A few expressions and old words from the dialect of Quimper and its region.

version française

Aller à l'eau (to go to the water) (co): To shrink when washing a piece of cloth, and not as one can suppose , to go to the water.

Bramous (co): When talking about children : the youngest child.

Avoir du goût (to have good taste) (co): To take pleasure in doing something.

Aller sur le Parc (to go on the park) (co) On the occasion of the Pardon of Locmaria, a great fun fair took place on the Resistance Square and on Locmaria lanes. Is it the old name "Parc Costy" which gave to the street of the Parc such a name or the presence of an amusement park ? It is hard to say. Anyway for Quimper inhabitants in the fifties "to go on the park" meant to go to the fun fair.

Berzelle (co): Short-sighted, which sees bad. Bourboul (co): To make some bubbles , to dribble. Extrêmisé (co): When talking about a crab, a crawfish at the point of death. It is well known that a shellfish dead empties itself, it is important to cook it when he is still alive. So on the market, three intermediary states before the death of those charming creatures may be defined.

The "blious" Still full of life, they can be put back without any problem in the fish-tank, so they must be kept, to be sold tomorrow.
The "weak" Or tired which would not be alive again and which must be cooked before noon, in that condition they are as full as the others, but it is possible to bargain.
The "extrêmisés" Allusively to the Extreme Unction which was given to the dying: they must be cooked without waiting. The difference between a dead crab and the extrêmisé is done by the bourboul which is done by the crab as long as it is alive.

Cach'lanig (co): It is told from a thin child, difficult and who grows with problems. It comes from a breton expression which means roughly kinglet speck.

Ratous (co): Nearly the same signification as cach'lanig, but it is also said from a thing that did not evolved.

Chidanig (co): Other expression used to show someone of little size, a puny.

Aller en riboul (to go in riboul): To go out and do the feast.

Faire du reuz (make some reuz): To make some noise, to disturb.

Dreuz, à dreuz: Crooked, askew.

Capitaine au Juch (captain at Juch): Local soccer term. The village of Juch has never been famous for the quality of its soccer team, on the contrary. So, when a player completely misses a pass or a shot and that the ball goes "dreuz", the player is nicknamed capitaine au Juch !

Frilous: From the breton "nez sale" (salted nose). In general it is applied for a too mischievous child who plays trick.

En distribil: Upside down.

Le taureau de Kerbasquer (the bull from Kerbasquer) Very ferocious animal which is evoked to frighten the little children.

Eat your soup or I call the buff from Kerbasquer !

La fée Carabosse (The fairy Carabossa): Bad fairy who steals the little children if they are not wise.

Avec (with) : Often replaces "due to".

Capab : Is said for someone that does lot of eyewash, who claims to do everything better than the others.

This one does his capab in front of the girls.
He is so capab that he looks like a Parisian.

Censé: allegedly.

The expressions indicated with (co) are from Corentin Ollivier, Revue du Pays de Quimper, numéro 1.
Contributions E. Calais, E. Pouliquen, E. Ledour.