French · Romance & Rejection
Draguer
dra-GAY · /dʁa.ge/
To hit on / chat someone up
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"To dredge/trawl"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"To dredge" — as in trawling for a catch. Neutral-to-cheeky slang for chatting someone up; "un dragueur" is a smooth operator (or a pest, depending on skill and consent). Clean and essential dating vocabulary. "Un lourd" is the dragueur nobody wants — see the next entry.
Heard in the wild
Il passe sa soirée à draguer au bar.
He spends the whole night hitting on people at the bar.
Where it lands
France (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Draguer" mean?
- In French, "Draguer" means "To hit on / chat someone up". Literally it's "To dredge/trawl". "To dredge" — as in trawling for a catch. Neutral-to-cheeky slang for chatting someone up; "un dragueur" is a smooth operator (or a pest, depending on skill and consent). Clean and essential dating vocabulary. "Un lourd" is the dragueur nobody wants — see the next entry.
- Is "Draguer" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Draguer"?
- Say it "dra-GAY" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: dʁa.ge.
Related in French
C'est chaud / Elle est chaude say SHOH Dicey/risky — or, of a person, up-for-it (careful) Casse-toi ! kass TWAH Get lost! / Beat it! / Piss off! Va te faire foutre ! va tuh fair FOOTR F*** off! / Go f*** yourself! Se prendre un râteau suh prahndr uhn rah-TOH To get shot down / rejected (romantically) Baiser bay-ZAY To f*** / screw (also: to swindle someone) Quel lourd ! kel LOOR What a creep / What a pest
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