As for the other formulation, generally the French just say "des goûts et des couleurs..." and stop there, because everybody knows the full expression (which is too long!).

Just because your son has never heard the expression does not mean it does not exist. My "French son" does not know some expressions I use and I am not yet "archaic" !

I do not know the French equivalent of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style but I know that their work was not based on tattoos.

<i>Chacun à son goût</i> would mean the same thing in its written form but could not be distinguished from <i>chacun a son goût</i>--which does not mean the same thing--in speech.

StCirq, lucky you, I recollect Sr. Mary Joel rapping someone's knuckles with her wooden ruler over this. (Childhood wounds still healing...)

BC

Bookchick, I don't remember the Thibault family using that expression. (If they had, I might have learned it in its proper order.)

In my French class today I learned about 15 ways to say, "That's too expensive." Based on how frugal the people are in SW France, I would guess there are many more expressions to convey this sentiment.

My favorite from this morning, with apologies for missing accents, for the fact that I can't read my own writing and for providing a probably too literal translation:

"Ca coute la peau des fesses."

That costs as much as the skin on butt cheeks.

ca me ne derange pas.

I think Palenque's son is just incorrect in this instance. I hear the phrase all the time in France, and it definitely means to each his (own) taste.>

yes but apparently younger folk may not ever have heard it - he grew up in France, went to Lycee and even yes got honors on the French BAC - he may be incorrect that it is not used but he is surely right in that he never heard it and to him it sounds ridiculous. Obviously it is used but i suspect not by younger folk.

Is your son still fairly young? The expression implies that we should be tolerant of others' tastes, and such tolerance seems to me to be less common among the young.

he's 26 and very tolerant - just said that is a phrase he has never heard and which sounded ridiculous to him - nothing to do with tolerance, etc.

All I meant is that it might not have been in use among his peers. I did not mean to suggest anything about him.

exactly - i just thought it weird when after Kerouac's post i read it to him - thinking he would concur and was flummoxed at his response - obviously an age thing or maybe Orleans is in a language warp? He claims that 'pure French' is that spoken in the Loire Valley - Tourraine - and i've heard that too - so maybe it is too pure? Anyway i do not know but i know Kerouac knows what he talking about and you too - well i actually don't know linguistically but from your posts, etc.

The Loire is widely acknowledged as the place where the "purest" French is spoken (whatever that means), but it's certainly not in a language "warp." And even if he has never heard of the expression, it makes no sense to say it sounds ridiculous, because the syntax is perfectly clear, as is the concept.

Wow, my colloquialisms are obsolete in both English and French. I'm starting to feel rather archaic myself. Too depressing to contemplate, I think I'll go take my nap now.

I've definitely heard the expression "à chacun son goût" used in France (and not only by the older generation). I'm 38 by the way.

I suspect it's simply regional. In the UK we have a huge number of regional words and expressions, some of which eventually extended nationwide, others which never did.

I find it odd that P's son would describe a phrase he'd not heard as sounding ridiculous to him rather than simply unfamiliar. Shrug.

<i>"Ca coute la peau des fesses."

That costs as much as the skin on butt cheeks.</i>

rather, you'll be flayed to the flesh, or "it costs an arm and a leg."

By the way, I think many of you would love this food blogger's list (and explanations) of edible idioms - that is to say quirky French idioms with a food theme.

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/arch...nch_idioms.php

! asked friends in the Vienne and Provence.
Both said a chacun son gout and one added chacun a son propre gout

I think Palenque's son might have read it off Robbie Williams' chest. ;)

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/id...-with-abba.jpg