plombe

lead seal, slug

noun PLOHM Rare

Origin: From plomb, 'lead (metal)'

Also means

(slang) hour, o'clock

Usage Note

Plombe in its literal sense is a variant of plomb referring to a lead seal used to secure cargo or meters. In French slang, une plombe means 'an hour' — ça fait deux plombes means 'it's been two hours'. The slang use is informal and very common in spoken French.

Examples

"Ça fait trois plombes qu'on attend !"

Natural Translation

We've been waiting for three hours!

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