2007-11-06T06:49:00.001+01:00

These are pretty common in Paris. This was from a few months ago, so don't try to go buy a rug there this weekend.

If Hemingway were alive

2007-11-05T10:28:00.000+01:00

I'd vote to check it out simply because they know how to use the subjunctive properly.

Gee, I hope it's a nice place. Otherwise it would be the Swan Dive.

Introducing Pare-Brise du Jour

2007-11-04T13:02:00.000+01:00

pare-brise: n. masc. windshield, windscreen

Every day I see flyers stuck under windshield wipers in cars parked along the street.

I don't know why, but I've been collecting them for over a year now. A slice of Paris life. Now it's show and tell time. One a day, usually... I'll start off with a few.

Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in or knowledge of the services or products promoted in these flyers.