a library of hearts

fragments of things i've read & what i thought of them. mostly a conversation between me and myself. 22 | romania

[ilikeknowing]

Fragment din "Sapiens. Scurtă istorie a omenirii" de Yuval Noah Harari

[ilikeknowing]

fragment from Roger J. Horne's ``Folk Witchcraft: A Guide to Lore, Land, and the Familiar Spirit for the Solitary Practitioner``

[probablyasocialecologist]

“Old English was greatly refined with French terms, particularly in the domain of food preparation. English relies on Germanic roots to describe the animals themselves, such as chicken/chick (Kücken), hen (Huhn), cow (Kuh), swine (Schwein), but required loanwords to denote advances in culinary techniques imported by the Normans, giving English the French poulet (chicken) for poultry, boeuf for beef, and porc for pork. Other terms survived technical changes over time: plough still refers to the action in context, as does sow, but so do weaving, knitting, chiselling, drilling, breastfeeding, childbearing, swaddling, and so on. This occurs even when techniques and technologies evolve – as they have in the case of the ‘labour of birthe’, where new techniques have allowed it to be referred to as ‘delivery’ since the 1570s.”

— Andrea Komlosy, Work: The Last 1,000 Years

[pompadourpink]

Number-based expressions

À deux pas d'ici - Nearby

À nous deux - En garde

À quatre pattes - On all fours

À six pieds sous terre - Buried

À un de ces quatre - See you soon (casual)

Attendre cent-sept ans - Waiting forever

Aux quatre coins du monde - All over the world

Avoir deux mains gauches - Being very clumsy

Avoir deux mots à dire à qqun - Having someone to scold

Avoir du mal à joindre les deux bouts - Struggling to earn enough

Avoir la boule à zéro - Being bald/shaved

Avoir le cul entre deux chaises - Not knowing what to do (casual)

Avoir le moral à zéro - Being depressed

Avoir les deux pieds sur terre - Being realistic

Avoir un cheveu sur la langue - Having a lisp

Avoir un poil dans la main - Being lazy

Avoir zéro défaut - Being flawless

Blague à deux balles, f - Crappy joke

Brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts - Spending too much

Ça fait deux - It's incompatible (Moi et les maths, ça fait deux)

C'est reparti comme en quatorze - Here we go again

C'était moins une - It was almost too late

Chercher à midi à quatorze heures - Complicating things

Cinquième roue du carosse, f - Third wheel

Comme pas deux - Better than anyone (casual)

Compter deux par deux - Skip count by twos

Couper la poire en deux - Finding a compromise

Couper les cheveux en quatre - Being very/too meticulous

De deux choses l'une - Here are the options

De mes deux - useless (Voiture de mes deux!)

De première nécessité - Absolutely essential

De seconde main - Secondhand

Deux fois, ça va, trois fois, bonjour les dégâts - It will be a mess

Deux-pièces, m - Two-roomed flat, Bikini

Deux-roues, m - Two-wheeled vehicle

Deux-temps, m - Two-stroke

Dire à qqun ses quatre vérités - Telling smn a few home truths

Dire qqc cent fois - Repeating oneself

Dormir sur ses deux oreilles - Being at peace with oneself

Durer trois plombes - Taking a long time (casual)

En deux coups de cuillère à pot - Very quickly

En deux temps trois mouvements - very quickly

En huit - Of next week (Jeudi en huit)

En quinze - In two weeks

En un mot comme en mille - In a nutshell

Entre les deux mon coeur balance - I don't know what to pick

État second, m - Trance (after medication, drug, illness)

Être à deux doigts de - Being very close to

Être au septième ciel - Being very happy

Être haut-e comme trois pommes - Being little (for a child)

Être plié-e en deux - Laughing very hard

Être tiré-e à quatre épingles - Being very well dressed

Être uni-es comme les doigts de la main - Being very good friends

Faire deux poids deux mesures - Having double standards

Faire d'une pierre deux coups - Killing two birds with one stone

Faire les cent pas - Pacing

Faire les quatre cents coups - Being up to mischief

Faire les trois-huit - Having an eight hour shift

Freiner des quatre fers - Digging in heels

Grand huit, m - Rollercoaster

Jamais deux sans trois - All things come in threes

Je te le donne en mille - You'll never guess

Le mot de cinq lettres - Shit (Merde)

