rossignol

nightingale

noun roh-see-NYOL Rare

Also means

skeleton key, picklock

Usage Note

Rossignol is the celebrated songbird (Luscinia megarhynchos) immortalised in French poetry and chanson. Its secondary meaning — a skeleton key used by locksmiths or burglars — is informal but widely known. Un rossignol can also mean a slow-selling item stuck in a shop's inventory (informal trade jargon).

Examples

"Le rossignol chante toute la nuit."

Natural Translation

The nightingale sings all night.

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