taquiner

to tease

verb tah-kee-NEH Rare

Also means

to poke fun at

Usage Note

Taquiner implies affectionate, playful teasing rather than mean-spirited mockery. The noun taquin (m) / taquine (f) describes a teasing person. The expression taquiner le goujon literally means 'to tease the gudgeon' (a small fish) and idiomatically means to do a bit of casual fishing.

Examples

"Il aime taquiner sa petite soeur."

Natural Translation

He loves to tease his little sister.

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