Les deux font la paire - They are two of a kind

Les deux mon capitaine - Both options are reasonable

Les quatre fers en l'air - Flat on the back

Manger comme quatre - Eating a lot

Ménage à trois - Love triangle

Merci mille fois - Thank you so much

Mille-feuilles, m - Cream slice

Mille-pattes, m - Centipede

Mouton à cinq pattes, m - Something exceptional

Ne faire ni une ni deux - Deciding without hesitating

Ne faire qu'un (avec) - Being one with

Ne pas avoir un radis/rond - Being broke (casual)

Ne pas gagner des mille et des cent - Not earning much

Ne pas se le faire dire deux fois - Not having to be told twice

Ne pas y aller par quatre chemins - Going straight to the point

Ne rien savoir faire de ses dix doigts - Being lazy, uncapable

Neuf fois sur dix - Nine times out of ten

Nombre premier, m - Prime number

Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour - Rome wasn't built in a day

Prendre son courage à deux mains - Plucking up courage

Quatre à quatre - Very quickly

Quatre-heures, m - Snack

Quatre-quarts, m - Pound cake

Recevoir cinq sur cinq - Understanding stg perfectly

Remettre les compteurs à zéro - Starting over

Repartir à zéro - Starting over

Semaine des quatre jeudi, f - The month of Sundays

Se mettre en quatre (pour qqun) - Doing a lot to give a favour

Se mettre sur son trente-et-un - Dressing up to the nines

S'en moquer comme de l'an quarante - Not caring (casual)

Se parler entre quatre z'yeux - Talking face to face

Se ressembler comme deux gouttes d'eau - Looking identical

Se saigner aux quatre veines - Depriving oneself

Tomber sur un os - Hitting a snag

Tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche (avant de parler) - Thinking before speaking

Tous les trente-six du mois - Once in a blue moon

Treize à la douzaine - In large quantities

Trente-trois tours, m - Long-playing record

Troisième âge, m - Senior citizens

Un à la fois - One at a time

Un-e de perdu-e, dix de retrouvé-es - Plenty more fish in the sea

Un homme averti en vaut deux - Forewarned is forearmed

Un jour ou l'autre - Some day

Vingt dieux - Holy crap (casual/old)

Vingt-quatre heures sur vingt-quatre - 24/7

Voir trente-six chandelles - Seeing stars

Y regarder à deux fois - Thinking before making a decision

*Qqun/Quelqu'un - Someone; Qqch/Quelque chose - Something

[pompadourpink]

Negations

A

Au grand jamais - never 

Aucun-e(s) - none : Je n’en ai vu aucun / I have seen none of them  

Aucunement (rare) - by no means 

D

Dégun (southern slang) - no one 

E

En aucun cas - under no circumstance 

En aucune façon - under no circumstance 

En aucune manière - under no circumstance 

En rien - under no circumstance 

G

Goutte - nothing (old, rare) : On n’y voit goutte ici / We can’t see anything

Guère - almost not/nothing (old, rare) : Ce n’est guère plus rapide que le train / This isn’t any faster than the train 

J

Jamais - never : Plus jamais ça! / Never again! 

Jamais au grand jamais - never ever (dramatic)

Jamais de la vie - never ever 

K

Keud (slang), short que ‘que dalle’ (slang for Nothing)

Keutchi (slang) 

N

N’ - ne + vowel : Je ne t’aime pas / I don’t love you 

Nada - nothing at all : - Did you hear about that? - Nada! 

Nan (slang) - nah 

Ne - not : Je ne sais pas / I don’t know 

Ni - neither/nor : Je n’ai vu ni le chien ni le chat depuis que je suis arrivée / I haven’t seen neither the cat nor the dog since I got here 

Niet - nope! (often angry) 

Non - no 

Non plus - (n)either : Je ne sais pas non plus / I don’t know either 

Non plus que

Nul-le - none : Nos jeunes filles à nous sont tellement accomplies, que nulle des filles d’Ève ne peut lutter avec elles ! — (Modeste Mignon, Honoré de Balzac, 1844)

Nulle part - nowhere : Je ne le vois nulle part / I can’t see him anywhere 

Nullement - not in any way 

O

Ô/oh grand jamais : never ever (dramatic)

P

Pas - not : Je ne sais pas / I don’t know 

Pas autrement - not any other way : C’est comme ça et pas autrement

Pas encore - not yet 

Pas forcément - not necessarily 

Pas plus que

Pas un-e - not one : - Did they offer their help? - Pas un! 

