Why do I need to know avoir la bougeotte?
Because most people get this feeling at some point in their lives.
What does it mean?
Avoir la bougeotte, pronounced av-war lah booj-ott, is an expression that conveys a feeling of being restless, wanting to shake things up or having itchy feet. It can also be used to describe someone who is on the move, fidgety, hyperactive or has difficulty staying in one place (either physically or mentally) for an extended period of time.
A French headline in 2016 read Avoir la bougeotte est bon pour la santé – the subsequent article cited a scientific study that found that fidgeting and jiggling around at the workplace or on planes was good for circulation.
The expression comes from the verbe bouger (to move).
Use it like this
Ils ont la bougeotte – They have itchy feet
Alors que faire à 73 ans quand on a toujours la bougeotte? – What can you do when you are 73 and want to move on?
Cinq ans plus tard, il a de nouveau la bougeotte – Five years later, he has itchy feet again
Elle commençait à avoir la bougeotte – She started having itchy feet
Synonyms
There are a range of words that can convey a similar meaning:
Gigoter – to wiggle/finish
Remuer – to shake-up
Agité – agitated
Tourmenté – tormented
Bouger sans arrêt – to move without stopping
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When I got the email announcing this word today, there wasn’t enough time to read it. A little while later the boss of the kitchen shop arrived to take measurements for the granite worktops. We said positive things about the salesman who had helped us with designing our new kitchen. Then the kitchen shop boss said that young man had left his business, and used the word bougeotte. We didn’t know what it meant so I looked it up in the Local this evening, and understood what it meant in that context. Thanks Local, for teaching us contemporary words in French!