French Word of the Day: Flasher
You'll definitely want to understand the difference between the English version and the French version for this word.
Why do I need to know flasher?
Because when you might be curious why French newspapers are writing about the number of “serial flasheurs” on the country’s roads.
What does it mean?
Flasher – roughly pronounced flah-shay – looks a lot like the English word for someone who has exposed themselves in public, but its French definition is something different entirely.
In English, the word also refers to taking a picture, but the French definition takes it one step further. While the verb flasher has a French few definitions, one of the most common is “to photograph a speeding vehicle.”
For this reason, it is not uncommon to see radar devices referred to as flasheurs, and for the sentence “d’être flashé” (to be flashed) to mean something entirely different in French than in English.
Recently, several French regions have begun experimenting with mobile radar devices - cameras attached to private vehicles which roam France’s motorways. This has been met with some negative reactions from drivers, who have denounced them as “serial flasheurs” - devices incentivised to take the maximum amount of pictures of speeding drivers as possible, sometimes (in their view) unfairly.
The word can also be used to describe putting a spotlight on something or someone, and in less formal contexts, it can also be used to describe suddenly becoming passionate about something or someone, like love at first sight. For instance, you could say that “The man fell head over heels for the new model of the iPhone” (Il flashe sur un nouveau modèle d'iPhone).
Use it like this
J'ai été flashé en conduisant il y a quelques mois, mais je n'ai reçu mon amende qu'aujourd'hui. – I was snapped speeding while driving a few months ago, but I only just got my fine today.
Tout ce qu'ils veulent faire, c'est maximiser le nombre de flashs. Je ne suis pas d'accord avec cette façon de contrôler la vitesse. – All they want to do is maximise the number of speeding infractions registered. I don't agree with this way of enforcing speed limits.
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Why do I need to know flasher?
Because when you might be curious why French newspapers are writing about the number of “serial flasheurs” on the country’s roads.
What does it mean?
Flasher – roughly pronounced flah-shay – looks a lot like the English word for someone who has exposed themselves in public, but its French definition is something different entirely.
In English, the word also refers to taking a picture, but the French definition takes it one step further. While the verb flasher has a French few definitions, one of the most common is “to photograph a speeding vehicle.”
For this reason, it is not uncommon to see radar devices referred to as flasheurs, and for the sentence “d’être flashé” (to be flashed) to mean something entirely different in French than in English.
Recently, several French regions have begun experimenting with mobile radar devices - cameras attached to private vehicles which roam France’s motorways. This has been met with some negative reactions from drivers, who have denounced them as “serial flasheurs” - devices incentivised to take the maximum amount of pictures of speeding drivers as possible, sometimes (in their view) unfairly.
The word can also be used to describe putting a spotlight on something or someone, and in less formal contexts, it can also be used to describe suddenly becoming passionate about something or someone, like love at first sight. For instance, you could say that “The man fell head over heels for the new model of the iPhone” (Il flashe sur un nouveau modèle d'iPhone).
Use it like this
J'ai été flashé en conduisant il y a quelques mois, mais je n'ai reçu mon amende qu'aujourd'hui. – I was snapped speeding while driving a few months ago, but I only just got my fine today.
Tout ce qu'ils veulent faire, c'est maximiser le nombre de flashs. Je ne suis pas d'accord avec cette façon de contrôler la vitesse. – All they want to do is maximise the number of speeding infractions registered. I don't agree with this way of enforcing speed limits.
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