Pas un chat - not one cat : Il n’y a pas un chat / There’s no one here 

Personne - nobody : Il n’y a personne ici / There’s no one here 

Plus : no more - Je ne t’aime plus / I don’t love you anymore 

Point - not : Je ne sais point / I don’t know (rare, old)

Q

Que dalle (slang) - nothing : - Did you know about that? - Que dalle! 

Que nenni - no (old) : - Are they here yet? - Que nenni! 

Que tchi (slang) - nothing 

Queude (slang, short for Que dalle) - nothing 

R

Rien - nothing : Je ne vois rien / I don’t see anything 

[pompadourpink]

Common verbs

To be : être /ɛtʁ/ 

To have : avoir /a.vwaʁ/

To do : faire /fɛʁ/

To make : faire /fɛʁ/

To eat : manger /mɑ̃.ʒe/

To drink : boire /bwaʁ/

To sleep : dormir /dɔʁ.miʁ/

To play : jouer /ʒwe/

To work : travailler /tʁa.va.je/

To go : aller /a.le/

To go in : entrer /ɑ̃.tʁe/

To get/go out : sortir /sɔʁ.tiʁ/

To get back home : rentrer /ʁɑ̃.tʁe/

To arrive : arriver /a.ʁi.ve/

To live : vivre /vivʁ/

To die : mourir /mu.ʁiʁ/

To take : prendre /pʁɑ̃dʁ/

To take back+start again : reprendre /ʁə.pʁɑ̃dʁ/

To walk : marcher /maʁ.ʃe/

To run : courir /ku.ʁiʁ/

To go up the stairs : monter (les escaliers) /mɔ̃.te/

To go down the stairs : descendre /de.sɑ̃dʁ/

To fall : tomber /tɔ̃.be/

To get lost : se perdre /pɛʁdʁ/

To carry : porter /pɔʁ.te/

To drive : conduire /kɔ̃.dɥiʁ/

To move around : se déplacer /de.pla.se/

To bring : amener /am.ne/

To bring back : ramener /ʁam.ne/

To drop stg : faire tomber /fɛʁ tɔ̃.be/

To pick up stg : ramasser /ʁa.ma.se/

To get up : se lever /sə lə.ve/

To sit down : s’asseoir /sa.swaʁ/

To wake up : se réveiller /sə ʁe.vɛ.je/

To go to bed : aller se coucher /a.le sə ku.ʃe/

To see : voir /vwaʁ/

To look : regarder /ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/

To speak : parler /paʁ.le/

To talk : parler /paʁ.le/, discuter /dis.ky.te/

To hear : entendre /ɑ̃.tɑ̃dʁ/

To listen : écouter /e.ku.te/

To touch : toucher /tu.ʃe/

To feel : sentir /sɑ̃.tiʁ/

To smell : sentir /sɑ̃.tiʁ/

To seem : sembler /sɑ̃.ble/

To laugh : rire /ʁiʁ/

To smile : sourire /su.ʁiʁ/

To realise : réaliser /ʁe.a.li.ze/, se rendre compte /sə ʁɑ̃dʁ kɔ̃t/

To mean : signifier /si.ɲi.fje/, vouloir dire /vu.lwaʁ diʁ/

To notice : remarquer /ʁə.maʁ.ke/, observer /ɔp.sɛʁ.ve/

To scream : crier /kʁi.je/

To cry : pleurer /plœ.ʁe/

To read : lire /liʁ/

To watch : regarder /ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/

To think : penser /pɑ̃.se/

To dream : rêver /ʁɛ.ve/

To imagine : imaginer /i.ma.ʒi.ne/

To win : gagner /ɡa.ɲe/

To lose : perdre /pɛʁdʁ/

To forget : oublier /u.bli.je/

To forgive : pardonner /paʁ.dɔ.ne/

[pompadourpink]

Encore VS toujours

Bonjour, can you please help me understand the differences between using toujours and encore? Merci mille fois d'avance 💕

Encore :

is an adverb of time and can be used as :

‘still’ (ex : Il respirait encore quand je suis arrivée - He was still breathing when I got here)

‘again’ (ex : Vous vous êtes encore réveillés - You woke up again)

‘but also’, often after the conjunction Mais (but) (ex : Nous sommes non seulement les premiers à finir mais encore les seuls à réussir)

‘even more’, after the adverb Plus (more) (ex : Je suis encore plus grande que toi - I’m even taller than you) as a graded quantifier

‘but then’, at the beginning of a clause (ex : Tu pourras choisir ta chambre, encore faut-il que tu arrives à l’heure - You’ll be allowed to pick your room, but then you have to be on time)

‘at least’ (ex : Si encore il acceptait d’être raisonnable! - If at least he would agree to be reasonable)

‘again?!’ (ex : Comment ça ? Elle sera en retard ? Encore ?! - What are you saying ? She’ll be late ? Again ?!)

