France

French Slang for Money & Work

5 French slang terms for money & work, each with its meaning, how it is pronounced and an example of it in use.

Slang for cash, cost, employment and effort. Money terms are among the oldest and most durable slang in any language, and often the most regionally specific.

blé

noun · Informal

Money. One of several French food-words for cash, alongside oseille (sorrel) and fric.

bosser

verb · Informal

To work, especially to work hard. Bosser dur is to graft.

boulot

noun · Colloquial · boo-LOH

Work; a job. Métro, boulot, dodo — 'commute, work, sleep' — is the standard French summary of a dreary routine.

fauché

adjective · Informal

Broke, skint. Often intensified: fauché comme les blés — 'broke as the wheat fields', i.e. cut down to nothing.

thune

noun · Informal · TOON

Money, cash.