French Word of the Day: Tocard
This French word is a good one for the next time you want to complain about a person you dislike.
Why do I need to know tocard?
Because you might expect this French word to describe a chef - given their iconic hat, the toque - but it has an entirely different meaning.
What does it mean?
Tocard - roughly pronounced toe-carr- has several meanings in French, but you are most likely to hear it used as an insult, basically to mean ‘loser’.
This version of the word technically describes someone as ‘inept or incapable’ in addition to having no principles. As you can imagine, this usage is rather colloquial, so you might want to avoid using it in formal settings.
As for the origins of the word, there are a few theories. A common one is that it is a combination of the word ‘toc’ which can mean a piece of jewellery without worth - not to be confused with the chef’s hat, which is toque - coupled with the suffix ‘-ard’ which often gives a pejorative sense to a word, usually to describe a person.
Tocard can also be used to describe someone who either done or said something in a thoughtless or off-colour way.
The final definition of the word, which might help explain how it has come to mean ‘loser’ has to do with race horses. For decades, equestrians have described horses with little chance of winning a race as les tocards.
If you want a synonym for tocard, you might describe someone as nul. Some French people - usually younger folks - will even use the English word ‘loser’ (though with a French intonation).
Use it like this
C'est un vrai tocard, ce type. Il a complètement raté sa présentation.. – That guy is a real loser. He completely botched his presentation.
Comment peut-on voter pour ce tocard ? Qu'a-t-il accompli ? – How can anyone vote for this loser? What has he accomplished?
Comments
See Also
Why do I need to know tocard?
Because you might expect this French word to describe a chef - given their iconic hat, the toque - but it has an entirely different meaning.
What does it mean?
Tocard - roughly pronounced toe-carr- has several meanings in French, but you are most likely to hear it used as an insult, basically to mean ‘loser’.
This version of the word technically describes someone as ‘inept or incapable’ in addition to having no principles. As you can imagine, this usage is rather colloquial, so you might want to avoid using it in formal settings.
As for the origins of the word, there are a few theories. A common one is that it is a combination of the word ‘toc’ which can mean a piece of jewellery without worth - not to be confused with the chef’s hat, which is toque - coupled with the suffix ‘-ard’ which often gives a pejorative sense to a word, usually to describe a person.
Tocard can also be used to describe someone who either done or said something in a thoughtless or off-colour way.
The final definition of the word, which might help explain how it has come to mean ‘loser’ has to do with race horses. For decades, equestrians have described horses with little chance of winning a race as les tocards.
If you want a synonym for tocard, you might describe someone as nul. Some French people - usually younger folks - will even use the English word ‘loser’ (though with a French intonation).
Use it like this
C'est un vrai tocard, ce type. Il a complètement raté sa présentation.. – That guy is a real loser. He completely botched his presentation.
Comment peut-on voter pour ce tocard ? Qu'a-t-il accompli ? – How can anyone vote for this loser? What has he accomplished?
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.