‘nonetheless/still’ (ex : De toutes les bêtises que tu as fait cette année, celle-ci est encore la pire - Out of all the stupid things you did this year this one is still the worst)

‘rather’ (ex : Elle déteste tellement les épinards qu’elle préfère encore manger des choux de Bruxelles à tous les repas - She hates spinach so much she’d rather eat Brussels sprouts for every meal)

Toujours :

is an adverb of time and can be used as :

‘always’ (ex : Il est toujours en retard - He’s always late)

‘usually’ (ex : C’est toujours moi qui prends - I’m always being blamed)

‘still’ (ex : Elle est toujours aussi drôle - She’s still so funny)

‘without exception’, in a negative sentence (Ex : On ne peut pas toujours gagner - We can’t always win)

‘anyway’ (ex : Essaie toujours, qui sait - Try anyway, who knows)

‘anyhow’ (ex : C’est toujours ça - Anyhow, we at least have that)

Hope this helps! x 

[pompadourpink]

beauty

skinscare :

skin : la peau

care : le soin

face : le visage

serum : un sérum, jelly : la gelée 

cream : la crème (de jour, de nuit)

gel : le gel, powder : la poudre

refreshing : rafraîchissant-e

cleaning : nettoyant-e 

moisturising : hydratant-e 

tonic : énergisant-e 

repairing : réparateur/trice 

correcting : correcteur/trice 

tinted : teinté-e 

anti-aging : anti-âge, wrinkle : la ride, smooth : lisse 

oily : gras-se, dry : sec/sèche, regular : normal-e, mixed : mixte 

essential oil : l’huile (f) essentielle (+ de x)

cleanser : un nettoyant (m)

toner : la lotion tonique (f)

moisturiser : un soin hydratant 

scrub : le gommage, l’exfoliant

exfoliation : l’exfoliation (f)

make up :

make up : le maquillage 

to put make up on : se maquiller

complexion : le teint 

primer : la base de teint

foundation : le fond de teint 

concealer : l’anti-cernes

shiny : brillant-e 

setting powder : la poudre matifiante

loose powder : la poudre libre

pressed powder : la poudre compacte 

bronzer : la poudre de soleil 

contouring : le contour

highlighter : l’enlumineur (m)

to highlight : illuminer 

blush : le fard à joues  

eyeshadow : le fard/l’ombre (f) à paupières 

water line : la muqueuse

crease : le pli 

upper eyelid : la paupière mobile 

inner corner : le coin interne 

matte : mat-e, shimmery : irisé-e, glittery : pailleté-e 

palette : la palette (+ de x) 

set  : un set/kit (+ de x)

eyeliner : l’eyeliner (m) 

mascara : le mascara 

fake eyelashes : les faux-cils (m) 

lip liner : le crayon à lèvres 

lipstick : le rouge à lèvres 

liquid lipstick : le rouge à lèvres liquide 

lip balm : le baume à lèvres  

lip gloss : le brillant à lèvres 

setting spray : le fixateur, to set : fixer 

brush : le pinceau

beauty blender : une éponge à maquillage (not really used)

eyelash curler : le recourbe-cils

make up remover : le démaquillant

to take make up off : se démaquiller

wipe : la lingette, cotton : le coton

nail care : 

nail polish : le vernis à ongles

bottle : le flacon 

lid : le capuchon 

holo : holographique 

brush : le pinceau 

coat : la couche (+ de x)

base coat : la base de vernis (not really used)

top coat : la couche de finition (not really used)

nail clippers : le coupe-ongles nail file : la lime à ongles

nail scissors : les ciseaux à ongles (m) 

hand cream : la crème pour les mains (f)

oil : l’huile (f) 

nail polish remover : le dissolvant

hair removal :

shaving : le rasage 

hair removal : l‘épilation (f)

to shave : raser

to pluck : épiler

tweezers : la pince à épiler 

razor : le rasoir

shaving cream : la crème à raser (f)

waxing : l’épilation à la cire (f)

to wax : épiler à la cire 

epilator : l’épilateur électrique (m)

laser hair removal : l’épilation au laser (f)

threading : l’épilation au fil (f)

to thread : épiler au fil 

a thread : le fil 

voc : colours, face. nb : the highlighter (school tool) is also le surligneur. 

