Meaning & use
pied-de-poule
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Meanings
noununcountablespecialist
a woven pattern of small broken checks in two colors, or cloth with this pattern.
Grammar: Uncountable as a pattern or fabric: 'in pied-de-poule', not 'a pied-de-poule' when you mean the material.
Patterns
- in pied-de-poule
- a pied-de-poule pattern
- pied-de-poule fabric
She wore a fitted jacket in black-and-white pied-de-poule.
The designer used pied-de-poule for the whole autumn collection.
Pied-de-poule is a classic choice for winter skirts and coats.
adjectivebefore a nounspecialist
having a small broken-check pattern in two colors.
Grammar: Used before a noun only: a pied-de-poule skirt; you would not say 'the skirt is pied-de-poule' in careful writing.
Patterns
- a pied-de-poule coat
- pied-de-poule trousers
He paired a plain shirt with a pied-de-poule waistcoat.
The catalog featured a pied-de-poule scarf and matching gloves.
Common combinations
- in pied-de-poule
- The invitation asked guests to wear something in pied-de-poule.
- a pied-de-poule pattern
- The cushions have a bold pied-de-poule pattern.
- black-and-white pied-de-poule
- Her handbag is black-and-white pied-de-poule.
- a pied-de-poule coat
- A pied-de-poule coat never really goes out of style.
Synonyms and how they differ
- houndstooth
- The everyday English name for the same pattern; use it in normal conversation.
- check
- A general word for any square pattern; much broader than pied-de-poule.
Commonly confused: pied-de-poule or houndstooth?
pied-de-poule vs houndstooth
Same pattern, different word: 'houndstooth' is the usual English term, 'pied-de-poule' the French one.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the word correctly.
Choose one answer.
'In pied-de-poule' is the fixed way to say the fabric or pattern; the other options break English word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pied-de-poule”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.