clebs

French

Alternative forms

• klebs

Etymology

From Algerian Arabic كلب (kelb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klɛps/; /klɛbs/

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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Noun

clebs m (invariable)

1. (informal) dog, mutt

   Synonym: chien

2. (informal) homeless

   Synonyms: SDF, clébard

   • 1948, Raymond Guérin, L’Apprenti, Gallimard, Paris:

     Il le regarde s’éloigner dans la lumière crue de l’avenue, avec son affreux clebs.

     He watches him walk away in the raw light of the avenue, with his awful mutt.

Related terms

• clébard

Further reading

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