parleyvoo

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English

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It has been requested that this entry be merged(+).

Etymology

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From French parlez-vous.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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parleyvoo (countable and uncountable, plural parleyvoos)

  1. The French language, especially as understood by an English person. [from 18th c.]
  2. (countable, now rare) A French person. [from 18th c.]
    • 1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 276:
      [O]ne of these d—d Parlivoos will go farther with some women in a day, than an Englishman in a month—all owing to their impudence; for a common man has as much impudence in France as a man-midwife has in England.
    • 1887, Gilbert and Sullivan, “Ruddigore”, in Delphi Complete Works of Gilbert and Sullivan (Illustrated), published 2017, →ISBN:
      We were hardy British tars who had pity on a poor Parley-voo

Verb

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parleyvoo (third-person singular simple present parleyvoos, present participle parleyvooing, simple past and past participle parleyvooed)

  1. (intransitive, dated, humorous) To speak a foreign language, especially French.