baudruche

French

Alternative forms

• bodruche (obsolete)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bo.dʁyʃ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

baudruche f (plural baudruches)

1. rubber skin
2. Ellipsis of ballon de baudruche; (toy) balloon
   • 1972, Georges Brassens (lyrics and music), “La Ballade des gens qui sont nés quelque part”, in Fernande:

     Quant à l’air qu’ils emploient pour gonfler leurs baudruches / Leurs bulles de savon, c’est du souffle divin

     As for the air they use to blow up their balloons / And their soap bubbles, it is divine inspiration [literally "divine breath"]

3. (informal, derogatory) windbag

Further reading

• “baudruche”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.