French Phrase of the Day: Touche pas à mon
touche pas à mon?
Because
this slogan is an important cultural reference in France.
What does it mean?
Touche pas à mon
- roughly pronounced toosh pah ah moan - is usually followed by a noun and translates as an informal version of 'don't touch my', in English you might say 'hands off my . . .'
You'll see a lot of different variations of this phrase in France, as it has really entered the general consciousness in the last 40 years.
The origins of the expression
come from an anti-racism campaign from the 1980s.
Touche pas à mon pote
(don't touch my friend, or more informally 'hands off my mate') was launched in 1985 as the official slogan of the French association SOS Racisme. The design shows a yellow hand with the logo inscribed onto the palm.
Since then, the phrase
touche pas à mon
has remained in the French consciousness, and it is often used for other campaigns, or even advertising slogans.
It is also the name of the popular (yet controversial) TV show
Touche pas à mon poste (TPMP)
, hosted by
Cyril Hanouna
.
The TV series is a play on words with the original - instead of
mon pote
the show uses
mon poste
, so it means 'Don't touch my TV set'.
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There are plenty of other variations. For example, the campaign to protect party-goers from being unknowingly drugged is called
touche pas à mon verre
(don't touch my drink), while feminist campaigners used
touche pas à mon IVG
(hands off my right to abortion).
Meanwhile, the left-wing French political party, La France Insoumise, has a podcast called
touche pas à mon peuple
(hands off my people).
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Use it like this
L'association de défense des droits des automobilistes a lancé une campagne contre les modifications des permis de conduire, intitulée « Touche pas à mon permis ». -
The motorists' rights group launched a campaign against changes to driving licences called 'Don't touch my licence'.
La campagne « Touche pas à mon pote » a inspiré de nombreuses personnes dans les années 80.
- The anti-racism campaign 'Hands off my mate' inspired a lot of people in the 80s.
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