[empressofdiamonds]

Queen of Studies 📚

A small guide to adopt that study queen mindset

Ditch all social media you can. No Instagram account to scroll up endlessly, not checking the Facebook feed, no mindless scrolling, etc. If you use a social media, curate what you read. Declutter the time wasters. Only keep the accounts that genuinely bring you good. Uninstall games and useless apps. You'll use them when you're on vacation. Now it's study time, from the beginning of the semester TO THE END. "But I use them to uncompress!!" Bullshit you can do something more productive like workouts or cleaning your room. It's not an essential need.

For food, focus on meal prep, get 4 Tupperware (or mason pots if you have) and prepare 4-6 meals (2-3 dinners, 2-3 suppers) that contain veggies, proteins, carbs, good stuff that feeds your body and brain. The breakfast is optional, I use my breakfast prepping routine to relax and ground myself before attacking my day. Doing 4 meals at a time is easy and not quite as daunting compared to the traditional 1-week meal prep, and it will stay fresh. You have more time to focus on what matters, you don't waste decision energy on meals and you're less likely to eat junk food.

Impose yourself a "no junkfood" rule in your room or house. You're less likely to spill and eat brain rotting stuff. If you receive sweets as a gift, stick them at the back of the freezer, and only take out ONE at a time. Drink plenty of water. More than you think you need. The body will declutter the excess for you. But never too little water. Prepare some precut veggies and have a stock of your favourite fruit on hand.

Get your sleep together. It helps with memorization and with sufficient sleep, nutrition and water, your brain can heal up and start memorizing efficiently the information you learn. Never neglect sleep. Never do late study sessions, instead planify better your study times.

Cut off people that bring you down. People that always bring you to parties and guilt trip if you don't wanna. They don't care that much about you. Cut off those that aren't serious in their studies, they don't realize the importance of studies and it's lifetime impact. If you can't cut them dry (block and move on), ghost them, don't reply their questions with a question back, be bland to them. A Queen only wants the best around her, and is ruthless in her judgement.

Once you start the semester, study every day, even if you have nothing to do that day (especially at the beginning of the semester). You can even get ahead in your studies and use the class as a refresher for what you did study. You'll feel more comfortable and have some questions prepared too! Figuring things out while it is being taught can be quite stressful. For laboratories, do several weekly hours of self-study, repeating the methods you learned. Use your teachers free hours anytime you have additional questions or need additional explanations, not only right before an exam. Take your time and speed up once you're comfortable. Learn to fail when it doesn't matters so you won't fail when it will matter.

Re-read your notes twice or thrice or four times, annotate them, summarize every paragraph. Write a "fake cheatsheet" that summarizes every step of the semester. Draw some conceptual schemes, make links between concepts. Do all the excercises, and redo the hardest ones before the exam. Do the pratice exams, check the past years exams if they're available. They'll give you an idea of your teacher's exam style.

Studying bit by bit instead of a big rush at the end will help you immensely assimilate correctly the information (less stress = better memorization, and repeated study = the memory is more precise and you have less memory losses).

Doing a cardio workout everyday increases your brain power. It can be a 30 min energetic walk outside, it can be a intensive cardio workout, it can be a 1 hour yoga session. Pair that with a good stretch routine (that back needs stretches sfter that long study session!) and a muscle workout too to tone up your muscles and keep you looking sharp. Excercise helps you relieve your stress, and feel more grounded, and feel more confident. More confidence also means there's less stress, better focus, and better social interactions. Make it a fundamental tool in your study artillery.

Combine several activities at the same time, you can watch movies while you workout instead of sleeping too late. You can study your biology while doing your cardio workout. Listen to audiobooks relevant to your domain while walking outside. Do your mask while you're doing your yoga routine. No wasted time, and no excuses.

