Cajun French
All words verified by Rev. Msgr. Jules O. Daigle's Dictionary of the Cajun Language (Web site no longer available. Sold on Amazon.com).
Acrobatique -- "ah-cro-BAH-TEEK" -- acrobatic. Okay, this was an easy one, but when you see the way a speckled trout hits a topwater bait, you got to say: "Woo, mais ce truite est acrobatique!" [Woo, but that's an acrobatic trout!]
allons -- "ahl-OHN" (but don't put much emphasis on the n) French for "let's go"
Appât -- "ah-PAH" -- bait. The Deadly Dudley Terror Tail is a brand new appât on the market and tonnere mon chien, mais c'est si bon!
Artificiel -- "ar-tee-fee-CEE-ell" -- artificial. Sometimes, those artificiels are better when used with live bait, like when we use Snapper Slapper lures with frozen pogies. Since the bait looks like a squid that just caught himself a fish, predator fish like snapper and amberjack can't keep from attacking it and getting caught on the stinger hook waiting for them.
Atchafalaya -- "uh CHAH fuh lye yuh" -- swift river. Okay, this isn't a French term but it certainly shows how the Cajun language is a melting pot of different cultures. Atchafalaya is actually a Native American term. The Choctaw tribe settled and traded there long before Jean-Baptiste Rabalais and other Frenchmen joined the Avoyelles trading outpost in the early 1700s.
Attendre -- "ah-TANHD" -- to wait. We attendons the arrival of Baby Sean. Looks like he's waiting for the arrival of the S.T.A.R. tournament to enter this world!
Au large -- "O LARGE" (soft "g")-- offshore. Mike and Capt. Peace went fishing au large to catch giant tuna. Also, le grand large, meaning "the open sea" could be used here.
Bande -- "BAHND" -- school (of fish). When redfish group together in a bande to feed, it seems they congregate by the thousands. How do you find a big school? Look for the birds diving among them, competing for shrimp and baitfish.
Bassin -- "bah-SANH" -- basin. Though it looks like a redneck word for weekend activity, bassin refers to a basin container or to an area of land that drains a river, like the Atchafalaya Basin.
Bateau -- "BAH-toe" -- French term for boat. In Cajun terms, it usually refers to a small aluminum fishing boat. usage: "J.B.'s old bateau has had a lot of fish brought over the side."
beaucoup -- "BOO-koo" -- a lot, many, plenty. usage: "I have beaucoup things to do and no time to do 'em."
Blette -- "BLEHT" -- mink. Mink are abundant in South Louisiana and Mike captured une blette on video running across the rocks at Big Lake.
Bouchon -- "BOO-shonh" [leave the "n" weak] refers to a cork used for fishing. If you're fishing with live bait, you're more than likely using it under a bouchon.
Cadeau -- "cah-DOH" -- gift, present. Every year, Cajun Quest likes to give its viewers a little cadeau -- we show them the hilarious (if sometimes embarassing) moments that we've been saving all year for our Christmas show.
Caillou -- "KYE-you" -- rock/stone/pebble. Bayous Grand Caillou and Petite Caillou are both in South Louisiana.
Canard farouche -- "cah-NARD fah-ROOSH" -- wild duck. There are beaucoup des canards farouches coming down to the marsh with the cold weather. (Remember not to pronounce the "s" when plural.)
Carabine -- "cah-rah-BEEN" -- rifle. Our friends at Red Jacket Firearms let us fire une carabine automatique and it was a lot of fun to shoot something so powerful. A bit of trivia - remember the hero from The Last of the Mohicans? The English referred to him as "Hawk-eye" but the French Canadians and Indians called him "La Longue Carabine." Carabine refers to any rifle in Cajun French, not just the carbine.
Carte - "CART" - map. If you need a good map of the Atchafalaya Basin, give the Atchafalaya Basin Program a call at (225) 342-6437. C'est une carte bonne! (Rev. Daigle uses "mape" as the Cajun form of map, but I have not personally used that form.)
Cassé -- "cah-SAY" -- broken. After a big AJ broke his rod, Capt. Chris Moran still brought the fish in -- even with his rod cassé.
Chapeau -- "shah-POH" -- hat. The wind was blowing so hard over the water, you had to hold on to your chapeau!
