Origin of Family words

[cajunduck man]

Pain perdu literally means lost bread. French toast was made after the homemade bread began to get stale.
Piquante is a general term for thorn or sticker. It also means spicy hot...hence sauce piquante
Echauffure is *****ly heat
Honte (don't pronounce the h) is shame. Probably what you heard was C'est honte which would mean that's a shame, or it's a shame.
Pischouette is a runt or little person but in many cases certain areas used words in sayings that were unique to just that area. Remember before WWII the Cajun communities were isolated. 10 miles was a long way by mule. My parents were raised 7 miles apart dad in Mier and mom in Cankton and some of their uses of words or sayings was unique to that area.
Making a wash...is the literal translation of "faire un lavage". Faire is the verb "to do" or "to make". Many times people who spoke French as their first language would, as they learned English, make the literal translation. I'm 55, my dad learned English at the age of 10 (when he started school...long story) and my mom's older brothers and sisters taught her enough English that when she stared school she could interpret for the teacher. I, and many others of my generation, grew up with sayings such as..."Save the dishes", "Get down from the car", "Pass the broom over the floor", "Catch me a fork, spoon, etc." All because our parents were translating straight from French to English. I, and many of my friends, started school saying things like "sheeps", "shrimps", "Him, he's in trouble yea", and never forget our mom's yelling "Get in da house you!" I'm glad to see that you have taken an interest in your families' heritage. I was one of the few of my generation that was taught French in the home...I later majored in it in college, spent a little time in Belgium in college, taught French at the middle school level and am now the Principle of a French Immersion school. Family heritage is fun and learning about how your family lived, the situations that they went through, and how they survived helps us all to better understand who we are. Anytime you need help with the French language just pm me.