“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 French saying “à couteaux tirés” means literally “at knives drawn,” or “with knives drawn.” What it actually means is a situation of open war, or great tension, or great hostility, or diametrically opposed. The idiom dates back to the end of the 17th century. Historically, arguments were often “resolved” with knives or daggers. So…
The French verb “revenir” has several meanings and uses. It basically means “to come back,” since it is based on the verb “venir,” meaning “to come.” Here are some of the primary meanings:
“Faire la bombe” means to have a big feast or a big party with feasting. Nothing to do with bombs! So why does it literally mean “to make the bomb”? Because it is a deformation of the phrase “faire bombance,” which means “to have a feast.” So there is no connection with explosive devices at…
The French verb “réussir” means “to succeed,” but it can also mean “to achieve,” “to carry off (something) successfully,” “to win,” or “to pass (an exam).” Etymology: The word “réussir” was borrowed in the early 16th century from the Italian verb “riuscire,” meaning “to re-issue” or “to go out again.” The Italian “riuscire,” is made up…
The verb “ouvrir” is a regular -ir verb, and its conjugation follows a predictable pattern. Here is how it is conjugated in the present tense: Similar Conjugation Patterns The verbs “rouvrir,” “découvrir,” “recouvrir,” “offrir,” “souffrir,” and “couvrir” share a similar conjugation pattern with “ouvrir.” These verbs are also regular -ir verbs. By recognizing this pattern,…
An “appel du pied” literally means a “call of the foot” but actually means a discrete invitation, a seduction attempt, an allusive proposal or simply an invitation. Its origin is unknown. There is a related term that exists in the world of fencing with swords, but it doesn’t seem to be linked to this usage….