Chemin de fer -- "CHA-manh duh FEHR" -- railroad (tracks). When fishing in Lake Pontchartrain, it is a good idea to fish along the pilings that support the chemin de fer. Literally meaning "iron tracks," the trestle bridges in Pontchartrain are havens for mule trout.
Chevrette -- "SHEV-ret" -- shrimp. Monday, May 21 was the beginning of shrimp season. Go out and celebrate by eating as many chevrettes as you can find!
Chevreuil --"shev-ROO-yah" -- deer. Our buddy Pete Giovenco does wonders with venison. Once you taste his stuffed backstrap, smoked sausage or tamales, you won't believe the meat came from a chevreuil!
Chien -- "Shanh" [This is the best I could do to imitate the "enh" sound that all Cajun French words that end with "n" have. The "n" is soft or not pronounced at all.] It means "dog." Did you see Max the Fishing Chien? My favorite Cajun phrase is "Tonnere mon chien!" Literally, it is "Thunder my dog!" but it really translates to a strong "Dang It!" Tonnere mon chien, mais c'est si bon! = Dang but that's good!
Choupique -- "shoe-PICK" -- mudfish, bowfin. (Literally, "a pain in the butt"). When even Cajun recipes couldn't make a bowfin taste good, Cajuns began referring to this bait-stealing, mud-tasting fish as a choupique, because it was literally a pain in the butt to get off the line.
Cocodrie -- "co-co-DREE" -- crocodile, used for alligator, also a town in Louisiana located south of Houma near the Gulf of Mexico. Early French settlers called the alligators in the swamp cocodrie, not knowing the difference in species.
Coeur de l'été -- "KUR duh LAYTAY" -- midsummer. While folks up north may not think of late August as the coeur de l'été, folks down here know we still have lots of hot summer weather ahead.
Coquille d'huitre -- "KOH-kee DWEE-truh" -- oyster shell. The bottom of the lake was full of des coquilles d'huitre. coquille(s) = shell(s), huitre(s) = oyster(s), literally, shells of oysters. Big trout love 'em!
Coup -- "COO" means a hit or a strike, as in when a fish hits your line. "Ça c'est un bon coup!" [pronounced: Sah say unh bon coo] means: "That's a good hit!" If you're really excited about the hit, you should go with the whole phrase "Tonnere mon chien mais ça c'est un bon coup!"
Courtbouillon -- "COO-bee-yon," literally short gravy. Many Cajun fisherman sold the good filets from their catch and used the leftovers for this hearty stew.
Cowan -- "cow-WANH" -- little turtle. Ever notice those little turtles that sunbathe on logs? Bayou Cowan is famous for (and got its name from) its turtle population.
Criquet -- "kree-KET" -- cricket, grasshopper. Another easy one -- you can pick up criquets anywhere live bait is sold and, when you're headed out panfishing, these little bugs can save your trip.
D'inde frit -- "DANH FREET" -- fried turkey. One of our favorite cajun traditions is injecting a 12 pound gobbler and having d'inde frit for Christmas dinner. Here's some trivia -- another french word for turkey is dindon -- which became "dingdong" in English.
Des Allemands -- "DAYS ALA-mends or DAYS AHL-mahn" -- The Germans. Lake DesAllemands was named for people of German ancestry that settled near the lake. The first pronounciation is the more popular but the second is more "french."
Divers -- "DEE-vairs" -- various, diverse, different. When you fish in a brackish area like Lac Des Allemands, you're likely to catch more than what you bargained for. Instead of just freshwater or just marsh species, you're likely to have an icechest full of divers fish.
Dock -- "DAWK" -- dock, pier. Okay, this one was obvious. Just goes to show how much Cajun and English have in common. The DNR built a new floating dock at the Belle River Landing.
Dur -- "DUHR" -- difficult, tough, hard. Due to the inclement weather we've been having, fishing this winter has been beaucoup dur! Hopefully, with better weather, the fishing will get beaucoup bon!
Ecalé -- "ay-CAH-lay" -- flaky. When you stuff flounder and bake it, the meat becomes very tender and ecalé.
Encore -- "AHN-core" -- repeat. We've done around 20 new shows in a row this summer but this week, the weather made us run an encore show. That's okay -- it's a pretty darn good show!
Equipage -- "ay-kee-PAZH" -- equipment. At the Louisiana Sportsmen's Show in the Superdome, we saw lots of new products and tons of equipage to use for fishing, hunting and everything else!
