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French expression of the day: Faire la tournée des grands-ducs

The Local France
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French expression of the day: Faire la tournée des grands-ducs
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Do you party like a grand-duke?

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Why do I need to know faire la tournée des grands-ducs?

Because there are never enough ways to say you’ve partied hard and expensively.

What does it mean?

It literally means ‘[To do a] tour of the Grand Dukes’, and it means that you partied like it was 1999, 2000 and 2001 all rolled into one. 

Or, more accurately, like it was 1899 … After all, it refers to lavish parties thrown by wealthy members of the Russian nobility on their regular stays in Paris in the 19th century.

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They liked to spend money travelling and partying in the great European capitals, especially in the City of Light, a popular destination for aristocrats at that time.

They went from cabaret to cabaret, bars, restaurants and stately pleasure domes, spending huge amounts of money. 

Think ‘having a night on the town’, or ‘painting the town red’ and you get the general idea.

Use it like this

Elle fait la tournée des grands ducs - she is having a night on the town

Notre tournée des grands ducs commence ce soir chez Emma à 20 heures - our big night out starts at Emma's at 8pm

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