# "Zut alors!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513 "2000-04-10T15:39:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/1 "2000-04-10T15:39:00Z")
What does this mean? I know that it’s a French “oath,” but what do the words mean. The various English four-letter words “mean” something, and even older ones like “Gadzooks” and “Zounds” have an etymological past. So what is a “zut” and an “alor” in French? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/2 "2000-04-10T15:42:00Z")
There are some free french translation sites on the net but mine shows that it means: Darn then ---
**Author:** ![Nu\_Vo\_Da\_Da](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/97f17d/32.png) [@Nu\_Vo\_Da\_Da](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nu_Vo_Da_Da)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/3 "2000-04-10T15:46:00Z")
“darn them” isn’t probably the most accurate translation you could come up with, but it’s pretty close. The word “zut” is essentially used in the same manner as damn/darn in the english language, and “alors” just adds emphasis to it. (similar to “merde alors!”) * * * Your machine has proved scientifically that there’s an ancient demon locked within her. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2000, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/4 "2000-04-10T18:00:00Z")
BTW, around here (Montreal) nobody says zut alors. We say hostie d’crisse. It’s somewhat stronger (Communion wafer of Christ!) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/5 "2000-04-10T18:06:00Z")
There’s a small but vocal religious sect in France, the Alorsians, who believe that the Messiah was a French alpine climber named Zutherie Alors, called Zut by his friends and later worshippers. He met a tragic end one winter night in 1952 on a slippery slope, but adherents of the religion are convinced that he rises from the icy crevices every spring. Thus, a French person saying “Zut Alors!” is an expression of worshipful adoration, like a Christian saying “Jesus H. Christ!” or like a Communist saying “Karl Marx!” or like a Republican saying “Dollar Bill!” ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/6 "2000-04-10T18:10:00Z")
The site [http://www.synec-doc.be/escrime/dico/dico\_escrime-X\_Y\_Z.html#Heading527](http://www.synec-doc.be/escrime/dico/dico_escrime-X_Y_Z.html#Heading527) (Dictionnaire des termes d’escrime = Dictionary of Fencing Terms) lists “zut!” as a euphemism for “merde,” so the best translation may be “crap.” A fencing term? For all I know, it may be the proper response to “Touche!” ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/7 "2000-04-10T18:30:00Z")
Zut is a mild swear word, so you could translate it by “darn”, “shucks”, etc…, and “alors” means “then”. I don’t know the origine of the word Zut, but I’ll try to look it up at home. As far as I remember, it doesn’t sound like any other word. The word “flûte”, meaning flute, also is sometimes used as a mild swear word, and sounds similar, so maybe there is some correlation there. CKDextHavn, there is a special place in hell reserved for Urban Legend creators. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![zeenard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/85e7bf/32.png) [@zeenard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeenard)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/8 "2000-04-10T18:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by matt\_mcl: > \*\*BTW, around here (Montreal) nobody says zut alors. We say hostie d’crisse. \*\* Finally someone who speaks like me Tabarnac 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![StrTrkr777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@StrTrkr777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrTrkr777)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/9 "2000-04-10T19:00:00Z")
Hmm an adminstrator with a post count of 1984, seems suspicious to me. CK ever the master of the tall tale. I bow to your greatness. Jeffery p.s. I was taught in HS French 101 that it meant “darn it”. That was as risque as our French teacher would teach us. Though I did learn a couple of words from the French Canadian in our class. ---
**Author:** ![bda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@bda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bda)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/10 "2000-04-10T20:40:00Z")
an obscure ref . . frank zappa releasd an album in 1976 . . titled “zoot allures” ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/11 "2000-04-10T21:03:00Z")
My li’l pocket French Dictionary (Harrap’s Mini French) defines _zut_ as meaning “Bother! Heck!” _Alors_ is translated as “so, then, whereas.” This gets us back to handy’s translation: “darn, then” (NOT “them” but “then”.) ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/12 "2000-04-11T04:23:00Z")
I concur, my French teacher also taught us that “zut alors” means, roughly, “darn it.” In fact, he forbade us to “darn it” because it was too crud and only permitted the French version. He also said that “te toi” \ meant “shut up” and only permitted the former, again because the latter was too crude but somehow saying it in French made it classy. * * * “I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy Are we kin? Visit me at [The Kat House](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/home.htm) and find out! [Join the FSH Muscular Dystrophy Webring](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/fshwebring.htm) ---
**Author:** ![allanadale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@allanadale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allanadale)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/13 "2000-04-11T05:38:00Z")
I think everybody’s wrong here… As Dave Barry put it, Zut Alors means: “Look! A Lors!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/14 "2000-04-11T14:59:00Z")
Tais-toi, **Gr8Kat**. 😛 * * * All I wanna do is to thank you, even though I don’t know who you are… ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/15 "2000-04-11T16:21:00Z")
Merci, Olentzero (I think…) 🙂 * * * “I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy Are we kin? Visit me at [The Kat House](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/home.htm) and find out! [Join the FSH Muscular Dystrophy Webring](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/fshwebring.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Jorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@Jorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorge)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2000, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/16 "2000-04-12T08:06:00Z")
[translating from the Larousse dictionary…] “Zut” is an expression of contemptuous pity, sometimes of indifference. My closest translation into English would be the NY-ese “fuhgeddaboudit”. * * * _O le mea a tamaali’i fa’asala, a o le mea a tufanua fa’alumaina._ ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2000, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/17 "2000-04-14T05:16:00Z")
**Zut alors** pretty much means “darn it” or “shoot.” _Fuhgeddaboudit_ would be closer to “Ça n’importe pas,” “Peu importe,” or “Ça m’est egal.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/18 "2000-04-14T05:39:00Z")
With all due respect to everyone who has offered input, I don’t think anyone has answered my question. I know what the phrase means, and how it would typically be used. I’m specifically looking for the etymological history of “zut,” and what the word _literally translates to_, not it’s English cognate _meaning_. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2000, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/19 "2000-04-13T22:31:00Z")
Mjollnir, I will check some French reference books I have at home and report back tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513/20 "2000-04-15T05:58:00Z")
I’m back. Couldn’t find anything. Maybe this is a question only Cecil could answer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zut-alors/10513.md?page=2)