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Lyon glossary
31 words and expressions to understand Lyon, from the table to local speech, listed A to Z.
- à la revoyure
- A way of saying goodbye: “see you soon”. Read more
- bise
- A cold, dry wind from the north. Read more
- bouchon
- A traditional, convivial restaurant serving regional cooking. Read more
- bugne
- A flat fritter dusted with icing sugar, eaten at carnival time. Read more
- canut
- A silk weaver, notably in the Croix-Rousse. Read more
- cardon
- A vegetable related to the artichoke, cooked au gratin in winter. Read more
- cervelle de canut
- Fresh white cheese with herbs, shallot and vinegar. There is no brain in it. Read more
- colline qui prie
- “The hill that prays”: nickname for Fourvière, with its basilica and Roman theatres. Read more
- colline qui travaille
- “The hill that works”: nickname for the Croix-Rousse, the canuts' district. Read more
- coussin de Lyon
- A sweet of blue-green marzipan and praline chocolate, born from a vow in 1643. Read more
- fenotte
- Woman or wife, in colloquial Lyon speech. Madelon is Guignol's “fenotte”. Read more
- ficelle
- Nickname for Lyon's funiculars, which climb to Fourvière and Saint-Just. Read more
- Gnafron
- A red-nosed cobbler, Guignol's friend and a lover of Beaujolais. Read more
- gognandises
- Sweets, treats. Read more
- gone
- Child, kid. A “gone” is a young Lyon native. Read more
- Guignol
- A glove puppet created in 1808 by Laurent Mourguet. Read more
- jésus
- A dry sausage wrapped in netting, resembling a swaddled baby. Read more
- lumignon
- A small candle in a coloured glass, placed in windows on 8 December. Read more
- mâchon
- A hearty mid-morning snack: cold cuts, tripe, muzzle salad. Read more
- matefaim
- A thick, filling pancake, filled as you like. Read more
- mère
- A woman cook who, after working for wealthy families, opened her own restaurant (Mère Brazier). Read more
- pot lyonnais
- A thick-bottomed 46 cl bottle in which Beaujolais is served. Read more
- praline
- An almond coated in pink sugar, used in tarts and confectionery. Read more
- Presqu'île
- The central district between the Rhône and the Saône, from the Terreaux to the Confluence. Read more
- quenelle
- A mixture of eggs, butter and flour, traditionally made with pike, served with Nantua sauce. Read more
- rosette
- A large dry pork sausage whose shape recalls the Légion d'honneur rosette. Read more
- soyeux
- A silk manufacturer or merchant who employed the canuts. Read more
- tablier de sapeur
- A square of marinated, breaded and grilled tripe, served with gribiche sauce. Read more
- traboule
- A passage, often vaulted, that crosses a building or courtyard to link two streets. Read more
- vent du Midi
- A wind from the south, the most frequent and the strongest, which often signals rain. Read more
- voraces
- A 19th-century mutual-aid association of canuts. Read more
Updated 25 October 2026.