l’oeil de Moscou

ByFast French April 19, 2023May 25, 2023

“L’oeil de Moscou” is a French idiom that literally means “the eye of Moscow.” It refers to an organisation or an individual who spies on other people for the benefit of others. It also refers to technical equipment used to spy on people.

It dates back to the era of the USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Inside the USSR, people were spied on by their government and by agents of their own government.

An equivalent English expression would be “Big Brother,” which is a term that comes from George Orwell’s novel “1984,” which is itself a critique of authoritarian (communist) regimes.

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Sayings & Expressions

Ne tirez pas sur le pianiste !
ByFast French February 15, 2022May 25, 2023

“Ne tirez pas sur le pianiste !” literally means “Don’t shoot the pianist!” So what does it actually mean? It means to be indulgent towards someone of good will, to not accuse or attack someone who is a scapegoat, rather than the person really responsible. This expression comes from Oscar Wilde, who wrote a booklet…

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Sayings & Expressions

tenir la jambe
ByFast French September 6, 2023September 6, 2023

The French saying “tenir la jambe” means literally “to hold the leg.” What it means figuratively is “to hold someone back or to delay someone by saying lots of boring or irrelevant things to them.” This conjures up images of trying to get away from someone who insists on telling you something, even though you…

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Sayings & Expressions

Parler français comme une vache espagnole
ByFast French February 17, 2022May 25, 2023

“Parler français comme une vache espagnole” means to speak French with difficulty, to speak French very badly, or just to speak any language badly. But it literally means “to speak French like a Spanish cow!” How did this phrase, which is insulting to both Spaniards and to cows, come about? The saying dates back to…

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Verbs

verb: dessiner
ByFast French October 26, 2023October 26, 2023

Meaning The primary meaning of the French verb “dessiner” is “to draw,” “to design,” “to map out,” “to outline,” “to depict” or even “to portray.” For example, “Il a su dessiner un tableau vivant de la scène.” Conjugation “Dessiner” is a regular “-er” verb, meaning it follows the typical conjugation patterns for this type of…

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Sayings & Expressions

en catimini
ByFast French April 4, 2023May 25, 2023

“En catimini” is a French expression that means furtively, stealthily, on the sly or discreetly. It dates back to the second half of the 14th century. The word “catimini” is often linked to the Greek word “katamenia” which means menstruation. The idea being that women of the era kept their menstrual status largely to themselves….

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Sayings & Expressions

beau comme un camion
ByFast French September 5, 2023September 5, 2023

The literal translation of “beau comme un camion” is “beautiful as a truck.” On the surface, this phrase appears to be an ironic or humorous comparison. After all, trucks are not typically associated with beauty. Instead, they are functional vehicles designed for transporting goods. This expression is used to describe a person, typically a woman,…

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