Learning French: when and why do we say avoir la poisse?
This slang phrase describes someone who is stuck with bad luck
Poisse comes from the word poix: a sticky tar-like substance
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Breaking mirrors, walking under ladders, opening umbrellas indoors… ever feel like bad luck is lingering at every turn?
This informal phrase is perfect to use in casual conversation when describing someone very unlucky.
We will look at how it is used and why its 16th century origins left some people in sticky situations.
What does avoir la poisse mean?
This colloquial expression literally translates as: to have pitch.
Pitch, in this context, is not referring to musical tone or a football field. It is referring to a sticky tar-like substance.
Avoir la poisse is used to describe being unlucky. In English we might say, to have rotten luck or to be jinxed.
Similar French phrases include:
Porter la poisse à quelqu'un - To bring bad luck to someone
Etre malchanceux - To be unlucky
Etre maudit - To be cursed
Porter malheur/l’œil - To bring bad luck
Avoir la guigne - To be jinxed
Read also: Exploring 'avoir du bol': unveiling the quirky origins of a popular French expression
What are the origins of avoir la poisse?
Poisse comes from the verb poisser, a Parisian slang term originating in the 16th century, meaning: to coat with pitch (poix), a gluey substance made from resin and tar, used to make things watertight.
It therefore means to be or to make sticky.
Poix relates to the English phrase: pitch black, which compares lack of light to the dark colour of tar or pitch.
It is said that hot pitch was used as punishment or defence in the Middle Ages. This sticky substance would be poured onto enemies, clinging to their bodies and causing life-threatening burns.
By the start of the 20th century, avoir la poisse had transformed into the idea of being cursed with bad luck that clings on like tar.
Read also: Understanding 'un de ces quatre': origins and usage of the French expression
When do you say avoir la poisse?
You would use this slang expression to describe someone who experiences a series of unlucky events:
La dame se demandait si elle n'avait pas la poisse après avoir raté son avion, perdu ses clés et être tombée malade le même jour. - The woman wondered if she was jinxed after missing her plane, losing her keys and falling ill, all on the same day.
J'ai sûrement toute la poisse du monde. Rien ne va plus dans ma vie. - I must be the unluckiest person in the world. Everything is going wrong in my life.
It can also be used as an exclamation or reaction to someone unlucky:
Read also: Understanding French verbs: the many uses of 'passer'
To whom do you say avoir la poisse?
It is slang, informal language which can be used with friends and family.
You should avoid saying it in formal situations.
If in doubt, stick to using:
Ne pas avoir de chance - To have no luck
Être dans une période de malchance - To have a spell of bad luck
Connaître une série de contretemps - To experience a series of setbacks
