Oh la la!

Did you know the meaning of these common expressions in French?

Credit: Michael McKay

At this point, it is not a secret that a part of the English vocabulary is actually French wearing a trenchcoat. Many of the words and phrases that we use on a daily basis are very similar in use and meaning to their French counterparts; take, for example, words like energy, silhouette, poetic, or machine. However, not all words and phrases of French origin have maintained their meaning or spelling. Let’s have a look at some of them!

Credit: Joshua Hoehne

Let’s start with an example where only the form of the phrase has changed: English speakers use ‘in lieu of’ to talk about something done or said in the place of something else. This phrase is partially translated from the original French, au lieu de, which is used in the same way and with the same meaning.

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If we visit somewhere new, chances are we will bring back a souvenir to remind us of our trip. And that is exactly the meaning of souvenir in French, ‘to remember’, although the word can also be used for a "memento" or "keepsake."

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This phrase could be translated as ‘with a double hearing,’ giving the idea of a thing that can be interpreted in two (usually very different) ways. Modern French uses ‘_à double sens_’ to convey this meaning, instead of the verb entendre (‘to hear’).

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English shares with French the use of this phrase to mean ‘fashionable’. However, it is also used as a culinary term, but with two very different meanings: in English, desserts à la mode are accompanied by ice cream, while in French, the same term might indicate that it was cooked with carrots and onions.

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For English speakers, this word unequivocally means a professional cook. For French speakers, however, a chef would be a cuisinier, and chef would be used to mean ‘chief’, ‘boss’, or ‘head of.’

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The word "premiere" is associated in English with the first performance or screening of a play or film. In French, première simply means ‘first,’ though la première can be used for a first performance.

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Encore means again, so it makes sense that people use this word to request a repeat performance. However, French speakers prefer saying une autre or bis for the same situation.

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Used to refer to a mix or medley of things, this word comes from the French pot-pourri, meaning ‘rotten pot,’ as it was originally used for a pot where flowers were dried for their scent.

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In English, this word is used for a fancy and delicate nightgown, robe, or dressing gown. In French, négligée would be used for a woman who neglects her appearance, and the clothing item would be called négligé (the masculine form of the word) or nuisette.

Credit: David Tomaseti

Meaning ‘seating,’ this word is used by English speakers for an attempt to communicate with the dead, usually with the help of a medium. French speakers use this word to refer to a meeting or a season of any kind.

Catchy tunes

10 TV series with iconic theme songs

Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters

Hundreds of TV series air every year, each with its own theme song, but few manage to stay on everyone’s minds long after they’ve ended. Let’s take a look at 10 theme songs so iconic that they can be recognized instantly!

Mission: Impossible

Credit: Chris Yang

Few spy series have a theme as iconic as the one used for Mission: Impossible. After all, it hasn’t been replaced in the franchise since its debut in 1967. Allegedly written in just 90 seconds by Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin—who was writing for television for the first time—its famous five-beat rhythm mimics the Morse code for "M.I.": dash dash dot dot.

Friends

Credit: Chang Duong

Few people remember who The Rembrandts are, but play "I’ll Be There for You" and the opening sequence of Friends instantly comes to mind. After failing to secure the rights to an R.E.M. song for the sitcom, Warner Bros. turned to The Rembrandts to record the theme we all know and love—a track that has since become a classic in sitcom history.

Get Smart!

Credit: Yohan Marion

Get Smart! may have been a parody of the spy genre so popular in the 1960s, but no one who has seen Maxwell Smart’s car turn the corner at the start of the credits will ever forget that theme song. Although uncredited, the tune was composed by Irving Szathmary, who aimed to create a playful twist on the sleek sounds of James Bond and Mission: Impossible.

Law & Order

Credit: Maxim Hopman

Can a short, repetitive tune convey mystery, tension, and even a hint of menace—and still be instantly recognizable worldwide? The Law & Order theme proves it can. Written by legendary TV composer Mike Post, the jazzy motif anchored all 20 seasons (1990–2010) of the original series and has carried over into its many spin-offs and revivals.

Bonanza

Credit: Taylor Brandon

If you preferred cowboys over spies in the 1960s, chances are you watched the map of the Ponderosa Ranch burst into flames during the opening credits of Bonanza. Written by the duo Jay Livingston and Ray Evans—who also gave us classics like Nat King Cole’s "Mona Lisa" and Doris Day’s "Que Será, Será"—the Bonanza theme gallops along with a guitar rhythm meant to evoke horses’ hooves, and it remains one of the most iconic Western themes of all time.

The Flintstones

Credit: Tina Kuper

Unlike many of the other themes on this list, the tune for The Flintstones actually changed during the show’s run. For the first two seasons, the opening was the instrumental "Rise and Shine," which sounded very similar to the theme of another Hanna-Barbera production, The Bugs Bunny Show. Starting in season three, however, it was replaced with "Meet the Flintstones," a brassy, big-band style tune (allegedly inspired by a Beethoven sonata) that introduced "the modern Stone Age family." Today, it’s the version that remains etched in pop culture.

Seinfeld

Credit: Ilyass SEDDOUG

Seinfeld is classic for countless reasons—and its theme is one of them. Unlike most sitcoms, the opening credits featured Jerry performing stand-up, with jokes that changed from episode to episode. Composer Jonathan Wolff solved this by crafting a flexible theme built around slap-bass riffs and mouth pops that he could adjust each week to match Jerry’s timing and delivery. The result was a constantly evolving theme song that became as unconventional—and memorable—as the show itself.

The X-Files

Credit: Michael Herren

If we’re talking about theme songs that defined a genre, The X-Files can’t be left out. Its haunting soundscape delivers chills through its echoing tones—but did you know it came about by accident? Composer Mark Snow had written the basic melody, but it felt incomplete. Frustrated, he leaned on his keyboard, accidentally triggering a delay effect that created the iconic echo. Paired with his wife’s casual whistling, it evolved into the paranormal anthem of the 1990s.

Game of Thrones

Credit: Marek Studzinski

Let’s turn to one of the most iconic themes of the 21st century. When the show’s creators approached composer Ramin Djawadi, they showed him an early cut of the now-famous credits and gave him just one instruction: avoid flutes and solo vocals, staples of the fantasy genre that felt overused. Djawadi instead built the theme around the cello, giving it a dark, powerful resonance. The result was so unforgettable that it carried over to the prequel series House of the Dragon.

Gilligan’s Island

Credit: Tom Winckels

One of the most beloved sitcoms of the 1960s, Gilligan’s Island also delivered one of the most memorable theme songs in TV history. "The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle" replaced the original tune composed by John Williams for the pilot episode. After the first season, the lyrics were revised—at the express request of Bob Denver, who played Gilligan—to include the secondary characters who hadn’t been mentioned in the original version.