[pompadourpink]

A few important differences

English says I was born, French says I am born - Je suis né-e, because we haven’t stopped being born

English says I miss you, French says You’re missing from me - Tu me manques, because we cute

English says I am 27 years old, French says I have 27 years - J’ai 27 ans, because we keep To be for adjectives, prepositions and past participles (Je suis tombé de ma chaise)

English uses possessive determiners based on the gender of the owner (It’s her dog: the dog of that girl), French focuses on the gender of the owned thing (C’est mon chien: It’s my male dog)

[pompadourpink]

Country-related words

À l’anglaise: boiled

Anglaises, pl f: ringlets

Auberge espagnole, f: multi-cultural living arrangement

Billard américain, m: pool (game)

Bonnet péruvien, m: chullo (hat)

Boxe américaine, f: full contact

Branlette espagnole, f: titty fuck

Canadienne, f: fur-lined jacket

Casse-tête chinois, m: chinese puzzle-lock

Chapeau mexicain, m: sombrero

Chapeau chinois, m: chinese straw hat/circumflex accent (kids)

Clé anglaise, f: monkey wrench (tool)

Col italien, m: spread collar

Couteau suisse, m: Swiss army knife

Crème anglaise, f: custard

Cuisine américaine, f: open kitchen

Dogue allemand, m: Great Dane

Douche à l’italienne, f: walk-in shower

Filer à l’anglaise: taking French leave

Glace à l’italienne, f: soft ice-cream

Grec, m: doner kebab

Jardin anglais, m: landscape garden

Lutte japonaise, f: sumo wrestling 

Maillot brésilien, m: brazilian waxing

Montagnes russes, pl f: roller coaster

Ombres chinoises, pl f: shadow play

Petit-Suisse, m: cream cheese yoghurt

Pull irlandais, m: cable-knit jumper

Renvoyer aux calendes grecques: postpone forever

Semaine anglaise, f: five-day week

Store à l’italienne, m: awning

Téléphone arabe, m: bush telegraph

Tête de Turc, f: whipping boy

Tissu écossais, m: tartan

Toilettes japonaises, pl f: bidet toilet

Toilettes turques, pl f: stand-up toilets

Trèfle irlandais, m: shamrock

Western italien, m: spaghetti western

[personalgremlin]

this makes me want to cry

[euryalus-deactivated20220430]

This is true, they painted everywhere, and most of the example of outdoors rock art is found in other continents aside from Europe. Some examples:

The Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, in Guangxi, southern China.

The Helan Kou Valley carvings, north of China.

Kakadu National Park, Australia.

Saimaluu Tash, Kyrgyzstan.

Gobustan, Azerbaijan.

Horseshoe Canyon (Utah)

[paradiseismade]

What the caves are trying to tell us

Whatever they once said to their authors, they scream their message of no message across the millennia to us now.

The quote is from “What the caves are trying to tell us” by Sam Kriss. It’s a gorgeously written article and I highly recommend reading it.

[dresshistorynerd]

Victorian Dress For Every Occasion - 1890s Edition

The Victorian period was much about appearances and very specific etiquette, especially when it came to clothing. They had dressing etiquette for literally every activity during the day and people changed their outfit many times a day, especially in upper class circles. It honestly gets very convoluted so I decided to look into it more deeply. Not understanding the dress etiquette of the times creates a lot of weird costumes in period drama for example, where a dress might have elements of real extent garments, but they are combined in ways that would make no sense to Victorians.

To limit this post and my research I’m looking into 1890s. I also think it gives better idea about the differences between the outfits if they are all from the same decade. I’ll also limit myself to upper class and women’s clothing. I think it would be interesting to look at men’s dress etiquette and etiquette of the lower classes, but alas it has to be another post.

The broad strokes are that from the turn of the 19th century to WW1 during the day you would wear long sleeves and little to no cleavage and in the evening you could show more skin, except when dining. The specifics shifted from time and place.

Nightgown

Nightgown, as you might guess, was worn for sleeping. They started as basically shifts, the very basic under dress worn next to skin, but during the Victorian Era they became increasingly elaborate and when 1890s was reached they were profoundly extra. You would never show yourself in your nightgown alone. For them it was probably pretty much the same as wearing only your underwear. Even in your bedroom or dressing room you would cover it up, which leads us to…

Dressing Gown

Dressing gown was exactly what was used to cover nightgown. In some sources I’ve seen this called wrapper. But basically it was a glorified bathrobe. It was not used outside your own private chambers, but inside them while you got ready for the day. It was usually long and loose comfortable robe, often tied by waist with a cord. During summer they were light and in winter they might have been woolen or from quilted fabric for warmth. They were heavily inspired from especially Japanese kimono as Orientalism was very in in Europe during 19th century. Under it a ribbon corset or morning corset could be used, but that was not necessary. Ribbon corset was made entirely of thick ribbons and ended under the bust, with only couple of bones to keep it in shape, and morning corset doesn’t have cording and instead is just wrapped around the torso. They were made for comfort and bust support and didn’t shape heavily or reduce waist.

