A funny but entirely serious article from 2013 in Montréal’s La Presse newspaper describes a medical study in which it was determined that high altitudes cause more intestinal gas. This means that people feel the need to fart more on airplanes than on the ground.
The researchers say that holding farts in causes bloating, indigestion, pain and even stress due to the mental concentration required. They recommend that airplane seats be stuffed with active charcoal to absorb the stench so that passengers can fart freely when travelling by plane.
How do the Québécois say fart in French?
In French, a fart is called un pet. In Québec, the final t is pronounced. This means that pet sounds exactly as it’s written, or like pètt. In France, the final t of pet is silent (and you know what they say about the silent ones).
A commonly used expression in French is lâcher un pet, which means “to fart” or “to blow a fart.” There is also the verb péter, which means the same thing. In Québec, péter is pronounced pèter (è instead of é).
The researchers say that the question of whether or not to fart isn’t simple for pilots. If a pilot restrains from farting (si le pilote se retient de lâcher un pet) he’ll suffer undesirable effects on his health. On the other hand, if he lets them out (s’il se laisse aller), the co-pilot’s attention may be compromised.
In their study, the researchers also answered the following question: Est-ce que les pets féminins ont une odeur plus prononcée que les pets masculins? Do female farts have a stronger odour than male farts? The researchers say yes; female farts smell worse than male ones.
Here’s some essential vocab related to farts.
péter / lâcher un pet
to fart, to blow a fart
faire un pet sauce
to blow a wet fart
une face de pet
a fart face
péter plus haut que le trou
to be a pretentious, stuck-up ass
(literally: to fart higher than the hole!)
lâcher un pet dans un ascenseur
to blow a fart in an elevator
Ouache! C’est dégueulasse!
Oh gross! That’s disgusting!
(ouache sounds like wache; rhymes with “cash”)
Ça sent pas la rose, hein!
It sure doesn’t smell like roses!
Une fille, ça pète pas!
Girls don’t fart.
But when she does, run for cover…
