babtou
n.— «Verlan’s purview extends beyond French: In reporting on the recent unrest, Peter was interested to hear black teens use the word babtou. It was the “verlanization” of a West African term, toubab, meaning white person.» —“Reports on the Job” in France ABC News Nov. 28, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...
Louis in Reno, Nevada, grew up in Montreal, Canada, speaking Québécois French. His father was fond of saying j’aime vacher le matin, puis je prends mon temps, meaning “I like to loaf and take my time in the morning.” Vacher comes...