Wrapper

Wrapper or morning dress was used during the morning in the comfort of home. The terminology around this type of clothing is murky and they had a lot of overlap with tea gown and dressing gown. Some primary sources described wrapper as something you can wear on top of a dress to keep the dress clean and others as plainer and looser version of the day dress. Most extent garments, I found from 1890s, were the latter type. The former sounds something that could be used as a dressing gown too, which would explain, why the dressing gown was called wrapper in some sources. What I have gathered, is that earlier in Victorian era wrapper meant something similar to dressing gown, but maybe more presentable or dress-like, worn over a morning dress of just the undergarments. I think by the 1890s the whole outfit worn in morning had begun to be referred as wrapper, since I had a hard time finding morning dresses dated to 1890s. Regardless of the terminology, in 1890s wrapper was used in home outside personal chambers. It was acceptable to receive early visitors in it, but it was very informal and mostly reserved for very close people. It was plain and practical, but when it comes to rich people it became increasingly elaborate during Victorian era. It’s a theme here. It was often loose, but it could be more or less structured (often less). Under it you would usually wear all the typical undergarment layers (combinations or shift with drawers, corset, corset cover and petticoat), though morning or ribbon corset could be worn instead of the normal one.

Tea gown

Tea gowns started as house dress, basically an open presentable wrapper worn over a fancier petticoat or morning dress, but by the 1890s it became somewhat of a statement piece. At first it was seen as tacky to be too dressed up in your own home, even when receiving guests, but I think we have established that 1890s Victorians were very, very extra. Tea gowns were worn for receiving house guests during the day and in the late Victorian era, as tea gowns had become so extravagant, they were also used in the evening for receiving casual gatherings of close friends or family. Similar to wrappers, they were looser than clothing worn outside, but could be structured or lack any structuring at all. Except they were made from more expensive materials and had much more detailing. They also often had drains and a real or fake open robe-like thing, which I assume was a nod to house dresses. All the undergarments were worn under it, but morning or ribbon corset could be used under it, if very close friends were visiting. Very loose tea gowns (like the pink one on the right) were inspired from the Victorian counter culture fashion movement, Aesthetic movement, which rejected the rigid Victorian silhouette.

Day dress

Day dress or afternoon dress was formal and elaborate, as it was used outside of home and meant to be seen. Unlike the gowns reserved for home usage, it was generally made from two pieces, bodice and skirt. But of course, you would always wear matching pieces. It had long sleeves and high neckline. As the name reveals, it was worn during daytime. It could be worn for visiting and then, especially when visiting close friends or relatives, it could have slightly shorter sleeves or lower neckline, but not as low as with evening wear. It was also worn for promenading outside. When used for carriage rides train was acceptable, when for walks, shorter one was seen as preferable, but as we know Victorians were extra and sometimes still wore a train. Since weddings were (and are) held during the day, a day dress was used for that too. The finest day dress was used of course and after queen Victoria’s wedding white became the most popular color. People who weren’t rich, might have still opted out from it, as pure white dress was very expensive.

Walking dress

Walking dress was, you guessed, used for walking. Victorians were really into city walks and would use a walking dress for looking around in cities. It was a type of day dress but much more practical and less elaborate. It was usually made from sturdier materials and the skirt was short enough to reveal shoes. It often had a skirt, blouse and a coat, sometimes a waistcoat too. Because of it’s practicality, it was often used for travelling too.

Dinner dress

Dinner dress was used in evening, but unlike other evening dresses, more skin coverage was appropriate. Sleeves could be as short as elbow length and neckline could be more open than with day dress. As the name suggests, it was used for dining and dinner parties.

Evening dress

Evening dress was the fanciest of them all and the most official. It had short sleeves or only straps (in the middle of the decade huge sleeves very very fashionable) and low and wide neckline. It was used in fancy evening occasions when presenting yourself for the high society. Balls were of course the main events of high society, there every one would put on the best they had, there was no holding back. For opera people also dressed to be seen and would dress up, but for theater a little toned down look was more appropriate.

It was very common to have bodices for different occasions (day/evening/dinner) made for the same skirt, so same material and style, but different sleeve lengths and necklines. Clothing were very expensive and the skirt had the biggest amount of fabric making it the most expensive part, so it was very economical to use the same skirt for different occasions.

