Homme toutes mains - Honestly I've never heard it.

In the same range, we say 'mandaï' - comes from Lingala and means a servant, ready to do anything asked (but also took the added meaning of being not very gifted...)

You never know, un homme à toutes mains might be a man who's all hands. Different sort of business, though.

My father and his wife were hit by a truck in New York City a couple of years ago. When I asked what happened, the wife told me they were hit by a sanitation vehicle. My response was, oh you mean a garbage truck! She looked absolutely scandalized that I would say that but my father laughed laughed (when she wasn't around that is).

Maybe you know someone who name drops, wears Chanel suits to WalMart (only if she is forced to go there with us because it is very beneath her), oozes class, only knows the best people...and would never dream of being hit by something as lowly as a garbage truck!

"Rectifieur (ouvrier)" means "polisher (blue collar worker)".

Interesting how many posts were triggered by this simple question. And how many among them were truly helpful.

Traveller :
Your definition is not exact either according to this definition. Now since it says there are 55 600 rectifieurs in France, real job description may vary.

So a rectifieur would englobe ouvrier-fraiseur, ouvrier-tourneur as it seems.

We can now veer towards how well paid they are, how their taxes are low (about 20% only) and about why in Godsname women are paid 6% less than men in this category of work.


https://www.salairemoyen.com/salaire...ctifieur_.html

I wish there weren't quite so many faux amis in this whole English-français process, especially with rarely-heard words.

Or often used - the worst 'faux-ami' imho is 'demander' : a lot of french will say 'I demand this or that' because 'demander' is 'to ask' whilst 'to demand' is 'exiger'...

So a french 'demanding' is usually quite polite ... in his head.

> the worst 'faux-ami' imho is 'demander'

<i>préservatif</i> would be a serious contender.

I feel better that the French speakers can't seem to agree (only because my French is simply dreadful). :-). My money is on Kerouac as I think he knows more about English and French than anyone I have encountered.

True about Kerouac.
As for me, in Belgium we don't use that term. Or I'm not aware of it.

Let's not get too enthusiastic about Kerouac.

I think that one faux ami that nearly always trips up English speakers is "éventuellement" ("possibly").

> I think that one faux ami that nearly always trips up
> English speakers is "éventuellement" ("possibly").

Oops. That one got me. And I'd been feeling so pleased knowing that actuellement doesn't mean "actually."

Not a faux ami, but one of the most difficult things for native francophones (at least in my experience having lived with one) is figuring out when to use "teach" and when to use "learn."

Savour and connaître always trip me up--do I understand or do I know?

In most cases, the answer is I neither know nor understand but that's a different problem.

If I had to say something, I'd use 'savoir' more from an intellectual way of knowing (je sais comment faire - I know how to do) and connaître goes more with the memory (I know the way, I know somebody = connaître).

Not 100% sure though, - but then in Belgium 'savoir' is also misused for 'pouvoir' 'Tu sais me donner le sel ?'

BTW : éventuellement is used as eventually in Quebec. Got me quite confused, actually ;-)

Sorry about the typo and thanks for your explanation of the distinction, much clearer than some I've read. I'm always second-guessing myself.