Emmanuel Macron just said the Australian PM's wife was 'delicious'

Speeches are always awkward.

You’re in front of a crowd, you stumble over your words and end up saying the wrong thing – it’s a situation most of us are familiar with.

Yesterday saw French President Emmanuel Macron find himself in this situation when he referred to Lucy Turnbull, wife of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, as “delicious”.

Twitter users were quick to pick up on the comment:

In fairness, ‘delicious’ in French can be used as a synonym of ‘charming’, or 'nice', which may be where the confusion came.

But a quick search through forums of French users confirms that its more risqué connotations are applicable in both languages – evidenced by some seriously flirty comment chains.

Either way, the exchange marks an amusing footnote in a presidential visit otherwise dedicated to trade negoatiations.

More: The French first lady says Melania ‘can’t even open a window’ at the White House