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coqueluche

whooping cough

noun kok-LOOSH Rare

Also means

darling, idol (informal)

Usage Note

Coqueluche primarily names the highly contagious respiratory disease (pertussis), but it has a vivid second life in informal French meaning a person everyone adores — la coqueluche du moment ('the darling of the moment', the current 'it' person). These two senses are entirely unrelated in usage and register.

Examples

"Il est la coqueluche de l'équipe."

Natural Translation

He is the darling of the team.

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