[pompadourpink]

Goodbyes

Adieu (farewell - v formal)

Au plaisir (see you again soon - v formal)

Au revoir (goodbye - neutral)

À bientôt (see you soon - neutral)

À tout de suite (see you in a bit - neutral)

À demain/mardi (see you tomorrow/on Tuesday - neutral)

À la semaine prochaine (see you next week - neutral)

À tout à l’heure (see you later today - neutral)

Bonne journée/soirée/nuit (good day, evening, night - neutral)

À très bientôt (see you very soon - casual)

À plus “plu” tard (see you later - casual)

À la prochaine (see you next time - casual)

À tantôt (see you later ; Canada/Belgium - casual)

À plus “plusse” (see ya - super casual)

(Allez,) salut/ciao “tchao” (bye then - super casual)

Bye/bye bye “babâille” (super casual)

Please note : you can also say ‘On se voit x’ rather than just ‘à x’, ex : on se voit tout à l’heure après ma réunion - casual.

[pompadourpink]

Ways to translate “faire”

To do :

qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie? (job)

mais qu’est-ce que tu fais?? (present time)

faire le ménage (housework)

remplacement of another verb (- can someone please get the umbrella - i just did : je viens de le faire)

To make :

faire la cuisine (cooking)

faire une offre (job, money, house buying)

faire le lit (housework)

To go :

faire les magasins (shopping)

faire les courses (groceries)

faire un tour (stroll)

To play :

faire de l’escalade (sports - regularly)

faire du piano (instruments - regularly)

faire du ski (sports - rarely : to go skiing)

To equal to :

ça fait cinq euros (amount of money)

il fait 1m80 pour 75kg (height/weight)

Also :

to be : weather (il fait beau aujourd’hui) + duration (ça fait deux ans)

to suffer from an illness (faire du diabète)

to act like (faire l’idiot, le mort (dead), l’ignorant (fool))

to look + adj : appearance (tu fais plus vieux avec tes lunettes)

to manage to (comment tu as fait ça?)

to act/take care of (laisse-moi faire)

faire la fête : to party (les voisins font la fête tous les week-ends)

faire la tête : to sulk/pout (arrête de faire la tête, enfin)

faire la queue : to wait in line

faire de la peine à : to make someone sad

faire la grasse matinée : to sleep in

faire + infinitive : to make (faire tomber quelque chose : to drop stg)

ça ne fait rien : it’s alright/doesn’t matter

ne faire que : to never stop doing x (elle ne fait que râler)

[yourfavoritetrophywife-deactiva]

Watch and Learn!

Learning how to thread your eyebrows.

Learning how to do your own gel nails.

Learning how to do your own acrylics.

Learning how to wax your body hair.

Learning how to do a full sew in with closure.

Learning how to install your own braids.

Learning how to install a closure wig.

Learning how to exfoliate your own skin.

Learning how to improve your posture.

Learning how to microneedle your skin.

Learning how to build a capsule closet.

Learning how to dress snazzily.

Learning how to walk in high heels.

Learning how to choose a perfume. 

Learning to improve and work on your femininity.

Learn about interracial dating. 

Learning how to improve the way you speak. 

Learning another language.

Learning about real estate. 

Learning about investing.

Learning how to get a job as a flight attendant.

Learning how to improve your cursive writing.

Learning how to improve your handwriting.

Learning a new makeup style.

Learning a natural makeup look.

Learning how to curl your hair.

Learning how to straighten your hair.

Learning how to do a Dominican blowout.

Learning how to apply false eyelashes.

Learning how to apply self tanner.

Learning basic sewing.

Learning how to begin Iyengar Yoga.

Learning how to treadmill productively.

Learning to have toned ballet legs.

Learning how to work towards a toned body.

Learning how to understand ballet.

Learning how to understand operatic film.

Learning how to follow a simple ballet.

Learning daily etiquette.

Learning dining etiquette.

Learning how to walk elegantly.

Learning how to emulate Miss Universe. 

Learning about plastic surgery.

Learning how to bartend.

Learning how to open a bottle of champagne.

Learning how to make a cucumber sandwich.

Learning how to make a fresh mimosa.

Learning how to serve tea.

Learning how to tight line your eyes.

Learning how to microblade (NOT AT HOME).

Learning how to choose a designer handbag. 

Learning how to choose designer jewelry.

Learning how to rush a sorority.

Learning about equestrianism.

Learning the basics of skiing. 

Learning how to sail a sailboat.

Learning how to golf.

Learning how to play tennis.

XOXO,

Renata.



[essayisms]

I am entirely consumed by my dissertation. After months and months of stagnation and brain fog, to work so hard at something and actually see progress is bliss. 

ig: rhiharper