The French expression “Appuyez sur le champignon !” literally means “Step on the mushroom!” Why would you tell someone to step on the mushroom? Because the accelerator pedal on early motor vehicles was originally shaped like a hemisphere or a dome. Kind of like a mushroom. So “Appuyez sur le champignon !” means “step on the gas!”, “speed up!”, “hurry up!” or simply “accelerate!”
“gagner ses éperons” is a French saying meaning “to gain one’s spurs.” It means to get a promotion, to rise in rank, or to accede to a higher social status. Similar English expressions include “to earn one’s stripes” or “to win one’s spurs.” The French idiom only appeared in the 19th century, but makes a…
“Coeur d’artichaut” is a French saying that translates literally as “heart of artichoke” or “artichoke heart.” What it really means is someone who falls in love easily, or it can also mean someone who is fickle in love. An artichoke is a vegetable with tough leaves on the outside and a much softer centre. Comparing…
“La tentation de Venise” means “to have itchy feet.” Literally, it means “the temptation of Venice.” It refers to the temptation to dedicate yourself to other things, to change your life. This is a very recent expression dating from around the start of the 21st century. It comes from the title of a 1993 book written by…
“Cinquième colonne” is a French idiom that means “fifth column.” It translates as “traitor, enemy spy organisation, spy, or secret service for a foreign country.” The idiom dates back to 1936, during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalists of General Franco announced that the capital of Spain, Madrid, would be attacked by five columns of…
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…
“Faire grève” or “faire la grève” is a French idiom that means “to strike,” or “to go on strike.” This is when workers purposely stop working in their attempt to achieve higher wages and/or better conditions from their employers. The word “grève” in the expression comes from the word for gravel (gravier) which in turn came…