Une construction tronquée du verbe faire

Expressions of the form N0 fait le N1 in French are not simply fixed expressions. There are in fact two distinct cases, differing in syntax and meaning: Max f ait l'arbitre (Max acts as referee) and Max fait l'innocent (Max plays the innocent). In this article, we characterise these two constructions, suggesting a way of solving the contradictions which occur in the second, and explain the semantic overlap between the two types. In addition to the lexical significance of these expressions (they number around 1,000) and their productivity, this study also illustrates the problem of degrees of fixedness, focussing on two types of relation between faire and être.