dmu

Just to be awkward, OH and DD1, both native French speakers and university-educated, have never heard the expression "en retraite" used as "retired".
Best not to use it in conversation yourself!

Tweedpipe

Interesting. Both Mme & Jnr Tweedpipe are native French speakers, university-educated too, and were only familiar with the 'retired' related expression.
As I mentioned in post it #251 it may be a specifically regional expression, and it's no secret that the use of some regional expressions outside of their places of origin can be fraught with problems. A quick example that immediately comes to mind is the use of the word 'con'.
In Toulouse and surrounding area if one was to greet a work colleague with, "Comment ça va con?" it would invariably be met without surprise and with good humour (not advised for the boss man though).
However, it must be emphasized, don't use the same expression in the Paris area or many other cities in France. The result will be a look of great surprise, followed in all probability by a bunch-of-fives - and perhaps worse.
I became very familiar with the above expression when working for many years at Toulouse airport, in fact used it frequently myself. I subsequently had a posting to Paris Orly, and then CDG/Roissy airport, when it became obvious from day one that there are certain salutations that one should never use - however familiar. Fortunately I was forewarned, and upset nobody.
Fwiw, I'm a great fan of the comic duo Les Chavaliers du Fiel. In a number of their hilarious sketches one can hear the same expression (I gave an example of) used frequently. Not really surprising as they are Toulousain.

TextualHealing

I've opened a can of worms here. FYI I am in my mid fifties, but am told I look younger. Most of the people in this social group are pensioners (even if early ones) so I assume that they are taking they own experience as a frame of reference for newcomers

Wondering who Gustave Eiffel is / was...

TextualHealing

No that ould be poischiches (I think)

Tweedpipe

Apart from being Mme Eiffel's husband, if I simply said, 'The gent who designed a tall tower', I might be doing him a tiny bit of injustice.

TextualHealing

and built railway bridges in Cors if I remember rightly!

dmu

yes, chick peas are pois-chiches, and, as I pointed out, the expression "chiche!" has nothing to do with pois-chiches.
I thought at first it meant "chouette" ("super!", not "a type of owl") until I was corrected.

dmu

Not only in Corse, but all over the place. Our old train line to Paris goes over the Viaduc de Garabit in the Cantal, and there's a magnificent view of it from the Autoroute A75.

TextualHealing

Sorry a missing hyphen!

Novocastrian

Channeling Tweedpipe's earlier remarks about regional dialects, divn't waak afore ye can run pet.

PangPangPang

Deem to be a great expert.
Yes, "en retraite" or "� la retraite" just means retired.
Retraite has also a military meaning (troops withdrawal).
In religious practices, "faire une retraite" means have a training with priest before a religious sacrament.

"chiche" or "t'es pas chiche" is used to challenge somebody, mainly used in the south by youngsters who are about to push one of their mates to do something. Also used : "t'es pas cap de faire ça."

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the France forum! Thanks for confirming my post!
I see from your other thread that you're French, so feel free to give some more useful French phrases ("actuelles" in the French sense). And do join in the threads in the main section below!

Tweedpipe

Welcome to the forum.
I deem to be an expert on nothing, knowledgeable on most, and a fool in my spare time....
TP

TengueFengue

il était comme ça quand je suis arrivé ici

"It was like that when I got here" ...maybe?

EuroTrash

� la retraite... en retraite..
Late to the party as usual, but if I had to find a difference between the two I would say that "� la retraite" means literally "on a pension" - "toucher sa retraite" being to draw one's pension - and "en retraite" means in retirement but not necessarily drawing one's pension. So, interchangeable when you are both retired and on a pension, but possible to be one or t'other. You could be en retraite but not � la retraite if you were still waiting for your pension, and you could be � la retraite but not en retraite, if you are drawing your pension but continuing to work.
Then there's "retraité" as in "ce sont des retraités heureux" - does that imply they're both retired and on pensions? Yes, probably, if they're happy! but answers on a postcard.