Faire une tournée -- "FAIR UNE tour-NAY" -- to take a trip. This is a simple phrase that can refer to any kind of trip, but of course, I mean going out fishing. To say that I'm taking a trip with Capt. Peace Marvel to the bluewater, I would say, "Je fais une tournée avec Capt. Peace Marvel à l'eau bleu."
Farre -- "FEHR" -- stuffing (of a cooked bird). This Thanksgiving, maman didn't fry a turkey, she roasted one with a wonderful farre d'huitre (oyster stuffing). Pooyie!!
Feu d'artifice -- "FUH DAR-tee-feese" -- fireworks. As in "Ooooh, ahhhh, regarde le feu d'artifice!" (Check out the fireworks!)
Forêt -- "for-ETTE" forest, jungle. The woods in Louisiana get so overgrown, the Cajuns used the same word for forest and jungle. When you go fishing out in the flooded forêt of Old River, you'll call those woods a jungle too!
Front froid -- "Front FWAHD" -- cold front. Just as we teach you the word for warm springtime weather, a front froid comes through and wrecks the fishing!
Frottoir -- "fro-TWAH" -- washboard. Okay, this really doesn't have anything to do with fishing but we thought every Cajun ought to know this one. When you see a Cajun or Zydeco band playing, you'll see the usual -- a guitar, fiddle, bass fiddle, accordion, drums and if you're lucky, somebody scrubbing away on a frottoir.
Galerie -- "gahl-REE" -- front porch. Okay, tried to fool you with this one since we're showcasing Glinda Schafer's paintings at Galerie Eclat. In Cajun French, galerie refers to the front porch. Our friends in France use it to refer to an art gallery. (Eclat is a loud burst of noise, like a thunder clap -- in Cajun French, anyway.)
Garçon -- "gahr-SOHN" -- boy, son. When a father takes his garçon fishing, it creates good memories for a lifetime. We were glad to have Warren and Walker Landry come fishing with us in Venice as a father and son fishing team.
Gateau de roi -- "gah-TOE duh RAH" -- king cake. We are coming up on the 12th day of Christmas, January 6, which is when Catholics celebrate 12th night (the epiphane). This is the official start of Mardi Gras season and we celebrate with a gateau de roi, a king cake with a plastic baby inside that symbolizes the new year. Whoever gets the piece with the baby inside hosts the next soiree.
Gibier -- "zhee-BEE-yay" -- wild game (birds or animals). If you knew this one, give yourself a gold star! This weekend, September 1, marks the third annual gibier cookout to benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. They'll be cooking everything you can hunt -- from deer to gators!
Gigue -- "ZHEEG" -- jig (the bait). Sac-au- lait love to bite dem blue and sparkle tail gigue.
Glissant -- "GLEE-sahn" -- sliding. On this week's show, we show you how to rig a bouchon glissant, a sliding cork that gives versatility to the way we fish for speckled trout.
Goujon -- "GOO-zhon" cajun term for catfish. Also a cooking term that refers to thin strips of meat that are breaded and fried.
Grillé -- "gree-YAY" -- grilled. The best way to serve wahoo steaks are hot off the pit, grillé until it flakes with a fork..
Gris -- "GREE" -- grey. Mangrove snapper are also known as grey snapper, or snapper gris. (gris can also refer to the screen on a window or door.)
Hameçon -- "Ahm-SOHN" -- fish hook. As in, "Watch where you're casting! I don't need any hameçon getting that near my face!
Haut -- "OHT" -- top. It is so much fun to watch a fish come up and hit your bait en haut of the water.
Jaune -- "ZHAWN" -- yellow. Most people are satisfied if they catch a couple of blackfin tuna when they head out to the bluewater. But man, there's nothing like getting a monster jaune (slang for yellowfin tuna) hooked on!
L'eau bleu -- "LOW bluh" -- blue water, referring to the fishing areas offshore (where the Gulf of Mexico is no longer muddied by the Mississippi). We went out to l'eau bleu and it was teeming with tuna!
L'Eau Fraîche -- "LOH fresh" -- freshwater, as in a freshwater pond. This expression is one that shows the difference between Cajun French and Parisian French. In France, l'eau fraîche refers to freshly drawn water. (They use the expression l'eau douce for freshwater bodies.)
L'Eau Salée -- "LOH sah-LAY" -- salt water, as in, Mike headed out for eausalée to catch some specks and reds. You could also use eau de mer for seawater. Both are acceptable.
