The French idiom “manger de la vache enragée” literally translates as “to eat of the enraged cow.” No, it doesn’t have anything to do with Mad Cow disease. In fact it means “to live in misery, to have a difficult material life, or to lead a life of deprivation.” The saying dates from the 17th century….
The French saying “prendre de la bouteille” literally means “to take from the bottle.” What it really means is to gain maturity, to acquire experience or to grow old. This expression was originally used for wine, which is something that improves with age. It was then applied to anything that is capable of aging, including humans….
The French idiom “passer au caviar” means literally “to pass to the caviar” or “to switch to the caviar.” This expression comes from Russia. Under the rule of Tsar Nicholas I (1825-1855), censorship was common. In books and journals, areas that had been censored were covered in black ink. This black ink was the same…
The French saying “mettre de l’eau dans son vin” means literally “to put some water in one’s wine.” It means to be less ambitious, to moderate one’s claims or to moderate one’s demands. It comes from the practice of moderating the intensity of wine by adding water to it. The expression dates back at least to…
The French saying “quand on parle du loup, on voit sa queue” literally means “when one speak of the wolf, one sees his tail.” What does this mean? It means that often when you talk about someone, they will suddenly and unexpectedly appear. A variation of this saying appeared in the 16th century. It referred…
The French idiom “savoir où le bât blesse” means literally “to know where the pack-saddle pinches.” What it really means is “to know someone’s secret problems” or “to know someone’s hidden pain.” A pack saddle is a device, usually made from wood, placed on the back of an animal, to enable it to transport goods….
“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…
The French idiom “l’alpha et l’oméga” translates literally as “the alpha and the omega.” What it really means is the start and end of something, or something in its totality, or just the totality. Its origin is the Bible. In the book of Isaiah, God says “I am the first and the last.” This means…
The French saying “se brosser” literally means “to brush yourself.” What it really means is to be obliged to do without something you desire, to make a noise, to rummage around, or even just to wash yourself. It comes from a French idiom “faire brosse,” which meant to miss or to fail. This dates back…
The French saying “à couteaux tirés” means literally “at knives drawn,” or “with knives drawn.” What it actually means is a situation of open war, or great tension, or great hostility, or diametrically opposed. The idiom dates back to the end of the 17th century. Historically, arguments were often “resolved” with knives or daggers. So…