“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.
“En faire tout un fromage” literally means “to make a whole cheese out of it.” Which doesn’t make a lot of sense in English, of course. But its real meaning is “to make a mountain out of a molehill.” It refers to making a big story out of a small or insignificant thing or event,…
The French idiom “prendre la clé des champs” translates literally as “to take the key of the fields.” It means “to escape,” “to flee,” “to liberate yourself,” “to leave,” or “to save.” “Le champ” means “the field” in French. But “les champs” means not only “the fields” but also “free space.” So the key in…
The French Verb “Détendre”: Unraveling Layers of Relaxation The French verb “détendre” means “to relax,” “to loosen,” “to untighten,” “to release” or even “to entertain.” It also has a reflexive version, “se détendre,” which also means “to relax” or “to slacken.” Etymology:“Détendre” comes from the Latin words, “de” (down from) and “tendere” (to stretch). Usage:…
Passer l’éponge means literally to pass the sponge, but in slightly better English it would be to wipe the sponge. The English saying it most closely resembles would be “to wipe the slate clean.” It means to restart from zero, to forgive, or to forget disagreeable acts. The expression dates back to the start of…
The french tell time in two ways. The common way for everyday speech. And the official way for timetables, tv guides, and train schedules. the 12-hour clock For ordinary life, the french use the 12-hour clock like english speakers do. But they say things a little differently. To ask the time, you say: To answer,…
The letter “g” can be pronounced in two different ways in French. It can be hard, like the first “g” in the word “garage,” which is both a French word and an English word. Or it can be soft, like the last “g” in “garage.” How do you know whether a “g” will be hard…