“Faire d’une pierre deux coups” is a French idiom that literally translates as “to make two strikes with one stone.” It means to reach several objectives with a single action, or to achieve two things at the same time with a single action.
The English equivalent of this French saying is “to kill two birds with one stone.”
The French expression is attributed to Montaigne in the 16th century, but may well date back earlier.
The way to say “thank you” in French involves words like “merci,” “remerciements” and “remercier.” Most people are familiar with “merci,” but may not have heard of the other two words. Merci “Merci” is either an exclamation or a masculine noun meaning “thanks” or “thank you.” Remerciements “Les remerciements” (masculine plural) is a noun meaning…
What does the French idiom “Revenons à nos moutons !” mean? It means, “Let’s get back to the topic,” or “let’s get back on track.” It dates back to 1464, when it was first found in a comedy of the Late Middle Ages. Literally, however, it means, “Let’s come back to our sheep.” Learn more…
This expression means to have a lot to do, or to have numerous tasks to accomplish. But this expression originally meant to have resources for the future, or to be assured of lacking for nothing. That’s because before the start of the 20th century, French bread used to last a long time. Then, as people…
The French expression « le nez de Cléopâtre » (“Cleopatra’s nose”) comes from a famous line by the 17th-century philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. In his Pensées (1670), he wrote: « Le nez de Cléopâtre, s’il eût été plus court, toute la face de la terre aurait changé. »If Cleopatra’s nose had been shorter, the…
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…
The French idiom “montrer patte blanche” translates literally as “to show white paw.” What it really means is “to prove your identity,” “to present authorisation to enter a place,” or “to be recommendable.” This saying dates back to the time of Jean de La Fontaine. He was a poet and a writer of fables who…