The story behind… ‘Les pompettes’ T-shirt

‘Les pompettes’ translates to ‘The tipsy girls’. ‘Pompette’ is an adjective, not a noun. However, I wanted to turn it into a funky expression like in the movies. The adjective is commonly used to qualify a ‘slightly drunk’ woman. A comment that is often made in a playful tone to a cute girl.

I especially love the funny sound of the double ‘p’ and the ending ‘-ette’ which often used to add a female touch to a word. Although, here, pompette would come from the word pompe (pump), and would mean a small pump that absorbs liquid. A colloquial word that refers to the ability of a woman to drink (alcohol) and feel tipsy. You would actually hear a woman say ‘Je suis pompette’ instead (‘I am tipsy’).

I absolutely love the font used named Budmo for the word ‘pompette’. The cabaret style of this font makes you believe that this is the title of a dance show. I really wanted to play on the playful sound of this word and its real meaning.

Try saying it this way “lay pong-pette”

Or practise listening to a French speaker’s pronunciation => here