parleyvoo

parleyvoo

A French tourist tries to parleyvoo with a local shopkeeper.

Definition

  1. Noun (humorous, dated):

    • The French language: "parleyvoo" is a playful, anglicized rendering of the French phrase parlez-vous ("do you speak"), used to refer to the French language in a jocular or mocking way.
    • A French person: It can also be used as a light-hearted or derogatory term for a French person.

  2. Verb (humorous, dated):

    • To speak French: "parleyvoo" means to speak in the French language, often with a sense of mockery or imitation of French pronunciation.
Usage Examples

  • Noun:

    • He came back from Paris speaking nothing but parleyvoo. (He returned speaking only French, in a humorous tone.)
    • The soldiers joked about the parleyvoos they met on the battlefield. (They referred to French people in a mocking way.)

  • Verb:

    • She tried to parleyvoo with the waiter, but her accent was terrible. (She attempted to speak French, but poorly.)
Advanced Usage

  • "to parleyvoo" (verb): used in literary or historical contexts to mock or caricature French speakers.

    • The English tourists would parleyvoo loudly in the café, thinking it sounded sophisticated. (They spoke French in an exaggerated, affected manner.)

  • "parleyvoo" as a noun: often appears in 19th- and early 20th-century English texts as a slang term.

    • He knew a few words of parleyvoo from his time in the war. (He knew a little French from his military service.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Parley-vous (archaic spelling): the direct French phrase parlez-vous ("do you speak"), sometimes written in English texts.

    • The sign read "Parley-vous français?" (A humorous sign asking "Do you speak French?")

  • Parley (n): a conference or discussion, especially between opposing sides (from French parler, "to speak"). Related but distinct in meaning.

    • The generals called for a parley to negotiate a truce. (A formal discussion.)
Synonyms
  • French (n): the language of France (neutral term).
  • Gallic (adj): relating to France or the French (formal or literary).
  • Frog (n, slang, derogatory): a derogatory term for a French person.
Related Idioms

  • "All Greek to me": something incomprehensible (not directly related, but similar in tone to mocking a foreign language).

    • When he started speaking parleyvoo, it was all Greek to me. (I understood nothing of the French.)

  • "Pardon my French": an apology for swearing (a pun on the stereotype of French as a vulgar language).

    • He let out a string of curses, then said "pardon my parleyvoo." (A humorous twist on the idiom.)