L'été -- "ley-TAY" -- summer. Although the calendar says it's still June, it's so hot it feels like the middle of l'été.
L'or -- "LOHR" -- (the) gold. When redfish stay in clear water, they turn a brassy orange color and shine in the light like l'or.
La veille de la Toussaint -- "LA VA-yuh DUH LA TOO-sahn" -- Halloween. The Catholic French tradition of celebrating All Saint's Day (la Toussaint, Nov. 1, a day to remember the dead) gave a spookier feel to la veille de la Toussaint, (Oct. 31 -- All Hallow's Eve), the night before when pagan and voodoo rites called up good and evil spirits.
Lac -- "LACK" --lake. As in "Iberville and Bienville founded their new city in the area between le Mississippi and le lac de Pontchartrain to make for easier ship access into and out of la Nouvelle Orleans. Or, maybe they just knew they wouldn't have to go far to catch some monster specks!"
Lacher -- "LAH-shay" -- to release. Since red snapper season didn't start for another week, we had to lacher all those beautiful reds. Good thing about it is that they'll be there next time we hit the rigs! [Also, a well-known Cajun saying is "Lache pas la patate! which literally means, "don't drop the potato," but is a way of saying "be careful with that!"]
Lagniappe -- "LAN-yap" -- a little something extra, a bonus usage: "I went to the grocery for 5 poun' a poke chop an' the butcher trow in some grind meat for lagniappe!"
Noel -- "NO-elle" -- Christmas usage: "Joyeux Noel et Bonne Annee"
Levée du soleil -- "leh-VAY du so-LAY" -- sunrise. All anglers try to be out on the water before levée du soleil for many reasons: less traffic (except maybe at the launch), better bite and one heckuva view as the sun comes up over the Louisiana landscape.
Ling -- "LING" comes from the French word ligne, which means line. In Cajun French, ling, usually refers to trotlines, sometimes fishing line. Also a nickname for the lemonfish (cobia) because of the white line visible down its back as it comes up from the water. As in: "I gotta go check my ling befo' Boudreaux get to it!" OR: " 'Garde le ling! (Look at that lemonfish!)"
Livre -- "LEEV" -- pound (as in weight, same word also refers to books). No kidding, we caught an amberjack on topwater that weighed 40 livres!
Logue -- "LAUG" -- log. We passed our baits around every downed logue in the water because the fish were holding real tight.
Louer -- "LOU-way" -- charter (rent, lease). When you want to go out the the bluewater it's better to louer a good charter captain. They take care of everything from gas to bait to cleaning all the fish you caught.
Machine -- "mah-SHIN" -- engine. This one seems obvious once you see the meaning, but make sure to only use machine when referring to an actual engine, whether marine or otherwise.
Mal de mer -- "MAHL duh mare" -- seasickness. No explanation necessary here. If you've ever had mal de mer or even seen someone with it, you'll never forget it.
Malade -- "mah-LAHD" -- sick, ill. Mike was malade and had to go to the hospital for gall bladder surgery.
Marais -- "mah-RAY" -- marsh. There are beaucoup des marais in South Lousiana, in fact, most of the southern part of the state is marshland. If you're referring to a salt marsh, it is called a marais salant. A marsh bird is a oiseaux de marais.
Marée -- "mah-RAY" -- tide. When you're fishing along the coast, the bite will rise and fall with the marée.
Mettre un tiquet -- "MET UNH TEE-ket" -- to tag or to place a tag. As in, to tag a redfish. Without getting technical about grammar, the easiest way to use this phrase is like this: Le CCA a met un tiquet sur ce poisson rouge. (The CCA has put a tag on this redfish.)
Mon Dieu -- "MOHN DYUH" -- MY GOD. The fishing at Mondieu Lake must have been pretty good (or pretty bad) for the early settlers of Pointe Coupee Parish to give it such a name. This expression is also good for hollering -- "Mon Dieuça c'est un bon poisson!"... literally: "My God but that's a good fish!"
Mort de poisson -- "MORT DUH pwah-SSOHN" -- fish kill. After a hurricane, many low-lying water bodies will be disturbed enough that there will be a significant mort de poisson. After Hurricane Lili, enough sediment and dead vegetation were kicked up in the water of Lake Verret that the fish couldn't get oxygen and died.
