“Appeler un chat un chat” is a French saying that literally means “to call a cat a cat.” It means to call things by their name, to be open and direct, to not mince one’s words, not to fear calling things by their names, to avoid euphemisms.
The origin of this expression is unknown. Its closest equivalent in English is “to call a spade a spade.”
“Un phoque” is a French masculine noun meaning “a seal,” referring to the marine mammal. Idiomatic expressions Etymology The word “phoque” is derived from the Latin “phoca,” a feminine noun meaning “seal.” Its first surviving recorded usage in French was in 1532, when it was spelled “focque.” By 1573 its spelling had changed to “phoque”…
The Conditional tense expresses the idea that you WOULD do something, if a specific condition is met. So in English, it involves either the word “would” or its abbreviation “‘d” (apostrophe d). If we take the English verb “to give,” its conditional would be “I would give” or “I’d give.” The conditional of the English…
Translating “the day before,” “tomorrow,” and “the day after” into French You may already know the French words “hier” (yesterday) and “demain” (tomorrow). French offers several expressions to convey concepts like “the day before,” “tomorrow,” and “the day after.” Each has its unique nuances depending on the context. 1. “The day before” The English phrase…
“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…
“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….
“C’est l’hôpital qui se fout de la charité !” is a French idiom that literally means “It is the hospital that does not care about charity!” In French it is means “you are not in a position to talk,” or “you make fun (of someone or something) but you don’t do any better yourself.” In…