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French · Sports & the Stands

L'arbitre, enculé !

lar-BEETR ahn-koo-LAY · /laʁ.bitʁ ɑ̃.ky.le/

The ref's a f***ing bastard! (stadium chant)

4/5 Fighting words

aimed at a person, will start something

Literally

"The referee, sodomised one"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The default French terrace-abuse for a referee who wronged your team — you'll hear the whole stand roar it after a bad call. Fully at home in a stadium; say the same word one-on-one to a stranger and it's a genuine fighting insult. Context is everything: acceptable in the crowd, not on the street.

Heard in the wild

Penalty pour eux ?! L'arbitre, enculé !

Penalty for them?! The ref's a f***ing bastard!

Where it lands

France (universal in football grounds)

Quick answers

What does "L'arbitre, enculé !" mean?
In French, "L'arbitre, enculé !" means "The ref's a f***ing bastard! (stadium chant)". Literally it's "The referee, sodomised one". The default French terrace-abuse for a referee who wronged your team — you'll hear the whole stand roar it after a bad call. Fully at home in a stadium; say the same word one-on-one to a stranger and it's a genuine fighting insult. Context is everything: acceptable in the crowd, not on the street.
Is "L'arbitre, enculé !" offensive?
Yes — very. It rates 4/5 on the Punch-o-Meter (Fighting words). aimed at a person, will start something. Read the usage note before you even think about it.
How do you pronounce "L'arbitre, enculé !"?
Say it "lar-BEETR ahn-koo-LAY" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: laʁ.bitʁ ɑ̃.ky.le.

Related in French

Hors-jeu, mon cul ! or-ZHUH mohn KOO Offside, my ass! Il joue comme une merde ! eel zhoo kom oon MEHRD He's playing like garbage! On les a niqués ! ohn lay za nee-KAY We destroyed them! / We smashed them! Allez les Bleus ! a-LAY lay BLUH Go France! / Come on France! Putain ! poo-TAN Damn! / F***! / The all-purpose intensifier — punctuation, really Bordel ! bor-DEL What a mess! / Chaos! — also 'what the hell' as an intensifier

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Screw you".

how to say "Screw you" →

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