caille

quail

noun KAHY Rare

Usage Note

Caille is a feminine noun for the small game bird, also prized in French cuisine — cailles rôties (roast quails) appear on bistro menus. In informal speech ma caille is used as a term of endearment, roughly equivalent to 'babe' or 'darling'. The plural is regular: des cailles.

Examples

"La caille pond ses oeufs dans l'herbe."

Natural Translation

The quail lays its eggs in the grass.

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