French · At the Bar
Être bourré
etr boo-RAY · /ɛtʁ bu.ʁe/
To be wasted / plastered
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"To be stuffed/packed"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The standard slang for drunk — "stuffed" full of booze. "Bourré comme un coing" (drunk as a quince) is the gloriously odd idiom for very drunk. Feminine "bourrée." Bar-safe, universally understood, exactly what you say when you've had too many.
Heard in the wild
Il était complètement bourré à la fin de la soirée.
He was completely wasted by the end of the night.
Where it lands
France (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Être bourré" mean?
- In French, "Être bourré" means "To be wasted / plastered". Literally it's "To be stuffed/packed". The standard slang for drunk — "stuffed" full of booze. "Bourré comme un coing" (drunk as a quince) is the gloriously odd idiom for very drunk. Feminine "bourrée." Bar-safe, universally understood, exactly what you say when you've had too many.
- Is "Être bourré" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "Être bourré"?
- Say it "etr boo-RAY" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ɛtʁ bu.ʁe.
Related in French
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "A rude toast".
- German Prost! Cheers!
- Greek γεια μας Cheers! — the standard toast.
- Italian Cin cin! Cheers!
- Japanese 一気 Chug! Chug! / down it in one!
- Korean 짠! Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.
- Polish na zdrowie! Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze).
- Portuguese Cachaça Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit
- Russian На посошок! One for the road!
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