The French expression “donner des noms d’oiseau à quelqu’un” translates literally to “to give somebody birds names”. Here are some English meanings:
- to call somebody names
- to insult somebody
- to call somebody every name in the book
The meaning really is simply to insult by calling names. Here’s an example sentence:
- Les gens en avaient tellement marre du president qu’ils on fini par lui donner des noms d’oiseaux. People were so fed up with the president that they ended up calling him every name in the book.
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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
