Skip to content

caniche

poodle

noun kah-NEESH Rare

Usage Note

Caniche is always masculine regardless of the dog's sex: un caniche femelle. The breed is iconic in France; the expression être le caniche de quelqu'un (to be someone's poodle) means to follow blindly and is used as a political insult.

Examples

"Son caniche blanc adore se faire coiffer."

Natural Translation

Her white poodle loves to be groomed.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic