The Alternative Breton Dictionary
The Alternative Breton Dictionary
Breton slang - a part of
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- b
- Boulc'hurun !
Good Lord !
Other translations : "Jesus !", etc. Lit: "Thunder bowl !", the equivalent of th French "Tonnerre de Brest !" or the German "Donnerwetter !".
- bramm (noun, masc.)
- +
flatulence (noisy)
Breton proverb : "Bramm hep trouz na c'hwezh, a zo labour difrouezh" : "A flatulence which is neither noisy nor stinky is a useless job".
- brammañ
- +
to make a flatulence (noisily), to fart
Example : "Te eo 'n deus brammet, loen flaerius ?": "Is that you that farted, you stinky beast ?". No comment.
- brammer (noun)
- +
sb. who spends his time hanging around, doing nothing special.
Example : "Sell 'ta ouzh ar brammer kozh, o vont da lippañ ur banne" : "Look at that old fart, he's going to the pub"
- brammig (noun)
- -
kid
Frequently used talking to very youg children (3 to 6 years old). "Pe oad out, brammig ?" : "How old are you, sonny ?"
- c
- c'hoari koukou (verbal phrase)
fornicate, make love
Barely a slang phrase, rather weak and old-fashioned. More gentle, though, than the verb "fouzhañ".
- d
- droug-blev (noun)
hangover
Also see "mezv", "reorad", "foñsad". Example : "Ma 'vefes ket bet mezv-dall derc'h, 'vefes ket o klemm gant an droug blev hiziv" "If you had'nt been pissed like a newt yesterday, you would'n be complaining about your hangover today"
- f
- fouzhañ
to copulate, to make love
non-transitive verb. "Fouzhañ gant unan bennak", to copulate with sb., to make love to sb.
- foñsad (noun, masc.)
inebriation, piss
See "reorad".
- g
- gast (noun, f; plural 'gisti')
- +
bitch
As in English, it both means a female dog and a prostitute, although the first sense has now faded away. "E Lannbaeron, n'eus ken met gisti ha laeron !"(notice the rime in "-aeron"): "In Landebaeron, there's nobody but whores and thieves !". Also used as an interjection : "Gast !" which can be translated as "Gee !" or "Blimey !" or "Bloody heck !", etc. Derivatives : "Gast ar c'hast":"Gosh, golly !","Gast a gurun": "Bloody hell !" (lit. "thunder bitch!") Of course, it is also used as an insult : "Gast kozh !":"You old bitch !"; "Mab ar c'hast !":"You son of a bitch!".
- k
- kaoc'h
faeces
also used when cursing : "kaoc'h !"=shit! ; "kaoc'h ki du !"= "a black dog's shit"
- karc'hat
to shit
verb; cf. "kerzh da garc'hat"
- kerzh da garc'hat
- +
get lost / leave me alone
As a strong insult, it could be translated as "Fuck off !", "Kiss my arse" or "Go fuck a duck !"
- l
- louf (noun, masc.)
- +
flatulence (smelly)
Example : "Hemañ 'n deus graet ul louf flaerius !": "This guy made a stinky flatulence !"
- m
- Ma reor d'al laboused !
- +
litt : My arse to the birds !
An expressive curse, the equivalent of "Kaoc'h ki du !" ~ "Shit !" Bigouden dialect.
- mezv (adj.)
drunk
Also spelled : Meo, meze, mezo. Several comparisons can be made to reinforce the strength of this adjective, depending on the degree of ethylism. Examples : "Mezv 'vel ur person", litt.:pissed as a vicar (completely drunk); "mezv 'vel ur porc'hell" : drunk as a pig, etc.
- mezv-dall (& others : adj.)
completely drunk
Based on the adjective "mezv", some other compounds can be made. Here are some of them with their literal translation : "Mezv-dall", drunken to blindness, "Mezv-marv", drunken to death, "Mezv-mik" or "mezv-poch"=completely drunk.
- p
- Peoc'h da ma benn, pe ma reor 'ray un tenn !
- +
litt. : Be silent to my head or my arse will shoot !
An expressive curse that means : "Shut up !"
- Preg d'am reor, ma benn 'zo klañv !
- +
litt. : Talk to my arse, my head is sick !
refers to the french "Parle à mon cul, ma tête est malade"="Cause toujours, tu m'intéresses". Usually means : "I don't care what you say"
- r
- reor
arse
masc. noun of common use. Also referred to in several phrases.
- reorad (noun, masc.)
inebriation, piss
Based on the noun "reor" (arse), this noun literally means "a full bottom of booze". "An deiz-all 'm eus paket ur reorad e fest-noz Plouvagor", "I got drunken at the breton céilidh the other day in Ploumagoar". Also used with some nouns to reinforce the meaning : "ur reorad spe'ed, ur reorad ludu, ur reorad teilh"
- s
- Serr da veg, ha lak da reor da breg !
Shut up !
Lit. "Shut your mouth and let your arse talk !". An interesting phrase because of the rime ("veg" & "preg"). Lots of phrases in Breton include rimes, see : "Peoc'h d'am fenn, pe ma reor 'ray un tenn !" for the "-enn" rime.
- sevel da unan bennak (phrase)
- +
to have an erection (for sb.)
Mainly used as follows : "Sevel a ra din, sevel a ra dezhañ", etc. Example : "Sevel a rae dezhañ pa wele he bronnoù lemm" : "He would have a hard-on whenever he saw her breasts"
- stot (noun, masc.)
urine
Of common use when decribing a beverage : "Gast, n'eo ket ur banne kafe, met stot marc'h eo !" "Gee, that's not coffee, that's horse urine !" i.e. that coffee is not strong enough.
- stotañ (verb)
to urinate
Other spelling : staotañ. Example : "Bewech ma 'vezon mezv e stotan en ma bragou" "Whenever I get drunk, I piss my trousers "
- t
- Tripledie !
Gosh !
Lit: "Triple God !". Mainly used in Leon.

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