h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Very few words are as popular as the short noun "con" (stupid). "Con" as you would expect from the primary slang meaning* is very versatile. Said seriously it could lead to blows. It can be used affectionaly as in "Mais t'es con" (you stupid oaf) . The tone of voice is all-important. Strangely enough, the feminine noun "conne" can NEVER be used affectionately. Both "con" and "conne" come with lots of initial kkks depending on level of frustration.

To complete the entry, meet "connard" (idiot + barsteward). The suffix "-ard" (of German origin btw) adds a layer of hostility in the mind of the utterer. This is what I shout to irresponsible motorists. "Connard" has no feminine equivalent, since "connasse" (very stupid female) is really used to denote advanced idiocy.

Regional variant: in the South-East of France, "con" (stupid) or "putain de con" (more stupid) is used without particular meaning as a sort of verbal punctuation, like Mmm, or Oh, Er, etc. It takes some getting used to.

To sum up, in the not obscene**, though not refined category we have: "con", "conne", "connard", "connasse". All used commonly in this household, but never to each other…

*The word "con" also refers to female genitalia (close to the English word), but not in polite society and in my book only in pornographic writings.

**When a person is not very refined and/or intends to be vulgar, the word "pétasse" is used. A little outdated is "pouffiasse" which means prostitute. Neither has ever passed my lips.