Moustique -- "moo-STEEK" -- mosquito. (Some folks also use maringouin and cousin for mosquito.) How it took so long for this word to be picked, I don't know. But if you want to see an example of a typical "Louisiana State Bird" attack, watch the episodes where we go into the woods with JB Salter -- you'll see plenty moustiques!
Neige -- "NEZH" -- snow. It's very seldom we have a forecast that calls for neige, but this New Year's called for 2 inches!
Orage -- "oh-RAHJ" -- storm. Every afternoon in July in South Louisiana, you can hear the thunder of the coming rainstorm... there's an orage almost everyday!
Ouest-- "WEST" -- west. The west wind kills fishing in both fresh and saltwater areas. If you see a forecast calling for vent de l'ouest, you may as well just save your "sick" day for some other time.
Ouragan -- "oo-rah-GAHN" -- hurricane. If you say this one a couple of times, you'll get it. Ouragan Lili was a category 4 storm out in the Gulf but collapsed into a weaker category 2 right before it hit the coast. The weathermen were baffled as to the reason why but we all have a sneakin' suspicion that it was the good folks and their hard prayers.
Paix -- "PAY" -- peace. We love fishing with Capt. Peace Marvel of Reel Peace Charters. In Cajun French, he would be Paix Marvel.
Panéed -- "pah-NAYD" -- pan fried. When you have panéed trout, it has been pan fried in butter and seasonings. Sauté is another word for pané. You really only see or hear this word used in south Louisiana and on Emeril Lagasse's shows.
Paradis -- "par-ah-DEE" -- heaven. Ol' Mister Dallas is up in paradis showing the man upstairs how to check His lines for catfish and goo.
Patate -- "pah-TAHT" -- potato. Chef KD cooked us up some crab-boiled, fish fried patates and those big ol' Cajun Fries were bon!
Pêcheur -- "Peh-SHUR" -- fisherman, angler. Cajun Quest is a showcase of fishing for the Louisiana pêcheur.
Peine -- "PEHN" -- pain/sadness. Can be used to refer to getting a hook caught in your hand or in your heart. C'est une peine terrible. (What a terrible pain.)
Perche -- "PAIR-sh," French for trout, Cajun for bass and trout. When French and Acadian fisherman came to Louisiana, they called bass "green trout." (perche vert) Cajuns still use perche to refer to bass.
Perche blanc -- "PAIRSH BLANH" -- white bass. Man, those little bitty perche blanc sure can stretch your line!
Pied à brosse -- "pe-ED AH BROSS" -- stalks of brush, reeds. In the Basin, one of the best structures to catch fish around are the pied a brosse -- the heavy stalks of brush or cattails along the banks in shallow water. They provide cover and shelter.
Pigeon de mer -- "PEE-zhon duh mare"--seagull. If you've ever had a crawfish boil on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, you've seen about a million pigeons de mer, all hoping you throw a mudbug their way.
Platin -- "PLAH-tanh" -- shallow, as in shallow water. Mike and Capt. Stan fished for redfish in l'eau platin of Empire.
Pleurant -- "pluh-RAHN" -- crying. Ever since the arrival of Baby Sean, our house has been filled with all kinds of pleurant. (Not to be mistaken for "pleut" for rain.)
Plie -- "PLEH" -- flounder. In Lake Pontrchartrain, we hook lots of reds, trouts and des plies. One of my favorite recipes is stuffed plie.
Plomb -- "PLUM" -- lead (sinker). When fishing offshore, you need a good heavy plomb to get your bait down to the bottom.
Pluie -- "ploo-EE" -- rain. We're getting cabin fever with all this pluie. I can't wait for the sun to come out so we can go fishing again!
Poilon -- "pwah-LONH" -- frying pan. When we fish, we keep just enough to fill a poilon. No reason to waste in a freezer what won't fit in a big frying pan.
Pointe au chêne -- "POINT-oh-SHEN" -- oak point. Pointe Au Chêne State Wildlife Management Area is a great place to catch all kinds of fish. It's located near Larose, where Old Bayou Blue meets the Sulphur Mine.
Poisson armé -- "pwah-SON ARMAY" -- gar fish. Our friend Phillip won a trophy at the St. James Choupique rodeo by catching an 89-pound poisson armé! This phrase literally means "armed fish" so you can imagine how the first French settlers in Louisiana reacted when they caught one of these monsters for the first time. Of course, just because it may have scared them at first, it doesn't mean they didn't figure out a way to cook it (and make it taste good!).
