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The following is a list I've made of French words that resemble English ones but in reality are different. I'm not interested in words (such as "poison" and "six" and "fiancé") that are the same in both languages. Would you care to add to this list?
as
assist
attend
bless
bras
but
cave
chair
chat
choir
chose
comment
figure
fin
four
irons
laid
lit
main
met
on
or
ours
pain
pays
pour
sale
sang
seize
smoking
son
sort
store
tape
tire
ton
tour
Tags:
Not sure about "ennuyeux". I think it has two main meanings:
(1) "boiteux" : "To be lame" = "boiter"; "he's lame in his left leg" = "Il boite de la jambe gauche"
(2) "piètre", "très mauvais", "peu convaincant" : "A lame excuse" = "Une piètre excuse"
caution
En anglais, c'est la prudence ou à avertir.
In French, this is bail.
i saw "cautionner" used as "endorse" -- i can't "cautionner" the sale of armaments
lice
En anglais, ce sont les poux.
In French, I believe these are lists. Is this correct?
"lice" has various meanings in French, all of them fairly rare. You might want to have a look at the Wikipedia entry for more information, but for example, in the plural it refers to what I think is called the "stockade" in English-- the outer barrier around a castle/fortress.
It can also refer (among other things) to part of a weaving loom.
Suffice it to say it's a fairly rare word that you don't need to worry about overduly.
Where I saw it was a headline in Paris Match:
Martine et Jean-Louis entrent en lice
In Medieval jousting, the participants would have "entered the lists"--the field for the joust being called the lists. C'est evidement que l'expression est venu a l'anglais par la francais (entrer en lice).
ferret
En anglais, c'est le furet.
In French, un ferret de lacet is a metal tag on a shoelace, I believe. Is this correct ?
colon
En anglais, c'est un deux points (des deux points?) (":").
In French, this is a colonist.
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