French Expression of the Day: Cul sec
Why do I need to know
cul sec
?
Because you might hear this expression when at a party or bar in France.
What does it mean?
Cul sec
directly translates as 'dry bottom', which sounds like an inappropriate thing to say in public, but actually it's a drinking term.
Although
cul
is often translated as 'arse' or 'butt' it can also mean the bottom of an object. So if someone in a bar shouts
cul sec
, they're not talking about the human
cul
, but rather the
cul
(bottom) of the drink. When the bottom of the glass is
sec
(dry), the drink is gone.
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Cool cul: 13 of the best French 'bottom' expressions
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French online dictionary
l'Internaute
defines
cul sec
as
"boire un verre d'un seul trait, sans s'arrêter"
, which means "have a drink in one go, without stopping."
It's what in English is also known as 'chugging' or 'downing' a drink. Someone might say this to you in the imperative sense - like
Cul sec !
which means "Down it!"
The full expression is
faire cul sec
(to do dry bottom) or
boire cul sec
(to drink dry bottom).
Cul sec
isn't a vulgar expression, but if you're at a work party or with your French in-laws we suggest you refrain from downing your drink in one.
It might sound like the English phrase 'bottoms up', but in fact that is simply a toast, and doesn't mean that you have to down your drink in one. Interestingly, you might hear 'bottoms up' (in English) used as a toast in France, although in the English-speaking world it's pretty archaic.
More common options for a toast in France
santé
(good health) or
tchin-tchin
(cheers).
Use it like this
On fait cul sec ?
- Let's down it?
Allez les gars, cul sec ! –
Come on guys, down it!
Si tu perds, tu dois boire cul sec ton verre entier.
- If you lose, you have to down your whole drink.
And finally, here's a video of French president Emmanuel Macron doing a
cul sec
while helping the Toulouse rugby team celebrate winning the 2023 Top 14 domestic championship.
Macron qui s'envoie un cul sec oklm dans les vestiaires du Stade🤣🤣
pic.twitter.com/ovYrA2Feth
— Matt Dhz (@matteo_dehez)
June 17, 2023
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