écoper

bail out (boat), get lumbered with (informal)

verb ay-koh-PAY Rare

Usage Note

Écoper has two distinct uses: literally, to bail water out of a boat with a scoop (écope); figuratively and colloquially, to receive an unwanted punishment or task — écoper d'une amende ('to get slapped with a fine'). The figurative sense is far more common in modern French.

Examples

"Il a écopé d'une amende de cent euros."

Natural Translation

He got lumbered with a hundred-euro fine.

Literal Translation

He bailed-out a fine of a hundred euros.

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