poil

n. m.

1. Un poil: A teeny-weeny bit. Il s'en est fallu d'un poil! It was as near as damn it! — It was a close thing!

2. Au poil: Perfect, absolutely superb. Le dîner qu'elle nous a servi était vraiment au poil: There's only one word to describe the meal she served us-fantastic! (also: au petit poil).

3. Au poil! Great! — Smashing! —Fantastic! Tu viens ce soir?¼Au poil! You coming tonight? ¼Great!

4. Au quart de poil: Exactly, to perfection. Le moulin de ma bagnole est réglé au quart de poil: The engine on my car is tuned spot-on. (This is not so much a case of splitting hairs as of getting details right to the breadth of a hair.)

5. A poil: 'In one's birthday suit', 'starkers', naked. Se mettre à poil: To strip off.

6. Etre à poil et à plume: To be 'AC/DC', to have bisexual tendencies.

7. Avoir un poil dans la main: To be consistently work-shy.

8. Avoir du poil au cul: To be 'gutsy', 'plucky', to be brave (also: ne pas avoir froid aux yeux).

9. Tomber sur le poil de quelqu'un:

  a (fig.): To 'go for' someone, to lam into someone.

  b To 'land on' someone, to arrive at an inopportune moment. Dès qu'on est seuls, il nous tombe sur le poil: We can never enjoy a few minutes together, without him landing on our doorstep.

10. Etre de bon/mauvais poil: To be in a good/bad mood. Le lundi il est toujours de mauvais poil! After the weekend, he's as grumpy as hell!

11. Reprendre du poil de la bête:

  a (of patient): To 'pick up again', to get better.

  b To take heart after a setback.

12. Poil au nez!—Poil au cul!—Poil au pied!, etc.

These expressions, in interjectory form, are usually uttered by hecklers. The aim of the would-be wit is to get the last syllable of any given sentence to rhyme with the last word of these interjections, giving something like:¼ c'est ce que nous avons décidé!—Poil au nez! or¼ le temps qu'il nous faut.—Poil au dos! The ultimate for receptive audiences and hecklers alike is to get an 'u' ending when the inevitable Poil au cul!. is greeted by roars and jibes.