baby-foot

French

FWOTD – 9 June 2019

Alternative forms

• babyfoot (post-1990 spelling)

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, derived from baby +‎ foot (shortening of football).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.bi.fut/, /be.bi.fut/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

baby-foot m (countable and uncountable, plural baby-foots)

1. (uncountable) table football, foosball (game)

   Synonyms: football de table; (Belgium) kicker

   • 2016, Joey Richardière, Une fille venue d'ailleurs, Chiado:

     Lorsque les copains se retrouvaient au café du coin, pour boire une bière, taquiner le flipper ou le baby-foot, il n’était accepté que parce qu’il régalait.

     When the mates met up in the café at the corner, to drink a beer, have a go at the pinball machine or the football table, he was only tolerated because he treated them.

2. (countable) foosball table (furniture)

Descendants

• → Gulf Arabic: بيبي فوت (bebī fūt) (Kuwait)

Further reading

• “baby-foot”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.