Skip to content

hic

snag

noun EEK Rare

Origin: from Latin hic est quaestio, 'here is the question'

Also means

hitch

Usage Note

hic is an informal noun meaning the catch or sticking point in a plan. The phrase voilà le hic means 'there's the snag' or 'that's the problem'. The final consonant is pronounced, unusually for French.

Examples

"Le hic, c'est que nous n'avons pas de budget."

Natural Translation

The snag is that we have no budget.

Literal Translation

The snag, it's that we have no budget.

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