chou

I.

n. m.

1. 'Bean', 'bonce', head. Je vois lui rentrer dans le chou! I'm going to knock his block off! En avoir ras le chou: To be 'fed-up to here', to be 'fed-up to the back teeth', to be sick and tired of something. Se creuser le chou: To rack one's brains. Ne rien avoir dans le chou: To have nothing up-top. Ça m'est sorti du chou: I clean forgot! — It slipped my mind! Se monter le chou:

  a To 'kid oneself', to delude oneself.

  b To 'get into a lather', to work oneself into a frenzy.

2. Feuilles de chou: 'Flappers', 'flaps', ears. Ouvre tes feuilles de chou! Pin back your lug-holes! — Now listen carefully!

3. Aller planter ses choux: To opt out and retire from the rat-race.

4. Planter un chou (of train): To break down in the middle of nowhere.

5. Sauter sur le chou à quelqu'un: To pounce on someone.

6. Etre dans les choux:

  a To be 'in a fix', to be in a difficult situation. Ton projet, il est dans les choux: That idea of yours is up the spout! Grâce à toi, je suis dans les choux! A fine mess you've got me into!

  b (Horse racing): To be trailing with the tailenders, to be amongst the last past the post.

7. Chou pour chou: Word for word, verbatim. J'ai eu droit à son histoire trois fois, chou pour chou! He inflicted three carbon-copy narrations of the story on me!

8. C'est bête comme chou: It's as easy as pie—It couldn't be simpler.

9. Faire chou blanc: To 'draw a blank', to be unsuccessful.

10. En faire ses choux gras: To 'make a good thing of it', to do well out of something.

11. Faites-en des choux raves! You do what you like with it, it's no skin off my nose!

12. Mon chou (term of endearment): My lovey-dovey My pet—My darling.

II.

adj. 'Divine', absolutely marvellous. Son appartement est d'un chou! She's got the most gorgeous little flat!