avoir la poisse: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  Franceneutral
  • To have a sticky substance (tar, pitch) on oneself or to possess stickiness (literal meaning of 'poisse').

  Examples

  Beta

  • Après avoir marché dans la rue goudronnée, j’avais de la poisse collée aux chaussures.

    After walking on the tarred street, I had sticky pitch stuck to my shoes.

  • Le mécanicien avait la poisse sur les mains après avoir réparé le moteur plein d’huile.

    The mechanic had sticky substance on his hands after repairing the oil-covered engine.

  • En manipulant la résine, elle a rapidement senti la poisse sur ses doigts.

    While handling the resin, she quickly felt stickiness on her fingers.

• 2.

  FranceQuebecFrancophoneinformal
  • To have persistent or chronic bad luck.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Depuis qu’il a changé de travail, il a la poisse et rien ne lui réussit plus.

    Since he changed jobs, he has bad luck and nothing works out for him anymore.

  • Je crois que j’ai la poisse ce mois-ci, tout semble aller de travers.

    I think I have bad luck this month; everything seems to be going wrong.

  • On a tous des moments où on a la poisse, mais il faut garder espoir.

    We all have times when we have bad luck, but we must keep hope.