I have a slight obsession with Zach Braff. So sue me. Yes, I read his blog. But he's so funny. See?
So after marvelling at the swiss-army knife metaphor for awhile, I got to wondering what the French equivalent would be.
I'm a little torn on the issue.
The first and most obvious option is the ever-famous "Oh la la." Depending on tone and emphasis, it can range in meaning from "Just who the hell do you think you are?" to "Nice ass, pretty boy." Surprisingly (and contrary to most American opinion), it is more commonly used as the former than the latter.
However, I'd like to call your attention to the often underestimated (or, as Bush would say, "misunderestimated") and overlooked French Sigh. Never in my life have I encountered a people so set on sighing. The primary meaning of the French Sigh is a demonstration of discontent. Waiting in line at the grocery, one would think the French believe their sighs have super powers: as the line builds, the sighs and accompanying tsk tsks grow with them, as if the Frenchies are collectively trying to will the line to go faster with their magical sighs.
The French Sigh annoys me to no end. Unfortunately, I also think it is actually more prevalent than the comparatively quaint angry "Oh la la" equivalent.
The worst, however, is the One-Two Punch. If the wait at the post office, the doctor's, the cash register - wherever - gets too long, someone is bound to sigh (punch one), and then let out a breathy, low, and menacing "Oh la la..." (punch two). I would like to strangle the double-action types, because guess what? Their bitching doesn't get the line moving any faster.
One would think that a in country notorious for its long waits and completely disorganized lines, people would have just sucked it up and learned the fine art of patience. Unfortunately, it is usually my order-obsessed American self who remains the most at ease with the impeding doom of an added two minutes of line time. In those situations, I usually mutter my own American swiss army knife to myself quietly so as not to disturb the distraught Frenchies any further. I'm sure you can all guess what that swiss army knife might be.
It makes me so happy sometimes that the French actually DO say "Oh la la."