# Voilà! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 8, 2001, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233 "2001-11-08T18:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/1 "2001-11-08T18:14:47Z")
> [@](#): > > **voilà** _prép. et adv._ (de _vois_ et _là_) **1.** Désigne qqn ou qqch de plus éloigné que d’autres par rapport à la personne qui parle. … **2.** Reprend ce que l’on vient de dire. > -Le Petit Larousse Voilà! V-O-I-L-A! I’ll not even require the accent-grave if you could just please spell the fucking word correctly! It’s not wah-lah, for starters. What fucking hole did that pop out of? You think it’s just some inarticulate exclamation? Fuck off and die but pronounce it with a “v” first! And it’s not **viola** either, you stupid motherfucker. That would be a musical instrument. What kind of damage do you have to have to come up with that? How the hell do you get “vee-oh-lah” out of voilà?? If you can’t pronounce voilà - all of whose phonemes, for fuck’s sake, occur in English - don’t bother using it. Just use “There it is/was!” Or “Look at that!” Or “I’m a stupid jizzsiphon who likes to use words I can’t pronounce from languages of countries that I’m too much of a moron to find on a map if someone nailed my ear to them!” _Esti de saint-sacrement de câlice de ciboire de tabarnac!_ Thank you. (Tune in next week for “It’s ‘no problema’, with an a, not an o, ¡pendejos!”) ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/2 "2001-11-08T18:20:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*_Esti de saint-sacrement de câlice de ciboire de tabarnac!_ > > Thank you. > > (Tune in next week for “It’s ‘no problema’, with an a, not an o, ¡pendejos!”) \*\* Tut-tut Matt, _ **O** sti_(or alternately, _'sti_)\* de saint-sacr **a** ment de câlice de ciboire de tabarnac!\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/3 "2001-11-08T18:24:13Z")
Thank you, Matt…that’s my #1 pet peeve. Coming up close on its heels is “Per say.” There are others, but these are the two worst offenders. ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/4 "2001-11-08T18:27:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Osti(or alternately, 'sti) de saint-sacrament de câlice de ciboire de tabarnac! Ok, they didn’t teach us notty words in french class. Translation? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/5 "2001-11-08T18:38:26Z")
detop, I’ve seen it spelled “esti”, no doubt in the same context as you would spell _moi puis toi_ “moé pis toé”… And Venoma: it’s Québécois French meaning “Communion wafer of the holy sacrament of a chalice of a pyx of a tabernacle!” Of course it loses something in the translation… ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/6 "2001-11-08T18:41:47Z")
Oh, btw, Detop: my Larousse has “sacrement” with two Es. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/7 "2001-11-08T18:51:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*Oh, btw, Detop: my Larousse has “sacrement” with two Es. \*\* You are right of course, for the written version. But when used in swearing, it is usually pronounced “sacrament”. Same with “hostie” which is usually pronounced either “ostie” or “'stie”. Don’t forget these are mostly **spoken** , rarely written, swear words (unless you are writing in _joual_). If you want I can lend you a book by Gilles Charest called _Le livre des sacres et blasphèmes québécois_ that studies that subject. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/8 "2001-11-08T18:59:09Z")
bonified! AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/9 "2001-11-08T19:04:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by detop \* > You are right of course, for the written version. But when used in swearing, it is usually pronounced “sacrament”. Same with “hostie” which is usually pronounced either “ostie” or “'stie”. Serves me right for listening to my ex Éric’s pronunciation then 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/10 "2001-11-08T19:10:22Z")
Just FYI, some people actually say and type “Viola!” purposely as a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Globe-trotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cab0a1/32.png) [@Globe-trotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Globe-trotter)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/11 "2001-11-08T19:16:27Z")
A few others: It’s **coup de grâce**. Not coup de gras. And **le nec plus ultra**. Globe and Mail, I’m looking at you. Stop. Spelling. It. Thusly: le ne plus ultra. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/12 "2001-11-08T19:30:30Z")
So pronouncing in “Voylah” is bad? What’s wrong with “per say”? It’s just as acceptable as “per see”. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/13 "2001-11-08T19:58:02Z")
Mercy buckups, mon sewer. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/14 "2001-11-08T20:01:22Z")
The _osti_ vs. _esti_ vs. _'sti_ Great Debate: I’d say pronounciation pretty much depends on the neighbourhood/town/city where you’re from. I, for example, having been born and (for the most part) raised in East-End Montreal have always said _esti_. Although, coming from a good God-fearing family, you can imagine such occurrences were exceptional:). And I’ll have to go with **detop** : _sacrament_ has much more…bite to it. > [@](#): > > Just FYI, some people actually say and type “Viola!” purposely as a joke. **pl** : Not sure _that_ many do. It’s more of a common mistake than anything else. But some might. With regard to _voilà_, your crusade, **matt** is to be commended. Small nitpick, though: the musical instrument to which you are referring (the viola) is called a _viole_ in French. _Viola_ would be the third person singular of the past tense of the verb _violer_ which means to rape, to violate and to contravene. BTW, _tabarnac_ is also written _tabarnak_, although the ‘bite factor’ is absent in this case.😃 ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/15 "2001-11-08T20:10:21Z")
The _osti_ vs. _esti_ vs. _'sti_ Great Debate: I’d say pronunciation pretty much depends on the neighbourhood/town/city where you’re from. I, for example, having been born and (for the most part) raised in East-End Montreal have always said _esti_. Although, coming from a good God-fearing family, you can imagine such occurrences were exceptional:). And I’ll have to go with **detop** : _sacrament_ has much more…bite to it. > [@](#): > > Just FYI, some people actually say and type “Viola!” purposely as a joke. **pl** : Not sure _that_ many do. It’s more of a common mistake than anything else. But some might. With regard to _voilà_, your crusade, **matt** is to be commended. Small nitpick, though: the musical instrument to which you are referring (the viola) is called a _viole_ in French. _Viola_ would be the third person singular of the past tense of the verb _violer_ which means to rape, to violate and to contravene. BTW, _tabarnac_ is also written _tabarnak_, although the ‘bite factor’ is absent in this case.😃 ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/16 "2001-11-08T21:11:24Z")
Last night before I went to sleep, I was thinking about how much I hate it when people say “Wallah!” I also hate when my friends ask me how my _classe de françois_ went. ---
**Author:** ![Pucette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/278dde/32.png) [@Pucette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pucette)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/17 "2001-11-08T21:15:58Z")
The French company I work for has a search engine called “[voila.com](http://voila.com)” And you can bet that I get to hear the mangled versions very frequently. Oh and my mother’s name is Françoise, acceptably pronounced “Fran-ssoo-ahzz,” not Frankoosey. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![saepiroth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@saepiroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saepiroth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/18 "2001-11-08T23:38:06Z")
for some reason, the last letter in your “voila”'s is an accented r to me. ? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/19 "2001-11-09T00:17:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > **voilà** _prép. et adv._ (de _vois_ et _là_) **1.** Désigne qqn ou qqch de plus éloigné que d’autres par rapport à la personne qui parle. … **2.** Reprend ce que l’on vient de dire. > > -Le Petit Larousse > > \*\* mon aéroglisseur est plein des anguilles ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233/20 "2001-11-09T00:59:52Z")
Matt, farme toé sinon chte pête la yeule en sang, céti clair? Mais chte comprends, tabarnak. Gang de fuckés, sti… Y’on yink à parler comme du monde, les écoeurants… Maudit calisse que chu fatikée. Ah, pis mangez don’ tou’ttes d’la marde. (with my apologies to Michel Tremblay, my hero.) E. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voila/92233.md?page=2)