"long/longue" coming before nouns --

Question

This is tough to remember as an English speaker, since I am so familiar with a "chaise longue" -- is this the major exception to the rule that "long" generally comes before a noun?

I see Aurelie's distinction that adjectives before nouns can be figurative and those after descriptive... but calling a chair "long" doesn't seem any more descriptive than calling a path "long," and yet from the lesson the long path is "le long chemin."

Accepted Answer

Hi Alison,
That's a very good point but 'chaise longue' refers to a particular type of chair (between a chair and a bed) and is taken as meaning this particular item.
Normally long/longue would precede the noun as in:
C'était un long discours = It was a long speech 
C'était un ami de longue date = It/He was a long standing friend
If you look at Steven's contribution at the end of the lesson, He suggests a useful acronym to remember the adjectives that normally come before the noun.
Hope this helps!

Answer

I guess what Aurélie means with descriptive is what in English one would write with a hyphen.

A "chaise-longue" would be a "long-chair" whereas a "longue chaise" would be a "long chair".

Greetings, -- Chris.