“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.”
The French idiom “danser devant le buffet” means to have no food or to have nothing to eat. Literally, it translates as “to dance in front of the sideboard.” This expression comes from a play on words dating back to the end of the 18th century. From the 16th to the 18th century, the verb…
A “semaine des quatre jeudis” means “never,” “something impossible,” “something that will never happen.” Literally it means “a week with four Thursdays,” implying that Friday and therefore the weekend will never come. This expression is quite old, having been around since the end of the 15th century, when it was known as “la semaine à…
The French saying “laid comme un pou” translates literally as “(as) ugly as a louse.” It means “very ugly.” This idiom dates back to the end of the 18th century. Although there are plenty of other insects that are uglier than a louse, which is responsible for head lice infestations, the effects of this insect…
The French verb “manquer à” means “to miss (someone)” “Manquer” is a regular “-er” verb. In fact it has several meanings, but one of its main meanings is to miss someone, in the sense of wishing that they were here. In this construction, it is used with either “à” or a indirect object pronoun. Examples…
The French masculine noun “le pouvoir” translates to “power” or “authority” in English. It comes from the French verb “pouvoir,” meaning “to be able,” or “can.” “Le pouvoir” has its roots in the Latin word “potere,” which means “to be able” or “to have the right.” This Latin term evolved into the Old French “povoir” before…
“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…