Why do I need to know boute-en-train? Because you don’t need to start running to catch a train with this one. What does it mean? The French expression boute-en-train, roughly pronounced boot ahn-tran (listen here), means “the life of the party”. It describes someone cheerful, funny, and good at getting people talking, laughing, or participating. The word boute comes from the verb bouter, which means “to push”, and the French en train means “in movement”. In 1762, the Académie Française dictionary explained that the boute-en-train
was a particularly cheerful bird that was placed with others to make them sing. But the origins of the expression stem from another animal. A boute-en-train is a horse used on breeding farms to prepare a mare for mating. In other words, the horse’s job was to test whether the mare was receptive and on heat. Once it was clear that she was ready, the boute-en-train was taken away and replaced by the actual breeding stallion. The first horse was there to get things started
and create the right conditions, but it wasn’t the main attraction. That is how the expression came to be used to describe someone who gets a group going, lifts the mood, and creates a lively atmosphere. This meaning is still used within the world of animal breeding, so could be useful if you get a job on a French stud farm. In French ‘en train de’ is widely used to talk about non-train-related things – it roughly translates as ‘in the process of’ or ‘starting
to’ eg Je suis en train de déménager – I am in the process of moving house. Use it like this C’est le boute-en-train de la famille ; il met tout le monde de bonne humeur. – He’s the life and soul of the family. He always puts people in a good mood. Sans elle, la soirée était beaucoup plus calme : c’est vraiment une boute-en-train. – Without her, the evening was much quieter. She really is the life of the party. Dès que Jean,
le boute-en-train de la bande, est arrivé au dîner, les gens étaient beaucoup plus à l’aise. – As soon as Jean, the life of the group, arrived at the dinner, people felt much more at ease.
boute-en-train meaning, French expression, life of the party, Académie Française 1762, bouter, en train de, pronunciation boot ahn-tran, breeding horse origin