What if Lyon’s real specialty was its slang? Just like Marseille and its legendary accent, or Toulouse and its lilting phrasing, Lyon has its own DNA of pronunciation and words.
The expression “se faire péter la miaille” (“to get the mew”)
Definitely our favorite expression in the ranking (and not lacking in folkore). Literally, it means to kiss noisily. So we can imagine it being used on special occasions, such as when reuniting and kissing an old friend like bread.
A gone
You may have heard Lyon referred to as the capital of the Gones. Well, gones are children. The word comes from the Greco-Roman word “gonos”, which also meant “child, kid”. Lyon having been a Greco-Roman colony, this remains the most plausible expression to explain the use of this term. Today, it is sometimes used to refer to the city’s inhabitants.
The adverb “cher
“Cher” is the equivalent of “gavé”, “trop”, “tarpin”, “grave”, “fin” and “fort” in other French regions. In Lyon, we say “c’est cher bon” or “il fait cher beau”. Don’t hesitate to accentuate the “e” for long seconds. The more you insist, the more Lyonnais you are!
A “pelo
In Lyon, pelo doesn’t mean hair as it does in Spain. Derived from Romani, a language close to Hindi mainly spoken by gypsy communities, the word already meant “man”. Today, it’s part of a popular vernacular. Pelo is more associated with “guy” or “guy” as in the phrase: “Le pelo y m’a mal chabé!”
The verb “chaber
Chaber simply means “to look”. But why? We don’t know. That’s one of the mysteries of the language. But if you do have an idea, please let us know!
A waste? What’s that?
Far from the famous brioche often laced with rum, in Lyon, a gache means a parking space, show or concert. You’ll often hear: “Hey, have you got your gache for tonight? So when you come to spend a few days in Lyon, you can say: “Hey, stop raking it in with your vago! Fais y pas banav’ que t’as pas pris ma gache pelo, t’es vraiment un trépané!” A lovely expression, 100% made in Lyon!
The famous “-av'” words
Finally, let’s talk about the famous Lyon toc: adding the syllable “-av” to every word. “Balnav'”, “dicav'”, “rodav'”, “pillav'”… We explain it all! These are also the traces of Romani. “Balnav'” means to lie or “make like”. “Dicav'” means “to love”, “rodav'” means “to notice”, and “piav'” is “to drink” or “to booze”.
But Lyon has no limits. Our love for this syllable transcends the simple use of ready-made words. Here, we’re constantly reinventing language, thanks to Javanese. But what is Javanese? It’s a coded language in which syllables are added in the middle of words. For example, to talk about the famous “Part-Dieu” shopping center, some people will say “la pardav'”. A square, like Place Bellecour, becomes “plavace Bellecour”. Got it?