Published July 22, 2020 • Updated October 20, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Avoir la gueule de bois meaning
Avoir la gueule de bois is a French expression meaning “to have a hangover” or “to be hungover.” The literal translation is “to have a wooden mouth.” This informal expression describes the unpleasant effects of drinking too much alcohol. For example, “J’ai la gueule de bois” (I have a hangover). The noun gueule is an informal word for “mouth” or “face.”
Avoir la gueule de bois pronunciation
The IPA pronunciation of avoir la gueule de bois is /a.vwaʁ la ɡœl də bwa/, which sounds approximately like “ah-vwahr lah guhl duh bwah.”
Avoir la gueule de bois example sentences
Sylvie a trop bu hier soir. Quand elle s’est levée ce matin, elle a eu la gueule de bois et elle a vomi partout.
Sylvie drank too much last night. She was hungover and vomited everywhere when she woke up this morning.
Les symptômes de la gueule de bois sont le mal de tête et la bouche sèche.
Symptoms of a hangover are a headache and dry mouth.
Le meilleur remède à la gueule de bois est de ne pas consommer d’alcool.
The best remedy for a hangover is to not consume alcohol.
🪶 Expression origin
The French expression avoir la gueule de bois goes back to the 18th century. Gueule is a French slang word for mouth and comes from the Latin word gula (throat, neck, gullet, maw). The word bois (wood) is a metaphor for the hangover symptom of the stiffness and dryness of the tongue.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- une cuite — a drinking binge
- être bourré(e) — to be drunk
- être pompette — to be tipsy
- se saouler — to get drunk
- l’ivresse (f.) — drunkenness
- un mal de tête — a headache
- avoir la nausée — to feel nauseous
- vomir — to vomit
- dessoûler — to sober up
- un lendemain difficile — a rough morning after
📚 Related lessons
👉 la gueule (mouth, slang) »
👉 l’alcool (alcohol) »
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