Poisson rouge -- "PWA-son rooge" -- red fish, a favorite species to catch in the marsh and gulf. Very good grilled. As in: "Marilyn caught her a 40 poun' poisson rouge de udder day. Her husban' put it on de wall and call it his own!"
Pont -- "POHN" -- bridge. Mike and Capt. Dudley went out to the Pont de Seabrook to try out a new way of catching big specks.
Printemps -- "Prinh-TAHN" -- springtime. The weather has been so good lately it feels like printemps is already here!
Racheux -- "RAH-shoo" -- Rough. The surface of the water was beaucoup racheux due to the winds.
Raquin -- "rah-CAN" -- shark. As in, "Zach caught the first fish of the day, but it wasn't a big speck, it was a five foot raquin!" Or if you see Jaws on TV, now you can exclaim, "Tonnere me chien, mais c'est un grand raquin!" [Dang, that's a big shark!]
Retransmettre -- "ruh-TRAHNS-met-truh" -- rebroadcast. Because of special news coverage, CQ had to retransmettre a new episode.
Rig d'huile -- "rig duh wheel" -- oil rig. As in, "we were fishing a rig d'huile for lemonfish and passing a good time." This phrase is also one that shows Cajun French evolved differently than Parisian French. Over there, an oil rig is a pétrolière plate-forme ("pay-TRO-li-air platt-form"). Our version is a little easier to say.
Rodeo -- "ro-DEH-oh" -- rodeo. Okay, this one was an easy one. We just wanted to show how much English influences the Cajun language.
Roseau -- "RO-zoh" -- reed. Downriver from Venice, we fished around the banks of the roseaux (plural pronounced RO-zohz down there), the tall canes that serve as harbors for huge speckled trout and bull reds.
Sac-au-lait -- Cajun term for crappie, also known as the white perch or "slabs." Sac-au-lait is literally "bag of milk" which is what the fish resembles as it is pulled through the water. usage: Mike went fishing for sac-au-lait at Lake Verret and Chef KD cooked those slabs into a salsa.
Santé -- "sahn-TAY" -- health. This year, we've had lots of rain, which keeps more water in the Basin. Because of the higher levels of water (without hurricanes or flood this year, knock on wood), the Atchafalaya Basin is in bonne santé.
Seine -- "SEHN" -- net. On his latest episode, Mike shows the viewers how to properly seine a fish so that you don't knock it off the hook and back into the water. Seine is used as the noun (feminine = la seine) or as the verb (seiner = to net a fish).
Souche -- "SOOSH" -- stump. Watch out for the souches when boating in Toledo Bend, there are beaucoup.
Soulevement -- "soo-LEV-manh" -- lift (noun). The purpose of a Cajun Jacker Jackplate is to give a little soulevement to your boat motor, making for better speed and handling.
Taire -- "tie-EAR" -- stingray. You definitely get bonus points if you knew that one! Most Cajuns use English for this little critter. On our trip to Delacroix, Capt. Greg was surprised to find a taire at the end of his line -- he thought he'd hooked a treelimb, not a stingray!
Tourte de pécan -- "TORT" -- pecan pie. The Cajun French settlers created pecan pie, tourte de pécan, after being introduced to the pecan by Native Americans. Enjoy some Cajun tradition this holiday season!
Trainasse -- "Tray-nahss" -- a manmade trail or ditch in the marsh that allows water to flow from one body to another. The current makes it an excellent place to fish near. A good fishing guide will know every trainasse in the marsh and, hopefully, how to get to them without getting stuck.
Tranquille -- "trahn-KEEL" -- tranquil, quiet, calm. On our wahoo trip with Capt. Chris Moran, la Gulfe was tranquille. We couldn't have asked for a prettier, calmer day!
Truite -- "TREET" -- minnow. Some might call 'em cocahoe minnas, but down here, they are truites de cocahoe.
Va t'on! -- "VAH TOHN" -- get outta here!, leave! When Boudreaux see somebody invadin' his best fishin' hole, he yells Va t'on! (literally: you go). When Mike see a big alligator gar stalkin' his bait, he yell de same ting. Va t'on!
Vent -- "VAUN" -- wind. (remember not to pronounce the "n" too much). You don't usually fish topwaters on a day when il fait du vent. [it's windy]. If your bait gets caught in the wind when you cast, it is au vent [in the wind].