mouche

fly (insect)

noun MOOSH Less Common

Origin: Latin musca (fly)

Also means

beauty spot, patch

Usage Note

Mouche is the common housefly, but also refers to a small decorative face patch fashionable in 17th–18th century France — a now-archaic but culturally interesting sense. The idiom faire mouche means to hit the bull's-eye or land a perfect remark.

Examples

"Une mouche tourne autour de la table."

Natural Translation

A fly is buzzing around the table.

Literal Translation

A fly turns around the table.

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