This French expression means “to go window shopping.” However it translates literally as “to do some lick-window.” This phrase comes from the idea that the window shopper is standing so close to the window and gazing in with such pleasure that it looks like she is licking the window. The idiom first appeared in the 20th century, following the more widespread availability of plate glass.
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…
“Blanchir de l’argent” is a French expression meaning “to launder money.” Literally it means to whiten or to whitewash money, but in English you would say to launder. Just like the English expression, “blanchir de l’argent” means to give illegally gained money a valid, legal existence by hiding its criminal origins. This is done in…
The French phrase “il y a” means “there is” or “there are.” It covers both singular and plural. “il y a” versus “c’est” “Il y a” is often used for situations where you can’t see the thing being talked about. Eg “there is a bike in the garden” (when you’re not in the garden), or…
“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…
English contains a lot of adjectives of French origin. One of the features of these adjectives is that they have come from the feminine version of the French adjective, not the masculine version, which is normally the default. That’s because the feminine version of any French adjective is usually easier for English speakers to pronounce. It…
Meanings:“Rappeler” is a transitive verb, meaning “to remind” or “to call back.” It means to bring something or someone to one’s attention again. On the other hand, “se rappeler” is a reflexive verb, meaning “to remember” or “to recall.” Conjugation:Note the irregular spelling in the singular forms (je, tu & il) and the third person…