faire la bise – how the French greet each other; involves a sort of “air kiss” on both cheeks (depending on the region in France, this can involve two, three or even four kisses)
à la européenne – in the European fashion
une salle de bain – the room in the house with the bathtub in it, not to be confused with “les toilettes” (“la toilette” in French Canada), which is a separate room with a toilet in it. I’m not sure why the French use the plural form for the toilet, even when there is only one. Maybe an extra one miraculously appears in times of great need?
On fait la bise… – One exchanges kisses…
dans la merde – up the creek without a paddle
à la canadienne – in the Canadian fashion
******
Have you ever done the awkward sidewalk dance? You know the one – you’re motoring down the sidewalk, minding your own business, when suddenly you realize that you are nearly face-to-face with someone headed in the opposite direction. You obligingly step to the right to let them pass, which would normally work, except that they have the exact same idea and step to their left at the same time, which means that you are still face-to-face. You both then move simultaneously in the opposite direction, with the same result. You, struck with a flash of brilliance, decide you’ll take the initiative and dart quickly to the other side before the other person can move – and they do the same, causing a near-miss (or sometimes not-so-near-missed) full-body collision. It’s all very awkward, especially considering you barely know the person you are dancing with. Finally, somebody half-laughs, throws up their hands in surrender and stays put, while the other person walks around them.
Well, welcome to my first few weeks in Paris.
The Vanishing Point 