Avoir de la veine

“Avoir de la veine” means to be lucky or to have luck. “Une veine” is a vein. So what is the connection between veins and luck? The term comes from the world of men who searched for gold, diamonds or other precious metals. These metals and diamonds are found in concentrations in rock called “veins.” Finding a vein of gold or diamonds was the kind of luck that all miners strove for, so “to have some vein” means to be lucky.

Are you looking for VCE French tutoring? Try a free trial lesson with Fast French. No obligation. Fast French has a track record of helping students to progress and excel in their French studies.

Don’t miss out on new posts – subscribe now!

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • Grammar: Imperfect tense

    The Imperfect verb tense (l’imparfait) in French is used to express continuous action in the past. If we use the English verb “to give” as an example, the meanings of the French Imperfect version of this verb would be “I was giving,” “I used to give,” “I kept on giving,” or even “I gave.” There…

  • mettre les pouces

    “Mettre les pouces” is a French idiom that literally means “to put the thumbs.” What it really means is to stop resisting, to give in, to admit defeat or to abandon something. It dates from the end of the 18th century. In that same era, a similar expression “coucher les pouces” (to put the thumbs to…

  • faire le malin

    The French phrase “faire le malin” translates literally as “to make the clever (person),” but it really means “to show off,” “to play it smart,” “to try to be clever,” “to get cute,” or “to boast.” It can also mean “to con” or “to cheat.” Examples Expression A saying that is derived from this phrase…

  • verb: râler

    Meaning The primary meaning of the French verb “râler” is “to grumble” or “to complain.” It is used to express dissatisfaction, annoyance, or frustration, often in a vocal or audible manner. However, “râler” can take on several additional meanings depending on the context: Conjugation “Râler” belongs to the group of regular “-er” verbs, and its…

  • être en panne

    “Être en panne” is a French saying that means to be damaged, to be broken, to be defective, to have broken down, or to have stopped an activity. This expression dates back to the 16th century, to the world of sailing ships. “Mettre en panne” meant to adjust the sails in such a way that…