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cailler

to curdle

verb kah-YEH Rare
Food & Drink Cooking

Also means

to freeze (slang)

Usage Note

Cailler describes milk or blood solidifying into curds, but in everyday slang il caille or ça caille means 'it's freezing cold'. This colloquial use is very common in spoken French and will surprise learners who only know the culinary sense. The noun le caillé refers to curds in cheese-making.

Examples

"Le lait a caillé à cause de la chaleur."

Natural Translation

The milk curdled because of the heat.

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