# French word for mopping sauce from plate with bread? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535 "2010-04-18T16:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/1 "2010-04-18T16:04:25Z")
Title says it, really. I remember my uncle (the French) saying it on just about every meal, but I cannot remember what it was. It was a single word to mean mopping up the sauce from the plate using a piece of bread. Anyone? Quelqu’un? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/2 "2010-04-18T16:37:50Z")
The French verb for cleaning sauce off the plate with a piece of bread is “_saucer_” (sounding more or less like “so-say” in English). Your uncle might have said “_sauçons!_” (“let us _saucer_!”) or something like that. Or he might have used a different word entirely, for all I know; family sayings can be pretty idiosyncratic. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/3 "2010-04-18T16:43:11Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > The French verb for cleaning sauce off the plate with a piece of bread is “_saucer_” … Why can’t we have fun and useful verbs like that in English. Heck , I don’t think we even have that in Spanish. I seem to remember a long word, but if there is a standard verb for just that action, I don’t think we would say something else. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/4 "2010-04-18T16:49:29Z")
He could also have (mis)used the word “chabrot” or “chabrol”, which means diluting what’s left of one’s soup/sauce in the plate at the end of a meal with half a glass of wine , then drinking the mix or \*saucing \*it with bread. It’s very old fashioned though - far as I remember, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone “faire chabrot”. I guess the custom appeared back when wasting any bit of food and drink was a big no, and was phased out in our times of plenty. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/5 "2010-04-18T17:32:53Z")
I don’t think it was that but “faire chabrot” is now definitely on my list of things to try. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/6 "2010-04-18T17:56:56Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Why can’t we have fun and useful verbs like that in English. Heck , I don’t think we even have that in Spanish. rebañar ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/7 "2010-04-18T18:00:40Z")
My country dad calls it “soppin’ bread”, nounwise anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/8 "2010-04-19T10:13:20Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > rebañar Isn’t that when you have a lot of sheep and you cut them in slices? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/9 "2010-04-19T13:52:13Z")
In any case, it would be when you have a lot of sheep in individual pens and group them up 🙂 (for those scratching their heads: rebaño means flock) ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/10 "2010-04-19T13:58:31Z")
and “rebanar” (With n not ñ) means slice. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/11 "2010-04-19T14:12:48Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Isn’t that when you have a lot of sheep and you cut them in slices? like lamp chops? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/12 "2010-04-19T15:02:12Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > like lamp chops? Be sure the lamp is unplugged before you fillet it, though! I would have thought _rebañar_ would mean “to bathe again” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/13 "2010-04-19T15:06:44Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > like lamp chops? > [@Polycarp](#): > > Be sure the lamp is unplugged before you fillet it, though! > > I would have thought _rebañar_ would mean “to bathe again” 😉 time to clean my glasses and stop relying on the spell check to show a big red warning. ain’t none no typist either. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/14 "2010-04-19T15:24:45Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > I don’t think it was that but “faire chabrot” is now definitely on my list of things to try. Mine too! Dammit this kitchen renovation is taking too long. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-for-mopping-sauce-from-plate-with-bread/536535/16 "2012-01-27T23:02:29Z")
Dunno about French, but in English the word is [“sop.”](http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sop)