![]() ![]() “The first solution seems to be more suitable than the second.” “Touché!” Touché ! Coulé !Ĭontrary to what one might think, the interjection “touché” is actually used very little in everyday language in France. ➡️ “La première solution me semble plus adaptée que la seconde.” “ Touché !” “We say “if I had” and not “if I would have”!” “ Touché !” ➡️ “On dit “si j’avais” et non “si j’aurais” !” “ Touché !” “You don’t need to take the test since you’ve already validated that subject.” “Touché!” ➡️ “Tu n’as pas besoin de passer le test puisque tu as déjà validé cette matière.” “ Touché !” When used, it can be used to refer to an action, a sentence, or a consequence of any kind. It is then used by the person conceding the point. When the word is used alone, “touché” is an interjection that means that something has achieved its purpose. ![]() Reaching an object or a person through the shot of a projectile (La fléchette a touché le centre de la cible = The dart hit the center of the target).The emotion we have towards someone, or the emotion we create in someone (Ses excuses m’ont touché…= His apology touched me…).Physical access to a place (Notre bateau a touché terre il y a de ça une heure = Our boat touched down an hour ago).Brief and important communication with one or more people (Le PDG lui en a touché deux mots hier = The CEO had a word with him yesterday).The receipt of a certain amount of money (Il a enfin touché son salaire = He finally received his salary).Hand contact with something or someone (Elle m’a touché l’épaule = She touched my shoulder ).Based on its definition, “touché” can be used to mean: However, the term has many meanings in French. “Touché” is the past participle of the verb “toucher”, which literally translates to “to touch” in English. Today, we’re going to show you the different meanings of the word “touché”, the expressions that derive from it, as well as the various ways in which it is used in France and abroad. The word is perhaps a relic of a more formal time, but lives on nonetheless perhaps because its noble sounding vibe offers something unique.Like many French expressions, the word “touché” has been widely exported internationally, so much so that you will hear it used more often by English speakers than by French speakers. Q: So it’s really more like “you SUNK my battleship!”Ī: Yep. Most importantly, “touché” typically brings the exchange to a close – the speaker acknowledging what was said as a worthy final blow. Q: So, to recap, it’s really just a fancy way of saying “I’ll pay that”, “sick burn” or “good point” in response to a witty reply or an astute observation?Ī: It is. So, you say it much like a tennis player might clap the opponent for a good shot?Ī: Exactly! It’s a form of etiquette that adds a level of civility to the discourse and in a “battle of wits”, it is the acknowledgement of a worthy hit.Ī: Yes, dinner party conversation is just like marine warfare. What Macquarie Dictionary describes as “a telling remark or rejoinder”. And it works in a similar way, except instead of a touch from a sabre, the speaker is acknowledging a different sort of hit. And seeing as dinner parties do seem to make up approximately 92% of all occurrences of “touché!”, we should explain the broader meaning.Ī: It actually didn’t take long to manifest – recorded from 1907, just 10 years after the sporting term. Q: That’s all very well, but there aren’t a lot of sabres at dinner parties.Ī: Yes, well observed. So the person doing the hitting doesn’t announce it?Ī: No, it’s the receiver. In this case, it was the past participle of “toucher” – essentially the English equivalent would be saying “I have been hit/touched”. The word “touché” followed soon after in English – first appearing in 1897 as the acknowledgement of a hit during a fencing match.Ī: Precisely. Well, fencing as a sport took hold during the 1700s, but it was the first Modern Olympics in 1896 that elevated it. He almost went to the Olympics.Ī: Oh! Okay. ![]() My Uncle Dwayne owns a farm and spends most of his days fencing.Ī: Actually, we mean the combat sport of fencing, with weapons such as sabres or foils. ![]() “To hit” is the clue here – it actually comes from fencing. It’s where we get the English word “touch” from – all the way back in the early 1300s.Ī: It’s much newer. The word comes from Old French “touchier” – meaning to hit. It’s French? Something to do with touching?Ī: That’s mostly correct. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness.
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