Streetwise French Dictionary/Thesaurus: The User-Friendly Guide t

2,000 "streetwise" expressions put the fun into learning French

The student of French who is câblé (cabled--switched on) will be aux ange (with the angels--over the moon) to discover this fascinating compendium of 2,000 current French colloquial expressions and slang. It features a wealth of exercises and examples as well as tips on where and when to use or not use certain expressions. It all adds up to a rare language tool: one that entertains as it expands vocabulary. Peppered with humorous illustrations by the French illustrator Luc Nisset-Raidon. Thirty-four A-to-Z categories and 130 subcategories with 2,000 terms and expressions, for example:

• Animals--cats, dogs, farmyard animals, wild animals, insects
• Business--banking, business titles, buying and selling, making a deal
• Clothes--fashion models, shoes, sportswear, underwear, vacation clothes
• Discourse, conversations--complaining, greetings, interrupting, saying good-bye

Ian Pickup, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer at the university level.

Rod Hares is an author of French language textbooks.