parleyvoo
verbEtymology From French parlez-vous.
parleyvoo
nounUK /ˌpɑː.liˈvuː/ · US /ˌpɑɹ.liˈvu/
Etymology From French parlez-vous.
1
The French language, especially as understood by an English person.
- Lynch. Let him alone. He's back from Paris […] Zoe. O go on! Give us some parleyvoo.1922 February, James Joyce, Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
2
Archaic A French person.
- [O]ne of these d—d Parlivoos will go farther with some women in a day, than an Englishman in a month—all owing to their impudence; for a common man has as much impudence in France as a man-midwife has in England.1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 276:
- We were hardy British tars who had pity on a poor Parley-voo1887, Gilbert and Sullivan, “Ruddigore”, in Delphi Complete Works of Gilbert and Sullivan (Illustrated), published 2017, →ISBN: