General
ripou
What does ripou mean?
From the standard French 'pourri' (rotten, corrupt). Verlan reshapes pou-rri into ri-pou. It describes someone corrupt, most famously a bent police officer.
"Ce flic est ripou. = That cop is bent."
Origin
Banlieue verlan from 'pourri', cemented in popular culture by Claude Zidi's 1984 hit film 'Les Ripoux' (English title 'My New Partner'), about two corrupt Paris cops, which put the word in every French mouth.
Frequently asked questions
What does ripou mean?
It's verlan for 'pourri' (rotten), and specifically means a corrupt or bent police officer.
Where did ripou come from?
From verlan, popularised hugely by the 1984 French comedy film 'Les Ripoux'.
What's the plural of ripou?
Ripoux — it follows the irregular French -ou to -oux plural, just like the film title.
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