toupet

nerve

noun too-PAY Rare

Also means

toupee

Usage Note

Toupet primarily means audacity or cheek in colloquial French: avoir le toupet de faire quelque chose — 'to have the nerve to do something'. Its older, literal meaning is a small tuft or lock of hair, or a toupee (hairpiece). The figurative sense is far more common in everyday speech.

Examples

"Il a eu le toupet de me demander de l'argent."

Natural Translation

He had the nerve to ask me for money.

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