Translation
rascal, rogue; scoundrel, crook
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Word origin
From French fripon, a cheat or a rascal, from the old verb friper, to rumple or to gobble up, which came to mean living off other people's goods. It reached Esperanto with both its registers already attached.
- Origin
- French
- Root
- fripon
- English cognates
- fripperie
Examples
.
That crook sold me a bad car.
, .
The boy is a little rascal, but we love him.
, .
Do not believe rogues who promise easy money.
runs across two registers and you need both. At full strength it is a swindler, somebody who takes your money by lying to you: said with a hard face is an accusation. At quarter strength it is affectionate, the word an exasperated parent uses about a five-year-old who has eaten the biscuits and denied it. and ! are almost always fond, and the diminutive is doing the softening.
English has the same double life in rogue and rascal, which is why those are the translations to reach for first. The harsher end sits closer to crook and swindler, and when the meaning is strictly criminal, o or say it without the twinkle.
Around it: is the adjective, so a is a cheeky grin, and o is a piece of roguery, the trick rather than the trickster. There is no need for a separate feminine here in modern usage; covers anybody.
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Esperanto · Free printables
fripono: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "fripono" (rascal, rogue; scoundrel, crook): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 20, lesson 8: fripono, persisti, fascini and 7 more words.